Rubber "Bark" Mulch?

[seedjar]

Has anyone seen this stuff before? I saw a bag of this "landscape mulch" that was actually colored rubber shredded to look like bark. I'm guessing it's recycled shoes and stuff like those asphalt alternatives that are becoming popular. I was just curious to know if anyone had tried using this stuff in cultivation - possibly in the place of orchid bark or gravel? ...I don't know. It was squishy and warm from sitting in the sun when I noticed it; I felt the stuff through the bag but it was weird and I couldn't tell if it would be very useful or not.
~Joe

 

[Fryster]

Probably old shredded tires..........

I'm guessing that it would be kinda toxic as a growing media; at least at low levels...

I think its meant as a top-dressing for trees and bushes in lawns. Yes?

 

[scottychaos]

ugh..yeah ive seen it, and I think its hidious and repulsive..

yes, is supposed to be all "environment friendly" because its "recycled rubber"..big deal.
its also very environment UNfriendly because it sits in your yard forever and never breaks down! you might as throw garbage all over your yard..

just use REAL mulch..made from shredded up tree bits..
its natural, its "recycled", and it will break down and nourish the soil..

why anyone would want to install shredded rubber tire bits into their garden is incompressible to me..

IMO, its just another example of the environmenalist movement out of control..
someone realized they could make money by manipulating stupid people..
"hey..we have these billions of used tires every year..we can only recycle so much..how can we make more money from this junk?
I know..lets shread it up, slap the word "recycled" on it, which will fool morons into buying it, and we can make lots of money selling trash!"

and the irony is, its actually terribly environment UN friendly! its rubber! it wont biodegrade!
its BAD for the soil!
yeah, maybe its inert (maybe)..and maybe it wont do any real harm..
but I still wouldnt want pieces of rubber in my garden..
its certaintly not GOOD for your yard, like real mulch would be..
it adds nothing, and eventually someone is going to have to pick out those thousands of little pieces of garbage in the garden..
seriously..its like throwing trash in your garden...it IS throwing trash in your garden..
rubber can be recycled for MUCH better uses that that..such as making new actual useful products..

its a total scam..

if I was buying a house, and the sellers had this rubber mulch all over, it would be enough to make me not consider buying the house..
just because of the hassle of removing all the trash they spread all over..
(my wife and I are big into gardening..)



Scot

 

[Tralfie]

Yeah, it's old tires. Exudes zinc and other metals into the soil. And having witnessed a few tire fires, I have to wonder if shredded tires might actually be more flammable.

It has its (questionable) uses, perhaps as a soft covering for footpaths and playgrounds in parks, but I wouldn't dream of using it to mulch plants.

 

[Not a Number]

The purpose of this stuff is to provide ground cover to prevent plant growth. The same purpose that gravel, coarse sand, or bark is used. It's used for edging around gardens, pathways or a "soft" cover for play areas. Landscape mulch is not meant to provide nutrition.

Mulching is used to prevent evaporation, erosion, weed growth, frost damage pests or providing nutrition.

Mulch is basically anything used for ground and low vegetation cover. It can be gravel, sand, ground glass, vegetable matter (straw, pine needles, bark), plastic sheets or whatever.

For example reflective mulch is normally metalized plastic film (think mylar). Thrips and aphids don't like the reflected UV light.

http://ucanr.org/delivers/impactview.cfm?impactnum=398
http://www.mulchfilm.com/id23.htm

 

[scottychaos]

The purpose of this stuff is to provide ground cover to prevent plant growth. The same purpose that gravel, coarse sand, or bark is used.

yes, but gravel, coarse sand, and bark are not pollutants of the soil..rubber trash is.

Landscape mulch is not meant to provide nutrition.

actually, it very often is..
perhaps some people (a small minority) dont care if mulch adds nutrients, but many/most gardeners use mulch (bark mulch or grass clippings) not only to provide weed control, but also because it will break down and add nutrients to the soil.

Scot