A vegetative green roof is a highly engineered living system, and living systems need care and maintenance. Don’t confuse “low” maintenance with “no” maintenance. The concept is really no different than for other complicated systems or machinery. Routine care and maintenance is critical and must be performed to ensure long-term viability and performance. It is unreasonable to expect long-term health and performance after your vegetative green roof is installed, yet do absolutely nothing in terms of care and maintenance. GreenGrid maintenance guidelines have been developed after years of experience with modular systems.

A successful vegetative green roof starts with good design. Properly selected vegetation is vital to a successful system. Our designers are here to help you from the initial planning stages as well as provide support well after installation occurs. Most green roof problems we have observed result from poor initial design and lack of post-installation care and maintenance. A routine and consistently executed maintenance protocol will include watering, weeding, fertilizing, replanting, and replacing eroded media. GreenGrid maintenance guidelines must be executed by the person responsible for maintaining the system. It could be the facility grounds manager or other on-site personnel. Or it could be subcontracted to a preferred provider due to a lack of horticultural knowledge in-house.

Key maintenance considerations for the GreenGrid system:

• A green roof is a living system! Although the plants selected are suited for the roof environment, annual maintenance is necessary to maintain healthy plant growth.
• Don’t Wait — Plan/schedule maintenance after the GreenGrid system is installed.
• Protect the investment made in the green roof by following the regularly scheduled activities in the attached guide.