Green Roof Maintenance Problems

If you re noticing gradual or very quick plant loss let us highlight what some of the issues may be.

Green roof maintenance problems.

Common green roof problem 1. Let s take a look at some common green roof myths and see if they er. They are strong enough to be able to compensate for this. Maintenance for intensive green roofs can be labor intensive and expensive.

The most concerning and damaging error regarding green roof maintenance is not having a plan in place says andy creath owner and founder of green roofs of colorado a firm that designs installs maintains and consults on green roofs. A faulty design of a roofing system can cause costly problems. No one visits them and they wonder why it s not alive months later. The green roof will no doubt generate lots of interest so it is important to create a site specific maintenance plan to keep it looking and functioning properly.

Unless design deficiencies are corrected the problems they cause will likely come back. So much so that sedum roofs dominate uk green roof specifications comprising perhaps as much as 85 by area of a 100m annual market. Low or no maintenance o m. All green roofs and walls will require some form of annual maintenance.

1 2 in addition green roofs can reduce building energy use by 0 7 compared to conventional roofs reducing peak electricity demand and leading to an annual savings of 0 23 per square foot of the roof. An extensive green roof is almost maintenance free but your roof garden will always need a little maintenance. Issues with the membrane drainage. Design deficiencies cost a lot of money to correct and they can only be fixed by replacing the roof.

It is perceived to be one of the largest barriers to their installation. Plant loss plant loss is a common issue on green roofs and can happen for many different reasons. While extensive green roofs are generally considered low maintenance landscapes they do require specialized care at regular intervals especially during the period of establishment. According to pierce one of the most common roof problems is incidental water ponding.

For example that green roofs are only for ecobuffs they re high maintenance and they re experimental and risky. This includes removing weeds carried by the wind and applying fertilizer several times a year. Extensive roofs require less watering and fertilizing but they require at least yearly inspections to remove unwanted self seeding plants. The plants will not be damaged by walking on them when conducting this maintenance.

Sedum is popular because it s claimed to be low cost less growing medium low weight less implied cost to strengthen the structure below and considered fit and forget i e.