If there's one thing that unites the gardening communities on Reddit, it's users' distaste for rubber mulch.
If you post about the material in r/landscaping, r/NativePlantGardening, or any other green-thumbed subreddit, it won't be long before people start speaking up about why it should be avoided at all costs.
When one user asked for advice about the best options to create a transition between rubber mulch and a sod lawn, Redditors quickly warned them of the harmful garden product.
"Don't," was the brief but clear message from one user about installing rubber mulch, while another added, "Surprising that rubber mulch is ever an option."
The original poster said they wanted to create an environment that would benefit their dog, but one commenter pointed out why rubber mulch wouldn't be ideal.
"It never goes away, gets everywhere, and your dog might eat it," they said, adding: "Wood chips are a better option. Need to be replaced every year or two, but healthier all around."
Rubber mulch is generally made from recycled rubber, often from car tires. Therefore, it's likely to contain petrochemicals, which could leach harmful chemicals into your soil and affect future plant growth.
It absorbs heat, is not biodegradable, and can produce an unappealing smell. In addition to pets potentially eating it, small creatures visiting your garden might fill their bellies with the material, which could get stuck in their digestive systems and lead to them starving from the inside.
Natural wood-based mulch is better, while you could also compost leaves that drop from trees in the fall and use the resulting mixture as a nutrient-rich mulch.
In addition to the rubber mulch being a bad idea, the sod lawn might not be the best choice, either. Monoculture lawns typically require a lot of water to keep them looking green and healthy — a drain on resources and a quick way to increase utility bills — and they provide few benefits for local biodiversity.
Low-maintenance plants like buffalo grass or clover are much better alternatives, saving you time and money on lawn care, avoiding the need for a gas-guzzling lawn mower, and providing a home for insects and small creatures.
Whatever you decide to do with your green space, immediately disregard rubber mulch, or else feel the wrath of the Reddit community.
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