[rdhdleo]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

didn't mean to imply anything about your yard. have never seen it, so how could I?
Rubber mulch rubs me the wrong way | Garden Professors[/url

url=[http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Rubber%20mulch.pdf

No you have never seen my yard or most likely many others that use it so why generalize? That then reflects on anyone that uses it. I agree it's to for everyone but has worked very well for us and we love the look.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by rdhdleo

No you have never seen my yard or most likely many others that use it so why generalize? That then reflects on anyone that uses it. I agree it's to for everyone but has worked very well for us and we love the look.

why generalize? the original poster asked for pros and cons. The thread is about pros and cons. We are not talking about your yard only. No offense, but most professional horticulturists, which company I am not in, state objections based on lack of nutrient value, smell, flammability, toxic runoff from chemical breakdown and yes, appearance.

None of them saw your yard. Their business is to opine what is best, not what might make you happy. If you feel that reflects on you, or you feel my post reflects on you, I don't know what to say to comfort you. It is not personal.

[philnpat]

As far as flammability is concerned, pine straw will catch fire a lot easier than rubber mulch.
Telling someone that their yard will look like a dump is downright mean.

[rdhdleo]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

why generalize? the original poster asked for pros and cons. The thread is about pros and cons. We are not talking about your yard only. No offense, but most professional horticulturists, which company I am not in, state objections based on lack of nutrient value, smell, flammability, toxic runoff from chemical breakdown and yes, appearance.

None of them saw your yard. Their business is to opine what is best, not what might make you happy. If you feel that reflects on you, or you feel my post reflects on you, I don't know what to say to comfort you. It is not personal.

kitty no one is questioning Pro's and Con's you went beyond that implying peoples yards would look like a recycle dump. I did not take it personally just objected to that statement and how it came across. Seems lately caustic remarks are the norm around here, so sad.

[HappyVillager]

Ok, here's the scoop if you are looking for rubber mulch, here are two local sources:

Browne Distributors in Fruitland Park (352-326-8461) has Everlast brand in 30 pound bags (1.15 cubic feet) for $9/bag. They have 7 colors.

Home Depot has Vigoro brand in 0.8cf bags for $5.95 per bag. They have two colors (cedar red and mocha brown).

When you do the math, Browne's ends up being $7.92/cf and Home Depot is $7.43/cf (unless you are retired military....then you get a 10% discount making it $6.70/cf). So unless you want colors like Ocean Blue or Bright Green, Home Depot wins out.

So we just put down 40 bags from Home Depot (after putting down weed matting) .... (Yes, we need some ibuprofen!)

We love it! We got the cedar red to match our new curbing and think its absolutely beautiful ... and it has a 12 year guarantee.

If you love gardening, go with the real mulch...it breaks down quickly, enhancing the soil ...making things grow better and faster....especially weeds!

If you would rather spend your time doing things other than pulling weeds and putting down new mulch, go with the rubber mulch.

[nitehawk]

Sams is the cheapest

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by philnpat

As far as flammability is concerned, pine straw will catch fire a lot easier than rubber mulch.
Telling someone that their yard will look like a dump is downright mean.

I apologized for hurting someone's feelings. My comment states exactly how I really feel about rubber mulch. I would never say this directly to someone with it in their yard. However in response to someone openly asking for pros/cons as the OP did, I told the truth about my view of it.

[philnpat]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

Cons: it's ugly, it stinks, contributes nothing organically to soil.

Pros: it gets a few tires out of the dump

Con: want your yard to look like a recycled dump?

Kitty...
You're inferring that if rubber mulch is used, your yard will look like a recycle dump. That's akin to telling someone that they have an ugly baby...just sayin.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by philnpat

Kitty...
You're inferring that if rubber mulch is used, your yard will look like a recycle dump. That's akin to telling someone that they have an ugly baby...just sayin.

The connection between rubber mulch and babies is that rubber mulch in playgrounds is said by experts to be dangerous to children.
Regarding its appearance, the fact that a toxic substance can be made to resemble a natural one does not fool me into seeing it as beautiful, rather it causes me to feel angry that it is sold to unsuspecting buyers tricked by the ruse of a deceptive attempt to make it look pretty.

http://www.gardendesign.com/mulch-mistakes
http://www.natureswayresources.com/D...ubberMulch.pdf
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F3FnQM1dms[/ame]

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

Cons: it's ugly, it stinks, contributes nothing organically to soil.

Pros: it gets a few tires out of the dump

Con: want your yard to look like a recycled dump?

I have not used it, but if people use it and like it............GOOD FOR THEM RECYCLING and helping our environment.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

I have not used it, but if people use it and like it............GOOD FOR THEM RECYCLING and helping our environment.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but getting tires out of the dump, shredding them and putting them on your yard isn't exactly...you know...

[rdhdleo]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

I hate to beat a dead horse, but getting tires out of the dump, shredding them and putting them on your yard isn't exactly...you know...

Apparently you do like beating a dead horse, so to speak.....

[ivanhoe]

I've found that rubber mulch will not float in a rain storm if you do not have weed matting underneath.
Apparently the matting retards the water drainage and causes flooding that carries away the mulch.

We discovered this the hard way of course.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by ivanhoe

I've found that rubber mulch will not float in a rain storm if you do not have weed matting underneath.
Apparently the matting retards the water drainage and causes flooding that carries away the mulch.

We discovered this the hard way of course.

Ivanhoe - I believe if you have weed matting anything, with the exception of rock will float. During the completion of a landscape job in my backyard we had a Florida downpour and sure enough, mulch floating like in a lake. Had the landscaper take out the matting I didn't want in the first place and have
no problem now. I have matting with rock in the front and have more weeds than in the rear with no matting and a good layer of mulch.

[travelguy]

rubber mulch smells like tires when the temperatures are over 90 degrees. i suppose you will get used to the odor.