A Quick-Step Guide to Stewardship for Your Untended Green Roof

Green roofs are beautiful, but will they always stay that way?

Regular maintenance, while also a necessity, is not enough to ensure the health and beauty of a green roof. Stewardship, on the other hand, asks the right questions to prevent any issues such as weed pressure or dysfunctioning plant diversity. Think of stewardship as a proactive method that prevents any harm or dysfunction to the green roof over time. With expert stewardship, you can have the Betty White of green roofs — it will just keep getting better with age! 

So what would happen if your green roof became untended for a long period of time? Would weeds take over? Would the plants die? Would the drainage systems stop working? All of these are possible (and likely) to happen without the proper stewardship plan in practice. 

Read on to understand just how crucial stewardship is to keeping your rooftop thriving.

Stewardship and Green Roofs

Stewardship is a proactive strategy for ensuring a green roof is functioning optimally. Basically, it helps identify what’s going right and what’s going wrong with a green roof. Based on these results, a plan is then developed to boost what’s working and improve upon what needs to be altered. But stewardship does more than just give the roof a facelift. It makes certain the beauty you see on the outside is also reflected underneath the surface (stormwater retention, drainage, etc.). 

Let’s look at a few examples of what could happen to a green roof with a lack of stewardship. 

For instance, let’s say no one has checked in on a green roof to make sure it is draining properly. Surprise! It's not. Now you have a whole host of plant and building issues. Another example would be if a green roof’s plant palette shrinks to just a few species, or even one. Can someone say monoculture? Plant diversity is one of the key elements of a successful green roof. Not to mention, if and when those plants die off entirely, the 10-15% energy savings will die off too! 

Consider the following a warning — here is what may happen to your green roof if not properly cared for:

• Plant diversity will become significantly reduced
• The ecosystem will become stressed and vulnerable
• Stormwater management will be compromised
• Growth media will be prone to wind erosion
• The pollinator habitat will be negatively impacted
• You may lose your surety bond or other incentives

Signs Your Green Roof Needs Help

Unfortunately, there are so many green roofs out there that are dead or dying. In fact, as much as 50% of green roofs suffer some level of neglect. Trust us, we’ve seen them! All it takes to ensure these beautiful garden rooftops stay alive and well is a little post-handoff TLC. But there are signs prior to decaying that indicate the green roof is in need of care. Take a look at these signs below: 

• Runaway weeds
• Unseasonal plant die-off
• Roof leaks
• Standing water
• Invasive plants
• Poor design or installation
• Bad soil or media
• Crummy components
• Just plain neglect

If you see any of these, your green roof is in dire need of help! Think about all the stress these plants are under, being 50-500 feet in the air. They’re basically undergoing a stress test every day of their lives. Rooftop plants are forced to survive in thinner growing media, with little to no soil. Often, they receive either too much or too little water and have to live through the blistering heat of summer and the sometimes sub-zero cold of winter. Could you live like that without help? Didn’t think so.

Should You Hire an Expert in Stewardship?

You’ve probably heard the term “Jack of all trades, master of none” before, right? This applies to green roofs too. If your job title has nothing to do with agriculture or green roof architecture, it’s best to leave the stewardship to the pros. Hiring a team of experts to take on the stewardship of your green roof ensures optimal functionality and growth. So you can head back to your office to solve the rest of the world’s problems while the stewards maintain a watchful eye over your rooftop.

So what will a stewardship expert do? Experts like us put together a well-thought-out plan that makes certain the green roof is continuously thriving. Having a plan set in place avoids the need for any green roof recovery down the road and enables you to get the maximum benefits out of your rooftop such as:

• Cooler indoor environments and reduced energy costs
• Better air quality within and outside buildings
• Soul-soothing natural beauty to benefit clients and customers
• Reduced water management
• Habitat formation for animals
• Support of beneficial insects

Developing a Stewardship Plan

Each green roof has its own functions and set of needs. The stewardship plan may look different for each green roof depending on where it’s located: exposed rooftop, sheltered sky-high patio, ground-level urban garden, suburban residential oasis. Actually, the stewardship plan for two green roofs neighboring each other at the same height in the sky may have two completely different plans. This could be due to the overall purpose of the green roof, the types of plant life included, and even the types of insects and wildlife they attract. One thing is for certain, each green roof’s chances of thriving are increased tremendously with proactive stewardship.

Pro tip: it’s best to work with someone with experience in the stewardship of green roofs to determine the best course of action to keep your green roof thriving. Take a look at our blog The Top 4 Questions for Green Roof Stewardship to Maximize ROI to learn more about the financial benefits of hiring a stewardship expert.

Final Thoughts

When you truly care about something, you do all you can to take care of it, right? So, if you really care about your green roof, stewardship is the best way to make sure it thrives for years to come! Schedule a free assessment and we'll come take a look at your roof, provide a free custom maintenance report, and provide guidance as to how we can protect, nurture, and enhance your green roof.