| | Gardening with rubber bark mulchPage 1 of 2 (1, 2) | Ever used rubber (recycled tires) bark mulch in either gardening or landscaping?
I'm curious about it for both uses.
Landscaping around the shrubs to discourage weed growth.
Gardening for moisture retention.
I'm a hard-core novice. Haven't even started my fantasy veg garden yet, and am having trouble keeping my avocado tree alive, so don't be afraid to say things that might seem obvious.
Many thanks in advance for reading and/or responding. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 2:17:10 PM | My neighbor used it... red color rubber mulch. Was the
first time I heard of it or saw it. Still seems to be there and red.
I would only be concerned at what gasses might come from the rubber when in the sun?
does that pose a health risk?
otherwise it looks good and keeps away the weeds. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 2:35:19 PM | I would only be concerned at what gasses might come from the rubber when in the sun?
I doubt that's any more of an issue that your tires outgassing in the driveway. Or car exhaust, fertilizer, dyed tree mulch...
They use that stuff on soccer fields here, under the turf.
The fields are in the sun all day...all you smell are sweaty kids. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 2:43:39 PM |
The fields are in the sun all day...all you smell are sweaty kids.
!
Holycow, I heard the color lasts for 10 years. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 2:45:16 PM | A friend of mine has it in her front flower bed. It was placed there by the previous owner. While on the surface the idea may sound like a good idea; reading the links below will help you understand why she's wanting to replace it asap.
http://www.natureswayresources.com/DocsPdfs/RubberMulch.pdf
http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=760 | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 3:06:21 PM | | I wouldn't even consider it. You want to stay as natural and organic as possible in the garden. Because thats what plants are....natural and organic. Be gentle and loving to your plants. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 4:11:33 PM | Good for you ! about starting your veg garden. :)
You might want to look up Mother Earth news magazine. It has quite a few articles about such things and about canning your veggies etc..
http://www.motherearthnews.com/
and I love this one too:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/
I havent any thing to add about the rubber stuff except they use it in the local playground. Seems ok for that but I dont think Id want it in my garden for growing vegetables. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 4:22:50 PM | I've thought about using the reddish rubber bark mulch for a shady garden path on the north side of my house that gets NO sun ... I've always used redwood bark in the past but it just deteriorates so fast ... and the redwood doesn't begin to slow down the encroachment of my thornless blackberries ...
when I looked at the rubber bark, though, it kind of smelled like something I wouldn't want in my garden ... like rotten rubber maybe ... at least, the redwood bark smells good for a while ... and the pathway goes over where I assume roots are for the almond trees ... so I'm not sure I'd want rotting rubber out there, leaching down to the almond roots ... | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 6:03:41 PM | Well...I'm going for the rubber now.
Tires I mean.
Asbestos? Do they still make asbestos brake linings?
So stop snorting mulch.
I've tried all sorts of wood "mulch". Too much shade and it gets all moldy.
Maybe a mix of the two.
But I gotta say, every time my neighbor gets a pile of cedar mulch I gag. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 6:11:29 PM | | I don't like mulch. Around my garage I laid down a cloth membrane, and covered it with crushed stone. It's really low maintenance. The gravel doesn't get muddy, no mold, no bees, doesn't blow away. In fall I can clean out the dead leaves with a leaf blower. It's also firm to walk on. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 6:20:57 PM | | not in my garden, no way. The glue used to ply tires? Fix a flat? Shredded up tires are not hust pure rubber , so not around the garden, fruit or nut trees | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 6:46:54 PM | when mulching, you want to use something that will break down and add some sort of benefit to your soil. plan your garden as though you'll live forever.
i'd worry about the smell, for one thing. also, i'd think rubber would retain heat. since we recently got changed to zone 6, too much heat would certainly become problematic.
i stick with shredded pine bark mulch. i have one client who chose redwood because it matched the trim on her house. i had never heard of picking mulch to match a particular color! but, whatever.
anyway, if you're a novice, i'd suggest you stick with more traditional treatments. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/3/2012 7:35:34 PM | | In a vegetable garden, hay works well as mulch. Supposedly, there is a type that is certified weed-free, which would be best. I agree with Juniper that a natural mulch is better. Pine straw can be used with certain vegetables, also. I think the rubber mulch is best left for the area around children's play sets where injuries can be a concern. A disadvantage of any wood chip mulch (cypress, pine) is that it will break down into little chips. If you are using a raised bed that has a limited amount of soil, I wouldn't think the chips would provide nutrients for the plants. That's just a theory of mine. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 1:17:44 AM | If it discourages cats from using the garden as their personal shithouse, then I'd be all for it!
I love cats, but sometimes they are very inconsiderate. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 1:51:49 AM | Mulch is great for azaleas, etc., but I don't see what good it is in a vegetable garden. The big thing is to make sure the soil is really good. If the existing soil is adobe, etc. with no organic matter in it, sometimes you have to till so much soil amendment into it to get it right that it's easier just to use containers or raised beds and fill them with potting soil.
I love cats, but sometimes they are very inconsiderate.
Yeah, I doubt if they're thinking about what we'd like. My cat even had the nerve to go in my vegetable garden the other day right when I was working in it. But look at it from a cat's-eye view. Burying their scat leaves less trace for any animal that might bother them--it's just their instinct for caution. And when someone's provided all that nice loose dirt, what could be more convenient? | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 6:21:31 AM | | Rubber bark mulch should probably work quite nicely if your garden is established with a nice assortment of plastic plants. You may want to research the leachate runoff from this 'miracle' ingredient, esp. since you mention its possible use in areas where vegetables for human consumption may be grown. Mmmm, tasty. This should never be a presence in any garden. It may have limited application by the Streets and Roads crews in certain areas, but never around a food crop. Stick with the hay or wood bark mulches and prep the soil with bone meal, blood meal, and NPK. Follow with regular watering and you should do fine. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 6:44:23 AM | When I was younger I had a cat that followed me everytime I planted things and then UNplanted them fo me...like he did me a favour.. and then he would roll all over it like a dog for scent..lol. Silly cat.
Anyway, I bought WORX mulcher/blower (excellent product btw) and I use my Sycamore trees for mulch. Have for about 13years now. Works great. Im knee deep in leaves by springtime when I mulch.
I just dont like the idea of using rubber this way.. and for the hay idea NOOOOOOOO... ugh... Talk about smell. Next door to us at work is a pet store and they use hay. In the back storage room it smells racid and horrible. Its even worse when the animals have peed/pooped on it. Gags you. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 7:19:26 AM | I not sure if the poster above is talking about hay that has been used previously for pets bedding, or other uses. I am talking about UNUSED hay. I did read in the article below that STRAW is preferred (didn't know there was a difference). It is commonly used in vegetable gardens. They use it in the community garden in the town I live in.
http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=2067 | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 12:10:40 PM |
Rubber bark mulch should probably work quite nicely if your garden is established with a nice assortment of plastic plants.
I agree with this statement. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 1:48:18 PM | I wouldn't use it, I'd use straw/hay instead it is much cheaper & works better to hold in the moisture & cut down on weeds. One thing, if you are a novice don't go overboard with planting. A veggie garden takes lots of work, so less is the best idea. Next year you'll have a better idea on what grows well in your area . You will also get an idea of how much time you have to work on your gardens. This year will basically be for experimenting.
Here's a link about rubber mulch.
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/the_myth_of_rubberized_landscapes | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 3:41:30 PM |
Drestin Red - A veggie garden takes lots of work, so less is the best idea. Next year you'll have a better idea on what grows well in your area . You will also get an idea of how much time you have to work on your gardens. This year will basically be for experimenting.
Excellent advice, Drestin. Last year, I started with four 4' X 8' raised beds, and it's plenty of work. One or two might be better to start with. | |
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| Gardening with rubber bark mulch
Posted: 4/4/2012 3:56:10 PM | | The 5 or 7 gallon plastic containers they have at OSH, Home Depot, etc. work great for peppers. I've grown a lot of different varieties--except for bells, which are harder to get good results with--and they alway produce a lot. The peppers are full of Vitamin C, and the plants are beautiful and trouble-free. | |
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