I briefly considered it years ago. Decided against it: apparently it smells. And leaves and garden debris inevitably mix into it anyway and decompose and can't be easily removed, so you end up with the same problems. I ended up using free mulch from tree companies sometimes over a layer of newspaper.

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/stinkhorns/

Big nope here. We had the loose kind as a surface under swings in our city park, and even though they had low walls to contain it, it migrated everywhere into surrounding soil and really never breaks down, even years after they took it out - or tried to take it out. There are some toxicity issues as well.

The kind I think is most acceptable is the bonded rubber matting that can't come apart.

It's true it adds nothing to the soil - other than contamination, unlike organic mulches.

Oh, and the kind we had did smell like burning rubber when the weather got hot.

We've used it in a flat flower area where there are no leaves or garden debris and it seems to work fine.

I wouldn't consider it for the above mentioned issues.

Some people use river rocks instead of mulch. They still collect leaves, dirt and debris so you still have to periodically go back and pull them out and then put them back again.

I personally like to use the bigger chunks of bark for mulch. It lasts longer and I don't get as many mushrooms from it.

We use wood chips that we get free from the tree cutting companies.

That's an interesting piece, gardengal. It looks to contain a lot of useful info.

Being in a mostly arid area and away from aquatic life, I'm not too concerned about leaching. There are no vegetable gardens around the area where I have it used. If it's potentially toxic to snails, that's plus!.

The comment about flammability seems suspect. I can't imagine any mulch material would be more susceptible to ignition than the straw or sawdust recommended as alternatives. I know that burning tires can be difficult fires, but I think it's reasonable to use in the small planting area I have it.

Maybe the takeaway is that for large areas or in other conditions, there are better choices.

The issue of flammability is very easily documented as it has been extensively researched. And rubber mulch is something I would avoid at all costs if living in a fire prone area such as most of CA. It is suggested that this product be restricted to use ONLY with kids play equipment or on playgrounds.

No Thanks, probably one of the dumbest products available to pollute one's yard with what should be considered as toxic waste.

The best way to mulch a bed is put down some compost, cover that with any mix of cardboard, and or newspaper and then a mix of sawdust and wood chips. No rocks, no rubber, no plastic, no weed block fabric, nothing that wont eventually break down. Newspaper is the superior weed blocker. Seven layers will actually block black berries.

"Seven layers will actually block black berries."

LOL!! Not the blackberries that grow where I live!! You need a layer of concrete to accomplish that!!

If this were one of the gardening forums, I would get into this discussion in a great deal more depth, including why cardboard or newspaper or other paper based 'mulches' do not work well ad can be detrimental to the soil and to the garden.

btw, rock based mulches are very effective under certain conditions are actually preferred for any alpine, rock garden or xeric landscaping.

I'm glad to have seen this discussion. I was thinking of using the rubber mulch in a bordered area around some raised beds where I grow strawberries and some vegetables. After reading this I don't think I will use it.

Rubber, if caught on fire, burns for a long time...very hot...and smells! Nope....NEVER...EVER...

I think people sometimes forget that a neighbor’s vegetable garden can be only a foot away from own’s own beds, separated by a fence. I do worry about neighbors using herbicides and pesticides on the other side of the fence.

My post above was a bit cranky....er than usual, nyuk, still don't like the idea. It took me back to when I used those recycled rubber ooze irrigation hoses. I thought to myself "What a great way to recycle old used tires that are a bane to our existence". Then later I realized that these poison snakes were most likely leeching their toxins into the gardens as time goes on. That was around the time when in the news some high school soccer fields were being made with artificial turf composed of chipped recycled tires. Over time there was a strong pattern of players who developed cancers.

I think I once heard that wood chips from tree trimmers can sometimes contain bugs and also possibly unwanted microorganisms. Maybe that's not the case, I'm not sure.

The area where we have it is small (not more than 8 x 15), not near the house, not near any of the property lines, and not within 100 feet of anyone's "garden". I'll stick with the flammability argument being a stretch, any mulch of organic plant material that's dry, compost included, will burn and many are surely easier to catch fire than the rubber material. The rain runoff from this area goes into a drain that ultimately goes into a street drain.

I'm okay with leaving it there. The advantage was precisely that it doesn't break down, and I chose it instead of stone material because for a given volume, the bags were lighter.

I did put it down once and it disappeared like all other mulches I've used. I have a chip drop scheduled someday...also having one of my big oaks taken out in the next few weeks. I asked them to leave the chips for me.

Not no, but hexx to the no! I agree with gardengal 100%, the only possible use would be for a soft landing in a playground situation. It stinks.

If anyone cares to visit the Soil Compost and Mulch forum, you will get some accurate, factual feedback on various types of mulches and what drawbacks, if any, they may have rather than relying on unsubstantiated opinions that several members seem think are the absolute truth....just because they express them and like to think they are the fount of all knowledge.

PLEASE do not. They are horrid for your garden beds, the smell and often degrade. ish ish ish. Careful with fresh oak chips--they are very acidic. They should age at least a year before using.

At one shady section on the north side of the house where I grow hellebores along the edge of the roof eave, I have had brown rubber mulch there. The area covered is 16’x30” under the eave where the plants grow. It’s been 5 years, same color, no smell since day 1. 99% of the material are still there because from the brick wall to the edge of the eave is a concrete pavement area so any loose chips out on the cement area would be swept or blown back into the bed. Maintenance free so far. But that is the only area I use rubber mulch. The rest of the yard and garden are mulched with leaves/compost collected from the giant oak trees on the property.

Of course rubber burns! Burning tires are certainly a thing, and who does not know about the 'necklaces' used in S.Africa during the anti-apartheid era?

"unsubstantiated opinions that several members seem think are the absolute truth"

Sorry you misread what I said. I acknowledged the information from the academic but questioned the flammability assessment. Straw and woodchips from trees like pine will ignite from a spark - I doubt a piece of tire will. And said, I was okay with what I had where I have it.

the pieces float up over time. don't like it. does not last long until it becomes a real PIA IMHO

If you had stinkhorn issues. And by golly those can be stinky. Rubber probably is one of the stinkiest mulches- it smells like rubber for a long time. The whole other good or bad of it aside for a nonce, if you are not keen on stinky, you might want to use a less stinky mulch.

A compost mulch is popular with many. Wood chip or bark mulches are also popular. I tend to use a lot of leaf mulch and pine straw in my gardens because that's what my yard produces a lot of. All of these tend to be less stinky than rubber mulch. Or at least non-rubber smelly, they tend to smell more earthy or pleasant.

If you have fungus issues, you can try spot treating your mulch with fungicide if you get stinkhorns popping up again. Much like many other weeds, if you get after them they will eventually stop coming up.

The elementary school my kids attended had this crap on the playgrounds.

The kids would come home with it STUCK in their shoes & socks. You had to pick it out shard by shard.

On the hot sunshiney days, it smelled terrible. No telling what kind of chemicals the kids were exposed to playing on that stuff.

After a few years, they finally removed it and went back to the shredded bark. I was SO glad!