There are so many pesky landscaping nuisances that homeowners seemingly uncover new ones all the time. So it was for a Redditor who encountered mysterious netting under their lawn that had them perplexed.
They asked the r/NoLawns subreddit for help identifying what it was, and they got some immediate answers.
"Looks like sod netting," one user quickly pointed out. Other users agreed.
"Never seen it before," the original poster disclosed after thanking the commenter. They then optimistically remarked, "Good thing it all comes out!"
Unfortunately for the OP, the community had to inject a bitter dose of reality.
One person countered in response, "That's where you're wrong." They noted that it "will actually break into a million tiny pieces of netting that you will have to pull by hand." Another Redditor echoed that bleak forecast, writing that sod netting was "the bane of my existence."
"Been going on 10 years trying to rid my yard of it," they alleged. Another user said they were in their eighth year themselves and called it "so annoying."
The commenters are far from alone, as numerous homeowners have waged war with sod netting. It can also pose troubles for yard tools that can get tangled in it. Plus, it's questionable how well the technique works.
That doesn't even get into the negative environmental impacts. Since it's made out of plastic, sod netting can leak dangerous microplastics that find their way into soil, oceans, and our food. It can also directly threaten local animals such as snakes and birds that can get tangled in it. Plastic production is also a major polluter that relies on dirty energy sources.
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All-natural options that deploy materials such as straw and coconut fibers are better alternatives.
Redditors were frustrated with the persistence of sod netting.
One asked, "Why the f*** isn't this just made of jute, cotton, or hemp?" They noted, "It'd last the season or two it's needed and then actually break down."
A Redditor solemnly suggested the rationale for using plastic was "because we have to use plastic for EVERYTHING!"
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