Why Green Plastic Netting is Buried in Your Yard (And How to Remove It)

The Dilemma

A homeowner recently asked:

I was digging around my large Sweet Gum tree and found layers of green plastic netting buried under the dirt. Why is it there, and do I need to get rid of it?

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Scenario

You are digging in your garden beds or raking leaves under a large tree when your tool snags on something. You pull, and up comes a ragged, green plastic grid that seems to go on forever. It’s buried under an inch of soil, tangled in roots, and looks like industrial fishing line.

This is the ghost of a lawn past. Specifically, you are looking at the non-biodegradable mesh backing from old sod rolls. And the fact that you can see it now means the grass that was once installed there has lost the battle. This is a classic visual symptom of The Hydraulic Competition Syndrome.

Here is the reality: Someone tried to force a lawn to grow under that Sweet Gum tree. The tree, being the dominant hydraulic engine, sucked up all the moisture and blocked the light. The grass died and decomposed, but the plastic skeleton of the sod remained to haunt you.

The Trap: Why Is It There?

That green netting is a production shortcut. Sod farms use this plastic grid to hold turf rolls together so they can harvest the grass earlier (before the root system is fully dense) and transport it without the soil falling apart. It allows them to sell "younger" grass.

When the installers laid the sod, they didn't remove the mesh. They just rolled it out. Over time, as the organic matter broke down, the plastic stayed. It is essentially a permanent layer of plastic trash installed in your soil.

Why you must remove it:

1. Wildlife Hazard: Birds, snakes, and small mammals get tangled in this mesh and can die.
2. Gardening Nightmare: If you ever try to plant a bulb or dig a hole, your shovel will snag. If you try to rototill, this stuff will wrap around your tines and destroy your machine's bearings.
3. Root Girdling: While less common on large trees, it can girdle smaller plant roots or surface feeders.

The Solution: Surgical Extraction

Do not just rip it up. If you pull too hard, you will rip up the feeder roots of your Sweet Gum tree, which are often interlaced with the mesh. You need to perform a surgical extraction.

Step 1: The Slice and Peel

Get a sharp utility knife (box cutter) and a pair of heavy leather gloves. Do not use a shovel. Locate a section of the mesh and pull it taut. Slice the mesh into manageable 2-foot strips.

Step 2: Protect the Tree Roots

As you peel back the plastic, you will likely find tree roots growing through the holes in the grid. Do not cut the tree roots. Cut the plastic around the root. If a root has fully engulfed the plastic, leave that small piece of plastic embedded rather than severing the root. The tree is more important than 100% plastic removal.

Step 3: Stop Planting Grass Here

The presence of this exposed mesh proves that grass failed here once. It will fail again. The tree has won.

Instead of trying to re-sod (and adding more plastic), accept the shade. Cover the area with a 2-inch layer of organic mulch (keep it off the tree trunk!) or plant dry-shade natives like Carex (sedges) or Christmas Ferns. These plants evolved to live under trees; turf grass did not.

The Diagnostic and Visualizing Safety Net

Before you spend money on new plants to fill that bare spot, you need to know what will actually survive. GardenDream acts as your safety net. You can upload a photo to our Exterior Design App, and the AI will analyze the shade density and root competition to suggest plants that won't just die in a year. It helps you visualize a finished shade garden so you don't make the same mistake the previous owner did.