Winter is a great time for dirt, leaves, and other debris to pile up in your rain gutters. Leave it long enough and there will be buildup. Leave it a really long time and those bits of dust, plantlife and other things will mush together and decompose, eventually becoming plant-worthy soil. Add a few seeds and some rain, and before you know it, green sprouts are popping up on your roof.
Today I passed a home in Los Gatos in which this seems to have happened. Grass and weeds were sprouting out of the rain gutters and had crept onto the roof quite a few inches.
Why is this a problem? Because the more you grow things on the roof, the more moisture you have getting trapped up there and the faster the roof decomposes. You don't want things like fungus and dry rot to munch away at your home, but having plants grow on your roof is going to lead to exactly that.
Keep your gutters clean so problems like this do not have a chance to start. It is infinely easier to prevent this than to cure it.
(Not a great photo - taken with my treo's camera and enlarged to show the roof but trying to keep the house itself anonymous.)
I agree! My roommate owned a station wagon once, while I was in graduate school. It had a tree sapling growing in the door! I never would have believed it, but it was true. These saplings are hardy as weeds, and can grow anywhere. Their roots are very destructive and homeowners should make the clean up more than once a year at spring cleaning.
Also, birds build nests in gutters and down spouts, and can bring seedlings to the area that way. The water and dirt from the nest are natural fertilizers. Soon, the homeowner has a tree growing ten feet off of the ground, with roots going under the shingles or roofing tiles. Not the best situation for preserving the 20 year guaranteed expected life of a new roof.
Your comment about grad school made me chuckle. I had crazy roommates in graduate school too, but growing a sapling on a car absolutely takes the cake. Thanks for a chuckle on a cloudy, threatening day!
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, E-PRO
Luxor Real Estate Group
Mailing Address for Mary: PO Box 440 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0440
877 397-5391 (office/toll-free)
Winter is a great time for dirt, leaves, and other debris to pile up in your rain gutters. Leave it long enough and there will be buildup. Leave it a really long time and those bits of dust, plantlife and other things will mush together and decompose, eventually becoming plant-worthy soil. Add a few seeds and some rain, and before you know it, green sprouts are popping up on your roof. 
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