Rubber mulch provides excellent drainage for the soil and supplies great insulation against harsh weather. It also allows a higher degree of heat to be maintained in the soil as well as maintaining its moisture levels. Wood mulch, however, can starve plants.
Rubber mulch does a better job of insulating plants from heat compared to wood chips and other organic materials. In “indoor” gardens like sun-rooms and solariums, it is especially beneficial because it does not break down and emit a rotting smell. It won't attract insects.
For growing spaces, your best mulch option is wood chips. For pathways and barren, decorative areas, stone chips are a good choice. Heavier mulches are less prone to washing or blowing away in inclement weather.
Unlike wood mulch, rubber mulch used in landscaping doesn't attract termites, carpenter ants or other harmful wood destroying insects so it's the ideal mulch for use around buildings, foundations, and wood structures.
Rubber mulch is suspected of being toxic to plants, containing high levels of zinc which leaches into the soil, causing chlorosis. It also poses health concerns, as it releases heavy metals, plasticizers, and accelerators into the environment.
This guideline recommends that immediately over the hard surface there should be a 3- to 6-inch base layer of loose-fill (e.g., gravel for drainage). The next layer should be a Geotextile cloth. GroundSmart™ Rubber Mulch should be installed directly over this layer.
Made from used tires and petroleum rubber waste, rubber mulch is sold as a long-lasting weed suppressant and as a shock-reducing playground surface. But because these products may come from a range of untraceable source materials, they can contain heavy metals and toxic ingredients that leach into soil.
Bark mulch is the best choice for use as a weed suppressant as it inhibits weeds in two critical ways. First, by applying a thick layer covering the soil, bark mulch deprives the weed seeds in the soil, and their resulting seedlings, of the sunlight desperately needed to germinate and thrive.
Shredded bark is one of the most common and least expensive types of mulch. It comes from a variety of sources, including cedar trees. Shredded bark is the best mulch for slopes, breaking down relatively slowly.
When using mulch in your landscape, there is no need for the use of artificial weed barrier such as plastic or landscape fabric. These materials do not work and are not weed barriers. They are only necessary under stone.
There are several reasons: In hot, sunny weather, rubber mulch gets hot. Rubber mulch absorbs the heat of the sun. On a hot summer day, the mulch also gets hot — sometimes, uncomfortably so for children.
Since red accents are particularly popular, that's one of the reasons that red rubber mulch is such a common choice. However, blue and green are also popular choices to go along with the clean white vinyl base of the sets, so green rubber mulch and blue rubber mulch also see frequent use, too.
Some people like to use rubber mulch because it doesn't need to be replaced as often as wood chips. Most manufacturers boast that their tire mulch lasts at least 10 years. Clearly, rubber mulch lasts much longer than organic mulches, but there's a tradeoff: Rubber mulch doesn't add organic matter to the soil.
Rubber Mulch Is Susceptible to Specific Fungi
For the most part, because it's inorganic and doesn't absorb water, rubber isn't susceptible to molds and fungi ... that is, except for species of brown rot and white rot fungus that attack the mulch's chemical additives.
There are two ways by which you can clean your rubber mulch, one is to use a leaf blower to clean out leaves or debris from your mulch. But if you are looking for a more thorough clean, we suggest washing your mulch. Sprinkle environment-friendly soap on the mulch covered area and spray with a hose.
Dyed wood or rubber mulch is great for improving the look of a landscape. If you're using mulch to help conserve moisture in a vegetable garden bed, straw or coco coir are natural and organic choices.
Bark or chip mulches made from cedar or cypress trees are helpful for repelling insects. Both cedar and cypress wood contain natural oils and chemicals such as thujone that deter bugs.
We recommend aged hardwood mulch, applied in a light layer, around your flower beds. Well-aged wood mulch is an ideal choice for flower beds, as it adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. Softwood mulch, usually made from pine, can add a bit too much acidity, and doesn't decompose quickly.
These wood mulches actually rob the soil of nitrogen by out-competing the plants for the nitrogen they need for their own growth.
All organic mulch breaks down and eventually turns into soil. Mulch will become ineffective at suppressing weeds as it becomes compost. Below the compost layer, is what used to be composted mulch, but is now soil. As mulch is topped up every year, the layers of mulch, to compost, to soil will keep building.
How deep should your mulch be? You should spread your mulch to be two to four inches thick. If your mulch is too thin, then weeds can push through. If your mulch is too thick, it prevents water from reaching the soil.
* Rubber lets rain drain through better than compacted wood mulch and doesn't absorb much (if any) of that water. That means more water for plant roots.
How deep should my rubber mulch be? 1-2 inches depth is enough rubber mulch for landscaping and gardening needs. American Society for Testing Materials requires a depth of 3-6 inches to meet playground safety standards. This will sufficiently cushion falls from 6-12 feet.
Rubber mulch provides excellent drainage for the soil and supplies great insulation against harsh weather. It also allows a higher degree of heat to be maintained in the soil as well as maintaining its moisture levels. Wood mulch, however, can starve plants.