Have you used Rubber mulch?
joann_fl
last year
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Kathsgrdn
last yearlucillle
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brown rubber mulch??
Comments (61)^^ Yikes LOL Turns out their is actually a tire ingredient that is now known to actually cause environmental harm, which is the first one I've heard of. All the other warnings in this thread were based on hearsay and "if it's there, it's toxic" which is not exactly the case. 6PPD is added to tires as a preservative for the rubber. Specifically, it reacts with ozone, preventing the ozone from damaging the rubber itself. Unfortunately, the product of that reaction - 6PPD quinone - is leachable and also quite toxic to salmon (and possibly other aquatic critters). Researchers knew for years that something was killing salmon during the mating run in certain streams in the PNW. They have finally pinned down this chemical as a major culprit. After a rain, it washes off the roads into the streams. Of course ozone is required for this to happen, so it is much more likely in urban areas with higher levels of ozone. Anyway it's another reason not to use tire mulch. As an environmental chemist, I was not that concerned with toxicity of other tire ingredients up to this point, but with this stuff, if you live near urban waterways especially, it might be best not to use it. https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Tire-derived-chemical-kills-salmon/98/web/2020/12...See MoreRubber Mulch
Comments (17)Hi Here's my two cents lol Would have to agree with the others .All mulches are only temporaryy anyway. While they do slow it down they certainly won't stop weeds same as edgings. The best compromise is organic mulch have the same experience as Coffeemom except in my case marble chips. There is no way to clean those suckers off and grass loves it. No raking it up either if you change your mind. If you go for rocks would suggest either large ones or light weight such as lava rock. You'll still have the weed problem but at least kids can't pick it up and throw it lol. Okay they still can but takes a LARGE kid and they don't skip accross your pond . I put pea gravel in my aviary and between the constant fertilizer and good drainage I have a fantastic crop of wild morning glory and wedelia. MUST be pulled out one at a time I countered that with a layer of play sand . I can actually see my birds and so far no cactus lol gary...See MoreNeed an opinion on rubber mulch
Comments (4)It's not recommended for areas where you will be planting flowers and changing them from season to season. It will never biodegrade but it will get mixed into your soil when you are planting which is not good. It's great for pathways and areas where no more digging will be done if you like the look. Heating because it's black is not an issue...it doesn't conduct heat and it does come in colors other than black if you prefer. If it heated from the sun, it wouldn't be used in playground areas. I don't personally like the look of it, but it does great when it comes to lasting a long time . If you use it in areas where you will be doing any planting after it's installed, it will pretty much make the soil unusable for all living plants because it will disturb roots ability to grow and stay watered if it's mixed into the soil. I prefer to exclude anything which is inorganic in my plant and flower areas...I don't even like to use gravel, crushed rock, or river rock unless it's large and easy to remove. It will get squished into high traffic hyper-saturated gumbo clay soils which will be impossible to clean, but it sits well on more sandy or loamy types of soil. Good luck......See Moreswing sets, rubber mulch - am I posting in the right place?
Comments (4)My local Home Depot had the rubber mulch, but it was almost $12 a bag. Yikes. I went with large pine bark chunks (they dont get caught in shoes), but have not seen a mold problem as you have had. You could always spray a little bleach and water on it, but that is beside the point. You could use sand, it is cheap (like mulch at about $3 a bag) and works well. There is always the option of just grass. The swing set itself makes little difference if "redwood" or not. If your kid is making it sway, short of a double tower or anchoring it to the ground with deep footings or spikes, it will always sway. I am not sure what type of ground you are going into, but mine has a pretty wide at the bottom A-frame on one end, and I just spiked it to the ground. It only sways when I swing on the set (which is not often!). Good luck....See Morefoodonastump
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