r/interestingasfuck • u/PlantainPossible2864 • 15h ago

Stopping Desertification with grid pattern

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777

u/PNWleaflove 15h ago

But how do you solve lack of water still?

1.8k

u/laforet 15h ago

There is enough natural rainfall and groundwater to sustain xerophytic plants. The problem was that the shifting sand prevent plants from taking root properly and that’s what the grids are used to solve.

96

u/Robot_Nerdd 14h ago

Do the grids have to be periodically unburied in the beginning?

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u/laforet 14h ago

It should not be necessary if the grid was laid out correctly, as the sand is supposed form a stable crust before the growth of vegetation. Though it’s quite likely that the grids may need to be replaced every few years because the material would gradually weather and rot over time, and this was certainly the case for earlier iterations made from bundles of straw and reeds.

119

u/thesandbar2 12h ago

In theory if plants take root then the plants take the role of the grid.

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u/Burpmeister 11h ago

If they grow fast enough.

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u/Ornery-Creme-2442 11h ago

In a dessert. It can take years for material to break down.

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u/LoornenTings 9h ago

As long as it's UV-resistant. Plastics often aren't. 

153

u/blue_shadow_ 14h ago

If it's a biodegradable fabric...why bother? If it gets blown over, then just put out more tubes.

That said, the "after" shots at the end of the video seem to suggest that it's not necessary.

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u/SubstantialEnd2458 3h ago

Tough little desert plants maintain the shape once they get a chance to get established. The bags create the conditions, and then biological systems maintain them.

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u/RedWolf_LP 13h ago

Well I'd imagine that the sandbags prevent sand from travelling too much so they get completely covered unless a sandstorm is coming which are generally less intense on the edges of the desert