May I ask what your concerns are with cedar mulch and pine straw? Both are extremely popular natural products for mulching purposes.

There all kinds of reasons NOT to use crumb rubber, including the potential for damage to your plants.....especially those in a container of some sort.

Please share your ideas about the cedar and pine straw; I am interested.

Thank you so much! Classic example one cannot trust what is on the internet! I hate to ask questions that are easily answered by Google, but this is why Gardenweb is here.

I read on this site about the cedar mulch: http://www.rosydawngardens.com/coleus-care and inorganic mulch: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/mistakes-to-avoid-when-growing-a-coleus#b

Thanks for the heads up on the tire mulch. I may just do a "curb alert" on my neighborhood app for the remaining bag.

So, you just recommend pine needles? Or do I even need mulch at all?

The warnings about the products in question are prpbably due to the myths that continue about pine straw and conifer bark causing a pH problem. However, it has always been known that they can be used without any such problems whatsoever.

The use of pine or cedar bark, or pine straw can be useful in keeping weeds away, in moderating soil temperatures, and preventing rapid moisture evaporation from the soil surface. A layer of mulch is also aesthetically pleasing.

I mulch outdoor landscaping and garden beds without fail. I don't know what your planter box looks like, but if large in size and a permanent fixture, mulch might be a good idea.

Thanks, I've got to run out to a meeting, but I'll get a photo later today. It is fairly long at around 11' long, maybe 2' wide. It's below our front windows.

as a science chick.. you should be able to grasp that pH is exponential in character ... and to make a change in ph... lol.. you would probably need a mountain of either product.. and a century of decomposition ... to SIGNIFICANTLY change pH ...

a majority of plants can deal with a range of pH ... and the minor impact a mulch might have is not significant ... its all about the pH of the soil or media ...

the issue i see.. which will thwart the vermin [if in fact, they are still around.. since you havent done this in a few years, if i read correctly] ... perhaps they wont enjoy scratching around in the rubber???

ken

I work in health-related sciences, so I can tell you a lot about pH in blood and metabolic acidosis and alkalosis, but I don't know it all applies to soil! Here's a good opportunity to learn.

Here's the photo of the planter box. The plants are 12" apart. We also cleared out all the leaves and brush in front of it. We have holly and azaleas. I told DH we probably need some mulch around those, too, although one of the azaleas is looking pretty bad. We pulled off a lot of dead branches the other day.

OMG I JUST PUT DOWN CEDAR MIXTURE MULCH DOWN ALL AROUND MY HOUSE. NEVER USED IT BEFORE BUT MY SONS ALWAYS LOOKS GREAT. I USUALLY USE BLACK BUT IT DOES NOT STAY BLACK FOR LONG.

SO GUESS WHAT I JUST DID PLANTED COLUIS PLANTS ALL OVER BACK YARD AND YES WITH CEDAR MULCH.

I HAD NO IDEA UNTILL I READ HOW TO CARE FOR THE COLIUS AND IT SAID CEDAR BAC FOR COLIUS.

WHAT SHOULD I DO.

DOES IT HURT ANY OTHER PLANTS. OMG IT TOOK ME OVER 5 HOURS 😱

Unfortunately, that is a gardening myth that fails to die off!! And previous comments to this old thread confirm that, had you bothered to read them. Cedar mulch has no negative impact on coleus or any other plant, provided you don't bury the plant with it.

So you don't need to do anything. And please don't use all caps....it is very distracting to try and read and is the online equivalent of shouting.