In an unfortunate incident of miscommunication, a homeowner had their entire property — including their carefully curated organic garden — sprayed with chemical weed killer.
In a post to Reddit in the r/Agriculture forum, the homeowner asked other users for advice on what to do and how they might hasten the decomposition of the chemicals in their yard.
"I have a young child and a pet and we are using our backyard daily and now it feels unsafe to do anything," wrote the homeowner in the post. "Can someone help me?"
"Probably have to sell the house," one person responded in jest.
Unfortunately, all the careful research and tending in the world can't prevent every garden mistake, especially if it involves a second or third party like in this case.
The Cool Down has covered multiple occurrences of neighbors or landlords accidentally (or purposefully) spraying chemical herbicides, as well as gardeners lamenting the use of artificial turf, rubber mulch, and landscaping fabric.
Instead of opting for artificial and environmentally damaging landscaping options, there are numerous low-effort and low-cost, eco-friendly alternatives for a beautiful yard and garden the whole neighborhood will be jealous of.
One option is native plant gardening. Native planting utilizes naturally occurring plants that have evolved to survive and even thrive in local weather conditions, saving you time and money on watering. Plus, native plants will attract pollinators and local wildlife to your yard and provide shelter for them.
Other options are clover lawns, buffalo grass, and xeriscaping — all of which are low-maintenance and eco-friendly. 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.
In response to the homeowners' plea for help, Reddit users responded with a less-than-ideal solution and assurances that, at the very least, the chemicals wouldn't last forever.
"Most of the time those chemicals will dissipate on their own in very short order," wrote one user in response. "Just give it time."
"I'm sorry this happened to you," another said, also noting that some types of chemicals aren't very long-lasting. "I would contact the company first and get the name of the precise chemicals used. Then I would contact whoever regulates pesticide usage in your area. This would allow the regulatory agency to discourage this kind of activity by the company."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
