I'm going to go out on a limb here and bet that using shredded rubber from used tires as a mulch is probably a bad idea.

A few decades ago a few brilliant minds came up with a grand idea of dumping old tires into the ocean to help build reefs.. Well now the tires are leaching all sorts of pollutants into the ocean. It is going to cost millions of $ to clean it up...if they even can.

Soil, air, sunlight and temperature all break down different things in the environment. Can we be certain that shredded rubber put on soil won't end up breaking down and possibly leaching who knows what into the soil?

Not to mention that as time rolls on, people disturb the mulch and soil to plant in, the rubber would get mixed into the soil. I would think it would be near impossible to seperate the mulch from the soil once they get mixed together.

I've seen the ads where they claim the rubber is 100% non-toxic and is EPA approved...blah, blah, blah. But remember, doctors used to sell cigarettes on TV and in magazine ads, pressure treated lumber was fine to build veggie boxes and kids playgrounds, agent orange never hurt any of our soldiers in Vietnam and there is no such thing as Gulf War syndrom because our government said so.

To me it just seems that if/when they finally fess up and admit shredded rubber mulch is probably not all that safe, it will be very hard to go back and undo the damage. So I am going to err on the side of caution on this one.

Use it in the vegetable garden? No, I'd think I'd pass on that for any number of reasons. Maybe diveway, walkways, rock gardens (if I had one) and such but that would be the only use I could see for it.

Dave

While I'd agree that shredded tires wouldn't be my first choice for multch, neither would old carpet which is recommended by some. The chemicals in carpet must be almost as bad.

As for treated lumber, I sure hope the new stuff they treat it with is better than the old because that's what I used for my beds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden in progress...

I wouldn't use it in the vegetable garden. Also, being rubber, it might get too hot/humid here in Houston. Plus, it'd be a pain to rake it off the garden, plant the next crop, and rake it back into place. With leaves/straw, you just leave it in place and keep piling on new mulch.

The zinc in rubber tires leaches into the soil and is probably toxic to plants and humans.

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It sounds like an environmentally friendly way to liven up your yard or garden: rubber mulch that's made from recycled tires. Rubber mulch can be use mostly the same way as any other mulch whether it's for landscaping, gardening, or children's playground. Most companies that manufactures rubber mulch labels it as a safe, economical and long-lasting alternative to regular wood mulch. Even my neighbor was trying to get me to buy into the whole rubber mulch idea as I spoke to him the last week. But is it really environmentally friendly as many companies claim it to be.

According to a study by Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D. an Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor at Washington State University states that. "Rubber mulches are touted by manufacturers and distributors as permanent ("doesn't decay away") and aesthetically pleasing ("no odor" - "looks like shredded wood mulch" - "earth tones and designer colors" - "special fade resistant coating") landscape materials. Furthermore, we are told that rubber mulch is "safe for flowers, plants and pets" (though it "doesn't feed or house insects") and "dramatically improves landscaping." It seems to be an environmentally-friendly solution to a major waste disposal problem."

That's the myth of rubber mulch if you choose to believe the myth of the matter; it isn't as safe as you might think. Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph. D. further states, "Rubber mulches have not proved to be particularly good choices for either horticultural production or landscape uses. In comparison studies of several mulch types, rubber tire mulch was less effective in controlling weeds in herbaceous perennial plots than wood chips. Similarly, sawdust made better mulch for Christmas tree production in terms of weed control, microbial biomass, and soil chemistry. Another comparative study found rubber to be less effective than straw or fiber mulch in establishing turf grasses."

If you think rubber mulch is still safe to use compare to the other organic mulches, grounded rubber is more likely to ignite and more difficult to extinguish. So in areas where natural or man-made fires are likely to happen rubber mulch should not be used.

Mulching Options

Rubber:

Pros: Uses recycled tires and saves trees, can be dyed to match landscaping, long lasting.

Cons: Cost higher than wood mulch; adds little nutritional value to plants and can add harmful zinc to plants.

Wood:

Pros: Depending on blend, can add a lot higher nutritional value than rubber or rock mulch; good value for the money.

Cons: Has to be laid at least once a year due to decomposition.

Rock:

Pros: Best used for desert type plants.

Cons: Offers no nutritional value; Must prepare to install rocks by first using a layer of weed mat that will act as a mulch agent.

According to one USDA researcher who has studied zinc and other metals in soils and plant materials for decades strongly believes that ground rubber should not be used "in any composting, or in any potting medium, or casually dispersed on agricultural or garden soils" because of zinc toxicity. Studies have shown that rubber leachates are a very complex and can be damaging to humans either in short-term or long-term exposure in high enough concentrations.

Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D. basically had this to say about rubber mulch.

Rubbermulch is not as effective as other organic mulch choices in controlling weeds

Rubbermulch is highly flammable and difficult to extinguish once it is burning

Rubbermulch is not permanent; like other organic substances, it decomposes

Rubbermulch is not non-toxic; it contains a number of metal and organic contaminants with known environmental and/or human effects.

The Myth of Rubberized Landscapes

Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D

Here is a link that might be useful: Busting the Myth of Rubber Mulch as a Safe Alternative

g'day lucille,

i'm with the general trend here! using any tyres in gardens let alone shredded ones would not ever be on my wish list tyres are listed with the epa as toxic material and the tyre industry will invent all sorts of ways to use the product once it has reached its use by date.

for my gardens and trees it just has to be a mulch that breaks down and adds nutrients, those mulches are spoil hay mulches and currently sugar cane mulch which is the tops of the sugar cane harvested and baled at harvest time.

tyres are full of chemical compounds and lead would be the main one.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

It sounds like the general opinion is that rubber is pretty bad stuff. I'm going with burlap this year as my mulch as I got a deal on some heavyweight burlap coffee bags, it should be very pretty as well as effective.