Homeowner shares frustrations after finding landscaping mistake left by previous owners: ‘You’ll be finding that stuff for years’

June 10, 2024

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. 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 to the subreddit .

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 users in the post.

“Definitely sod netting,” the replied.

“Doesn’t look like it helped!” sarcastically another, referencing the absence of grass or any plants.

“You’ll be finding that stuff for years,” another .

Unfortunately, landscaping mistakes like this one are all too common. The Cool Down has covered multiple instances of people using , , and in yards and gardens as methods for supposedly easy yard maintenance.

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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 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 from your yard.

Many plastics contain associated with and in humans, as well as 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 gardening, which utilizes your area’s naturally occurring 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, provide shelter and sustenance for that will be .

Other eco-friendly, low-maintenance options include , buffalo grass, and xeriscaping. For more information on how to get started, check out The Cool Down’s guides on and .

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,” one user.

Another : “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 .

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