Providing the best sedum roof maintenance

The beauty of a sedum roof is that it is relatively low maintenance. That said, there are some tasks that are absolutely essential.

If you want your green roof to look good, attract wildlife, cool your building and impress the neighbours. At Turfonline, we recommend that you access your sedum roof twice a year, in spring and in autumn to carry out a quick and easy maintenance regime.

Before tackling any roofing job, it goes without saying that you need to consider the safety of yourself and other people. Always check any fall restraint systems before starting work and make sure somebody is nearby should you need to call for extra help.

Sedum roof jobs for spring and early summer

Clear away debris

Any fallen leaves, rubbish or winter detritus needs to be removed. It’s important that all of the sedum plants can see daylight and that the drainage outlets remain clear. You can do this while you’re on the roof getting ready to feed the plants.

Feed the roof

Be sure to feed your sedum roof when the weather starts to warm up and plants start to grow. If needs be, write it on your calendar at the start of every year.

We recommend using our Sedum Fertiliser  at a rate of 30 grams per square metre.

This is an easy to apply granular feed, but remember that it must be watered in within 24 hours of application.

Sedum Fertiliser contains all the nutrients that a sedum roof will need, but in a slow-release formula so that unused nutrients don’t get washed away by rainfall.

NEVER EXCEED THE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDED RATE. Too much Nitrogen will encourage weeds to grow on the roof and will also kill the sedum plants.

Check for bare areas

If you have any large areas (bigger than an A4 piece of paper) where the vegetation has disappeared, these may need a little bit of re-generation. Provided that the air temperature is constantly above about 6 degrees and we’re not experiencing drought conditions, all you need to do is break some small pieces off existing plants and press them into the growing medium on the bare area.

Smaller bare areas will normally re-vegetate themselves once the plants have been fed and started their growth spurt.

If you have serious problems with bare patches on your green roof, or if you are at all concerned. Please contact us for advice.

Sedum roof jobs for autumn and winter

Clear debris

Never leave fallen leaves, twigs or detritus on a green roof for more than a couple of weeks…..they will suffocate and kill the plants.

Check gutters and drains

Unblock gutters and ensure all drainage outlets are working well. This includes any gutters that sit above your green roof – if these overflow or drip onto your sedums they will eventually kill the plants.

Check that the sedum blankets are securely fixed and ready for the winter weather.

DO NOT FEED SEDUM PLANTS IN AUTUMN OR WINTER

There is no need to remove spent flower heads from the sedum plants but please pull out any unwanted plants that may have established themselves during the summer. ESPECIALLY tree seedlings and/or any deep rooted or vigorous plants.