Rubber Mulch

Whether you have a garden or a playground, it helps to cover it with mulch. There are several places that sell different types of mulch. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, your choice of mulch will depend a lot on what you need and want.

In this article, I will speak a bit about rubber mulch. I hope that at the end of it, you are in a much better position to make a decision.

Rubber mulch is made out of tires that have had their steel bands removed. They come in either buffings or nuggets. Either form makes no difference in the performance of rubber mulch. While some people complain that rubber mulch is not ecological and bio-degradable, it actually helps the environment by recycling old tires which otherwise would become garbage or pollutants.

Because rubber mulch is not bio-degradable, it doesn’t need to be replaced in a long time, unlike organic mulch, which needs to be reinstalled every now and then.

This quality comes specially handy in landscaping and places where rubber mulch is used mainly for the look. Rubber mulch has a very dark gray, almost black look that is very appreciated for some people to mark certain areas, like a path, or the surroundings of a flowerbed or the playground.

This takes us to another quality of rubber mulch. It is elastic and therefore it somewhat softens impacts. Because of this, it is very used in playgrounds, where there is playground equipment. This helps children be a bit safer if they happen to fall off the jungle gym or the teeter totter. It also makes it a good choice for horse arenas, as when mixed with sand, it provides excellent footing.

Another advantage of rubber mulch over plant based mulches is that they provide better insulation, giving a slight higher temperature over wood mulches. It also doesn’t absorb water, which is good for soil moisture.

In addition, if you have a garden or a flowerbed that has lots of unwanted insects, rubber munch will help you control them, as it’s not a material that they can nest it or feed from. Also, it can repel some of them. This reduces the need or frequency of fumigation. Likewise, it reduces fungus growth and it acts as a barrier for unwanted weeds, preventing them from outgrowing your plants.

As a final note, when your children are playing in a playground covered with rubber mulch, make sure you supervise them so that they don’t put it in their mouths (as you would with any kind of material they find in the ground).  Also, if you have pets such as dogs that you plan to have in the same area, you might want to get organic mulch instead.