When you connect any end of the wire to any piece of equipment or the buss bar or ground rod insure you strip the wire and then using sanding or emery cloth clean the bare wire to insure there is a clean contact. You should use washers on binding posts to wire up the equipment. This will insure a solid contact. Loose contacts are of no use so make sure all contacts are good ones. Your ground system is now completed.
Maintenance is little if any.
It may need to be cleaned once a year. When it is dry water your rock pit to insure a good ground year round. I flood mine until I can see the water sitting on top.