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Seriously considering putting the new-fangled rubber mulch in the landscaping. Anyone buy this stuff before? Do you like it?

On average, it is twice as expensive, but the claim is that it will last much longer than the regular stuff. What say ye.

like bark, or just plain old wood chips, rubber burns well.

Hey just thought another plus

NO Termites

Rider

It leaches zinc and it stinks.

Good for playground mulch.

Bad for plants. Overheats. Doesn't slowly decompose- beneficial to plants. May impair water flow to ground.

Yep, it is the recycled tire mulch. Through phone calls to local businesses and research on the web, here is what I know about it so far:

1. It's expensive, but I'm calculating payback within 3 yrs. This assumes you would have had to put down regular mulch once per year.

2. The color lasts a long time. Guarantees vary though. I see some guaranteed for 12 yrs and others around 5 yrs. I'm guessing the devil is in the details: (i.e.) little color loss vs total color loss.

3. It keeps water in the soil, but does not soak up water like regular mulch (which is supposed to promote fungus growth).

4. Rain wont wash it away and you can use a leaf blower on it.

5. Not supposed to stink and not supposed to leech into the soil.

6. No termites

7. Since it is not biodegradable, it will not add any nutrients back into the soil.

8. The type you use for landscaping is different than the type you use on a playground. The landscaping type has trace amounts of metal (from the tires). The type for a playground does not. The playground type is more expensive.

Now, all that sounds good, but curious to get some thoughts from someone who has actually purchased this stuff. I'm also wondering at the end of 5 or 10 years, how the hell do I dispose of the sun-bleached rubber?

My main motivation in doing this is to save money in the long run and not have to mulch each year. I want something that keeps its color longer. However, if future disposal fees negate any savings of not having to purchase regular mulch, it may not be worth it.

DMV, why does your homeowner's assoc not allow it?

Just installed 1000 dollars worth. Tired of redoing malch and weeding. I Did a 30 x 40 area.

"Chief used to own 5 1/2 acre place w/6000s.f. house"

Damn, thats a big tepee.

I've been working on my landscaping the past couple weekends myself. I have a ton of it along my privacy fence 100 ft.

a couple of years ago I used landscaping matting, and mulch. The mulch turns to dirt, and the weeds come up in a year.

on some areas I used the cheap azz black mat and that was really bad. The gray dupont tyupe seemed to hold up better (where the coons didn't dig it up)

I have it all torn up, and now I am debating on what to put back in.

I'm thinking about going the river rock way this time.

the 2-3" variety. I can grab a truck load for less that 10-15 bucks at the local rock quarry. I'm just not all to fired up about shoveling 3 truckloads of rock off the truck.

Maybe I will just call a landscaping co. and have them do it while I watch drinking and smoking!

I'm getting too lazy for all that work!

Do you like the smell of hot rubber in the summer? Get ye some.

Do you like the feeling of digging in rubberbands when you try to plant plants? Get ye some.

Sure, it won't break down, but is that a good thing? Probably not in all cases.

I'd use it around a playset, but I wouldn't use it in my landscape/flower beds.

I recently noticed my father-in-law put some of this around his smaller trees, but it's not all loose material. It pressed and shaped in the shape of a circle with a cut through the radius so you can slip it around your tree. It looks like a big sanding disc or those polishing/buffing pads you'd put on a commercial floor buffer. Don't think I like that look, and I don't see any benefit to it really.

someone tossed a used one on my lawn
once,didn't seem to help the lawn at all.

I could just spread a couple loads from my septic pumper truck from some of the local campgrounds here. There is usually alot of rubber in these loads and this would be considered recycling I guess. Free of charge of course.

It's "Death Mulch" that does wonders to the water table,NOT!