Rubber Mulch in the Garden

Move over wood chips, take a hike pine straw, see ya later compost...there is a new mulch on the block and it name is rubber. Every since rubber mulch became available sales of the product have skyrocketed. People everywhere are replacing their traditional, organic mulch with rubber mulch. Rubber mulch is even showing up at parks and on recreational fields. Despite the fact that rubber mulch is hotly debated amongst horticulturists, safety experts and the rubber mulch companies, the mulch continues to be sold in vast quantities each year.

What is Rubber Mulch?

Rubber mulch is simply the byproduct of tire recycling. Heavy machines rip the tires to shreds while removing the metal. Making rubber mulch out of old tires saves a tremendous amount of space in landfills.

All the Fuss

The bulk of the argument against rubber mulch is due to two factors. The first is the fact that once it is lit, rubber mulch creates a much larger fire than traditional wood mulch. This fire is also very difficult to put out. It is recommended that rubber mulch not be used in areas that are fire prone or at least not in the vicinity of other structures. The second area of concern voiced by some safety experts and horticulturalists has to do with the fact that rubber tires do, in fact, break down over time and may leach toxic chemicals into the soil and water supply. For this reason, it is recommended that rubber mulch not be used for vegetable gardens. Much of the mulch sold today has been checked and certified non-toxic.

Benefits

Although rubber mulch initially costs more than most traditional mulch types, it does not need to be replaced nearly as often. In fact, some manufacturers say that rubber mulch will last as long as twelve years.  Most mulch materials such as wood chips and pine straw need to be reapplied at least once a year as they break down and lose their color. Rubber mulch, on the other hand, retains its color for a very long time. Because rubber mulch is heavy, it does not easily wash away and works very well on slopes or other places where lighter mulch is carried away by wind and heavy rain. Mulch made from tires is also quite fashionable, coming in a wide variety of colors including blue, green, brown black and red. Rubber inhibits the growth of mold and fungi, repels rodents and bugs and helps with moisture retention.

Playgrounds

Rubber mulch is commonly seen in playgrounds and parks. The greatest benefit of using this long lasting mulch on playgrounds is its ability to act as a shock absorber. It does not become as compacted as traditional mulches do and is, therefore, useful in preventing some of the 50,000 playground accidents recorded each year.

About the Author: Susan Patterson is a freelance writer with an interest in sustainable living and the environment. She writes for a number of different sites and recently competed an article that spoke about the benefits of using a chain of title search.