While they are sometimes annoying or disheartening, it's important to remember that gardening mistakes are natural and play a crucial role in helping us become better, more successful gardeners.
Some mistakes, however, can be more frustrating than others, especially when they are caused by a previous homeowner. Plastic netting buried several inches into the soil can create a terrible situation for local ecosystems and is a major pain to remove.
This is the exact situation one Reddit user found themselves in. They shared their frustration in a post to the subreddit r/landscaping.
Images show a short, shallow trench dug by the post's author. Thin, green plastic netting is visible, peaking out of dry, dusty soil in their yard.
"What is the purpose of this green netting that the previous owner placed under the dirt?" they asked users in the post.
"Definitely sod netting," the top commenter replied.
"Doesn't look like it helped!" sarcastically said another, referencing the absence of grass or any plants.
"You'll be finding that stuff for years," another said.
Unfortunately, landscaping mistakes like this one are all too common. The Cool Down has covered multiple instances of people using artificial turf, rubber mulch, and landscaping cloth in yards and gardens as methods for supposedly easy yard maintenance.
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🔘 Getting outside more 🌱
🔘 Growing healthy food 🥕
🔘 Making my yard beautiful 🏡
🔘 I don't garden 🚫
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While these "solutions" might seem perfect, they come with a long list of problems.
Once established in your yard, they are extremely difficult to get rid of. They also contain plastic or fibers that leach into the soil and take years to break down, so they are basically impossible to fully remove from your yard.
Many plastics contain forever chemicals associated with cancer and birth defects in humans, as well as negatively affecting a wide range of animal species in various ways.
Instead of opting for artificial solutions, there are plenty of ways to create a stunning outdoor space that is low-effort and beneficial for the environment, too.
One option is native plant gardening, which utilizes your area's naturally occurring plants. Native plants have evolved to thrive off of local rainfall and resist weeds, saving you time and money on watering plants and weeding your garden. An integral part of local ecosystems, native plants provide shelter and sustenance for pollinators that will be attracted to your yard.
Other eco-friendly, low-maintenance options include clover lawns, buffalo grass, and xeriscaping. For more information on how to get started, check out The Cool Down's guides on switching to a natural lawn and rewilding your yard.
Commenters on the original post echoed the woes of artificial landscaping choices.
"Sod netting. Once saw a little house sparrow get their leg stuck in it," wrote one user.
Another replied: "I saw a juvenile snake get caught in it. It's really a shame that it's common practice to embed plastic snares across the ground so that people can have grass farms aka lawns."
One user suggested native plants that might do well in the original poster's local climate.
"You look to be in a desert climate. Consider a rock garden with succulents," they wrote.
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