Many people have the misconception that the green roof does not require irrigation, fertilization and that no weed growth would occur on the green roof (Vijayaraghavan, 2016). These untrue claims are mostly from the commercial developers of the green roof to motivate their clients in purchasing their products. Nevertheless, green roofs do require irrigation during drought climates and need regular checks in terms of drainage and weed removal. The intensive green roof requires more detailed maintenance operations than the extensive green roof due to its thicker substrate and a greater variety of plant species. 

            After the design and installation phases of the green roof systems, maintenance is a crucial step in the process because it affects the system’s performance and longevity. Temperature and climate play a significant role in terms of the operation and maintenance scheme of the green roof systems. For countries with a tropical climate, it may be required to have a regular irrigation regime for their constructed green roof (Luckett, 2009; Saharuddin et al., 2020). In addition, a lack of knowledge in the operation and maintenance of the green roof would also result in issues of leakages, the presence of invasive species, mould growth, and water ponding, which would shorten the lifespan of the green roof and cause additional problems (Ismail et al., 2012). According to their poll, more than 97 percent of respondents concur that maintaining a green roof is challenging and time-consuming. The authors also claim that leaks on green roofs are difficult to detect and expensive to repair (Ismail et al., 2012). Saharuddin et al. (2020) evaluated various maintenance strategies for the green roof and they concluded the most significant criteria to be looked into when maintaining the green roof is drainage, followed by waterproofing, irrigation, water retention, roof slab, insulation, soil substrate, vegetation, safety, roof access, roof, fertilization, pest and disease control, debris removal, pruning, and weed control. 

Reference

Luckett, K. (2009). Green Roof Construction and Maintenance (GreenSource Books). McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/detail.action?docID=4657557.

Saharuddin, S., Khalil, N., & Abdullah Saleh, A. (2020). PRIORITISING CRITERIA OF MAINTENANCE FOR GREEN ROOF IN HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIALS. Journal of Surveying, Construction & Property, 11(2), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.22452/jscp.sp2020no1.3

Ismail, Z., Aziz, H., Nasir, N. M., Zafrullah, M., Taib, M., & Alam, S. (2012). Obstacles to Adopt Green Roof in Malaysia. 357–361.