Renting can be glorious or frustrating depending on your landlord. There's the good, the bad, and the ugly — and like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.
One tenant posted their frustrations on r/landscaping with pictures that will bring tears to every gardener's eyes.
The photos reveal black plastic creeping up from the ground. The Redditor said it's everywhere in the backyard, "breaking into bits all over," and would love to know how to convince her landlord to get rid of it.
"I really want to start a garden," the post read.
After seeing the pictures, it's apparent that the yard clearly needs some TLC.
Promoted as a weed killer, plastic landscape fabric has too many negatives to rationalize. It increases soil temperature, blocks the proper exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and restricts the movement of beneficial soil-mixing garden friends like earthworms and insects.
Plus, it damages surface soil, preventing nutrients, water, and air from reaching the roots of your plants. It's one of many trends people employ that harm ecosystems and create nightmares for unsuspecting new owners.
Landscape fabrics are typically made out of plastic. As the sheets decompose, they turn into microplastic particles that pollute the soil and take hundreds to thousands of years to break down completely. Microplastics eventually find their way into our waterways, which can cause harm to humans and wildlife alike.
Gardening is historically a major point of contention between tenants and landlords. Landlords across the country have been caught preventing renters from implementing money-saving, eco-friendly lifestyle changes. Luckily, there are resources for those who want to work with their landlords towards amicable change.
People shared the tenant's frustrations, having dealt with landlord neglect before.
"The landlord obviously doesn't care," one Redditor commented.
"Make sure to get the landlord's ok, in writing," another warned.
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