A photo of grass invading a backyard rubber mulch bed sparked a lively discussion about the dangers of recycled tire mulch.
A Redditor took to the r/landscaping subreddit to share an image of blades of grass poking up through the black rubber chunks beneath their children's playset.
"Best way to handle grass in this rubber mulch bed" the Redditor asked, seemingly confused at why grass was still growing despite the controversial garden addition.
Fellow Redditors quickly sounded the alarm about rubber mulch, which is made from shredded tires and can release toxic chemicals known to cause cancer.
"Take the rubber bulls*** out and grow more grass," one commenter advised bluntly.
"Might as well use poison on your poisonous cushion," another quipped.
"Is that... shredded tyres?" a third commenter asked incredulously. "Dude are your kids playing in waste?"
The original poster was taken aback by the strong responses, lamenting, "I'm getting pretty depressed now with all the feedback on the rubber mulch. The irony of this story is I used a sod cutter to avoid having to kill the grass with poison so our dog wouldn't get sick."
Everyone makes landscaping mistakes, especially new homeowners. When faced with an error, it's important to gently correct rather than condescend.
🗣️ If you have a lawn, what aspect of it do you value most?
🔘 The way it looks 🤩
🔘 The way my family uses it 👪
🔘 It's enjoyable to mow 😎
🔘 It's cheap to maintain 💰
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Luckily, there are plenty of safe, affordable, and eco-friendly alternatives to artificial turf and rubber mulch that can save this Redditor time and money while supporting a healthier environment.
Replacing all or part of a traditional grass lawn with native plants, for example, requires less water, fertilizer, and mowing.
Clover is a popular lawn alternative that is soft underfoot, healthy for the soil, and resistant to drought, weeds, and pests. Buffalo grass is another low-maintenance option that is native to North America's prairies and needs little water or fertilizing.
Even hardscaping options like pea gravel can slash yard chores and water use while providing a cleaner play surface than rubber mulch. Xeriscaping with rocks, native succulents, and other drought-tolerant plants is another innovative way to spend less time and money on landscaping while helping pollinators, conserving resources, and making your yard more resilient to the changing climate.
As one commenter kindly reassured the original poster, "Dont let it get you depressed. Theres a lot of condescending jerks on here who act like everyone should have been born knowing all this stuff. Learn and move on, and dont just rely on reddit experts for all your info."
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