I’m up there three times a year, usually spring, late summer, and before winter hits. Tried heavier planting with sedum and some low-growing natives—definitely helps crowd out the weeds, but you’ll still get the odd dandelion sneaking in. Mulch didn’t do much for me, just washed into the drains after a good rain. Critters haven’t been too bad, though squirrels love to dig around if you’ve got anything loose. Honestly, I’d rather deal with a few weeds than constant shingle repairs or ice dams.
Three times a year sounds pretty reasonable, especially if you’re dealing with green roof stuff and not just plain shingles. I’m with you—fighting off a few weeds is way less hassle than patching up leaks or worrying about ice dams every winter. I tried mulch too, but it just made a mess after the first big rain... ended up clogging my gutters more than anything.
If you’re looking to keep things budget-friendly, I found that just sticking to regular walk-arounds and pulling weeds by hand works fine. Not perfect, but it’s cheap and keeps things under control. I also started using some old chicken wire around the most tempting spots for squirrels—doesn’t look pretty, but it’s stopped them from digging up my sedum patches.
Honestly, as long as you’re keeping an eye out for any pooling water or loose flashing while you’re up there, you’re probably ahead of most folks. A little bit of maintenance here and there beats shelling out for major repairs down the line.
Three times a year is about what I manage, too—spring, late summer, and then right before winter hits. I’ve got a flat roof with a patch of sedum and some solar panels, so it’s not just a quick glance from the ladder. I tried mulch once as well, thinking it’d help with weeds, but after one storm it was all over the place... spent more time cleaning out the drains than anything else.
I’m with you on the chicken wire. Doesn’t win any beauty contests, but after a couple of seasons with squirrels digging up everything, I’ll take ugly over constant replanting. One thing I learned the hard way: don’t skip checking after big storms. Missed a loose flashing last fall and ended up with a slow leak that took forever to track down.
Honestly, just walking around up there every few months and keeping an eye out for anything weird has saved me a ton in repairs. Not perfect, but way better than waiting for something to go wrong.
Honestly, just walking around up there every few months and keeping an eye out for anything weird has saved me a ton in repairs.
That’s basically what I do, too, though it still feels like I’m missing stuff half the time. My roof’s got a pretty shallow pitch and I always worry about what’s going on behind the solar panels—like, do you use a mirror or just trust nothing’s getting trapped back there? Also, I tried using landscape fabric instead of mulch for weeds and it kinda worked, but now it’s starting to tear. Wondering if anyone’s found something that actually stays put through storms?
Getting behind solar panels is a pain, for sure. I’ve tried the mirror trick, but honestly, half the time I end up just sticking my phone back there and snapping a few pics—way easier than crawling around or trying to angle a mirror in the wind. I’m mostly looking for leaves or nests that might block water flow. Had a buddy who ignored his panels for a couple years and ended up with a whole squirrel condo under there. Not fun.
About landscape fabric, I hear you. I used it on one of my rental properties and it looked good for about six months, then started shredding after a couple bad storms. Once that stuff tears, it’s basically useless. Mulch blows away too, though, especially if you’re in an open area like me. Lately I’ve been trying out gravel as a top layer over the fabric—heavier so it doesn’t move much and keeps the sun off the fabric longer. Still not perfect, but better than chasing black plastic across the yard every spring.
Roof pitch makes inspections tricky too. Mine’s pretty flat and even with regular checks, I missed some pooling last year that led to a small leak near the HVAC curb. Water just sits there if you’re not careful... Do you get much pooling with your shallow pitch? And what kind of panels do you have—are they raised enough to see underneath at all? Sometimes installers leave barely any gap, which just traps debris.
Curious if anyone’s had luck with those newer woven weed barriers—they claim to last longer but seem pricey for big areas.
