Need advice on the use of rubber mulch compared to using stone.

Question

My wife and I recently purchased a log-look home in Tennessee. The home is built on a hill which is not too steep but there is a significant slope. The home also has two levels of decking which act as porches for the home. On one side of the house the previous owner spread rock below the deck to control erosion and to help provide a finished look. On the other side of the house, there is dirt below the decking. I was considering adding rock, maybe river rock, to help control soil erosion and provide a finished look. I am now considering using rubber mulch. My thinking is that it would be much easier to put into place. I could do it myself and not need any heavy equipment. I should point out that we have many trees in the area and leaves tend to accumulate below the decks. If rubber mulch is in place, could these leaves be blown out without disturbing the mulch much? 
 
 I have never used rubber mulch and I would like to get some opinions. I would like to know some pros and cons for using the rubber mulch as compared to using stone. All feedback would be appreciated.

The Garden Frog with C Renee · Answer

For the cost of rubber mulch, you will get a more natural and beautiful look with river rock or stone. By it by the truck load. Bags will cost you a fortune. I have had the experience of working with rubber mulch when it first hit the market in 2000 and was not impressed with it in a garden. I tried it again a couple years ago in a small area and the look just looks fake after a while... Plus I found it migrated just as easy as pine bark nuggets. I guess I also did not like it because I walked on it barefoot and ended up with a steel wire in my foot OUCH! so I now have an even bigger distaste for it. Your home is beautiful and I would use natural materials Like rock to give a natural look. Good luck.

Robin Taylor · Answer

I don't have a clue, but your home is absolutely gorgeous

Solar Flair Lighting · Answer

Don't use rubber mulch; I used to work with landscape architects that used it often for school playgrounds, which was practical for under the jungle gym or at the bottom of slides. HOWEVER, it looks ratty within a few months and is hard to rake and clean. Smooth river rocks would work better (they are heavy enough to stay put during hard rains or a good spray to get rid of leaves, etc. More important: you have a lovely rustic home that exudes nature. Rubber would detract from that, without giving your the aesthetic or practical feel the home deserves. Agree with C R Fuller above: get it by the truckload. It may cost more than rubber (which is not all that cheap), but it certainly will be worth it over both the short and long term.

KMS Woodworks · Answer

I would go with the rock in a heart beat. They put some of the rubber mulch in our local playground...it smells like tires, washes out in rain, and blows around from the wind. Moving crushed rock is not a huge deal if your work in smaller increments.

I have been improving my drive for years using a fine crushed stone. I transport about 1/3 of a yard at a time using 5 gallon buckets in the back of my truck. If you have a truck this is a great way to nibble away at the problem. Because I am up in the mountains the landscape yard wants about $200 for a delivery of material...whether this is 1 yard or 8 yards. I can get a 1/3 of a yard for about $15. It may take a few trips but the project moves along at a pace that is not to tough. I can load and unload in a bit over 30 minutes. spreading this amount in a day is easy. having a 8 yard pile in the drive from a delivery would take day to move.

I would recommend a 3/4' to 1' aggregate. The larger stone will be more stable. At our cabin where we have clay rich soils that make nasty mud, I going with a 5/8' crushed rock. This is being used on our 'paths' that go to the cabin / wood shed / bath.

The Garden Frog with C Renee · Answer

I do want to add, however, that putting in a border to hold in the rock will also help when mother nature decides to open up and let it pour. In TN, I am not sure what type of stone they will have readily available but call your closest rock quarry and ask what they have. In my area in VA we have crushed granite which is really nice in pathways and would look good in landscaping. quarries usually have a display of what they carry. But River Rock would look beautiful. I have a F250 super duty which hauls about ton and 3/4 safely and that is easy to handle and will take a couple hours to work. There may be a minimum if you have a truck and not a dump truck ~here it is $35 and I got ton and 3/4 and if I would have gotten bags it could have cost about $100 to $150! I also recommend do not get rock after or during a rain. It is heavier and harder to handle. Good luck!

John · Answer

Thank you all for your comments. I really appreciate the information. The comments seem to be all against using rubber mulch. Is there anyone who is a big fan of rubber mulch and would like to take the other side of the discussion?

White Oak Studio Designs · Answer

What a beautiful home! I strongly recommend using either bark chip mulch or stone mulch/pea gravel. I have both in my landscaping, used in two zones. (Rubber is a foreign object and will not be good for your soil. Also may leach toxins into your soil.) Bark chips will call to the worms, break down slowly and enhance your soil making it even better. This is what I recommend from area you plan to plant living plants you may dig up later on to divide. ZONE ONE: I have stone beds close to my home, under the drip line in areas that I do not plan to dig up/divide and transplant (larger shrubs/ornamental grasses etc.). ZONE TWO: Garden bed areas where I plant perennials I know will at some time be dug up and divided. Decide what plants/shrubs you will be choosing/planting and how you will maintain them FIRST and then plan for the best mulch according to you plants and area usage.

KMS Woodworks · Answer

Bark like natural wood chips will decompose over time...I made the mistake many years ago of putting wood chips in my drive. (after clearing some trees and chipping the slash) the wood chips will compost and make more mud. In heavy rains bark and wood chips can also float away.

Stone has great durability. If you are going to be doing the work you might as well have it last.The pic I posted above of the crushed at my cabin was one of the first loads...here is another pic after a few more loads. One added benefit is this type of stone perimeter is also a great protector for wild fires ( we like that aspect due to the remote and part time nature of our cabin)

Irish53 · Answer

i find the stone is more sanitary and not as likely to invite mold and other unwanted visitors

Carole · Answer

If you live on a sloping block I would not be going with mulch at all. It will get washed down the slope in torrential rains. We have had this problem. It won't hold the soil and you will be left constantly replacing it and cleaning up the mess. We live on a sloping block also surrounded by many trees. Very steep incline. I would actually advise retaining walls and plants as a better option. You need something to hold the soil and plant roots would be better than covering the soil in the hope of holding it. In areas where there is a lot of land clearing and not plants - the soil will erode away - think of all the landslides that occur in countries where the land has been cleared and devoid of plants. I would go with plants that spread naturally as they have strong root systems that will help keep the soil in place. We use Lomandra and Dianella and some shrubs but of course you will have completely different climate and zones and conditions for plants so something that is not too expensive but will spread and give a good root system beneath the soil would be the go.

Susan Cryor · Answer

no, don't do it! Chemicals leach into ground and do not nourish the soil.
Use real, wood mulch or rock. I agree with the others on Rock!

Leona G · Answer

Have you thought about using shad loving plants that also don't require a lot of water? You could still use the rock mulch but the plants would add some interest to that area. Whatever you decide make sure to keep the rocks/mulch at least 6' from the foundation.

Kim Houston · Answer

We had the same problem when deciding what to use in flower beds around our pool. We went with a good grade of landscaping cloth then used medium to smal flat pieces of rock over that. It was like putting together a puzzle getting it down, but it looks rustic and artistic and lasts for years and years. When I want to add a new plant, I pull up the rocks, cut an x in the cloth, plant, then carefully replace the cloth as close to the plant as possible and add the rocks back. If you want to use fewer rocks, you could add river pebbles in the cracks.
Whatever you do, please don't use bark mulch up next to your home. It will violate your termite protection warranty. Nice place you have there, congrats.

Elaine Simmons · Answer

Kim, I have never had much luck with landscape fabric, especially on a slope. Eventually the mulch wears away and you are left with bits and pieces of landscaping fabric sticking up. I don't think it helps the plants much either.

Norma Jean Savitsky · Answer

What a Beautiful log retreat! What real estate agency did you use & how did you find this hidden treasure?

Marti Polacik · Answer

We live in Maryville,Tn on a small hill. Our property slopes down into the cauldasac. We have a line of trees between our home and the neighbors, which we have used mulch. When it rains, it is really comes down and washes the mulch down the hill. So we added some rocks around these trees, which we thought would help.but it rains so hard at times, that even the rocks did not help. So now we are thinking about adding the smaller river rocks in place of the mulch, possible in the spring. Marti Polacik, Maryville, Tn

Amy Flores · Answer

They do make rubber mulch that does not leach chemicals. Rubber mulch also last 12 years compared to wood mulch which lasts 6-12 months. I plan. To use rubber mulch in my small flower beds. I will use the landscaping fabric underneath. The wood mulch I used became molding and ugly within a few months.

Rosemary Hesse · Answer

This is my first year at using red rubber mulch, so far I love it. I also used small white stones in another part of my garden, so it will be interesting to see which holds up best as well as needs little attention when the leaves fall.. I must say of all the suggestions you have received I like Leona G. the best. Why?, because I have an area under a maple tree that I could not find a satisfying result until I planted shade hostas. Good luck

Mikell Paulson · Answer

I also use the rubber mulch. It is in my garden beds that have landscape fabric down!. It is easy to spread and nice to use, no slivers like bark mulch! The only problem I see with you using it is, this mulch is light weight and might wash away! Other then that, it is wonderful!

DONNA WETHERELL · Answer

rubber mulch holds heat in the ground and burns your perennial roots- also does not provide any nourishment to your soil.

Lgsmith · Answer

I've never used rubber mulch myself, but a new Wal-Mart used it around their plants. During the hot summer sun the rubber STUNK to high heavens. The smell was AWFUL. The store was in N Alabama and the mulch was gone by the next summer. Use something natural.

David Perona · Answer

John- I am an Personal Assistant to a couple in Rancho Mirage Ca. Late last year, they installed a considerable amount of the rubber mulch around their property. 1) Do NOT get the red mulch, you'll regret it's false look. Get the dark brown. That's what we have and it's gorgeous. 2) It does NOT leach chemicals. 3) It does not stink. I have endured 120 degree heat this summer, and NEVER did I smell the mulch. 3) In answer to your actual question, if you are concerned about leaf accumulation and an ability to easily blow them out: forget about it. It WILL blow out with the leaves.

Shelby24019 · Answer

The most important reason for putting down mulch is to protect your plants. It helps to keep the roots cool in the summer and holds in moisture. And a natural mulch is the only thing that can give you this. There is a bigger danger of fire with the rubber mulch. The rubber fire would be harder to put out. The stone with the fabric under it would be the best if you don't want to use natural wood mulch. The dyed mulch looses it's color in about a year and leaves only splinters. The natural bark mulch breaks down and adds back to the soil.

Mikell Paulson · Answer

I have never smelled the rubber mulch, and I have a very good nose and rubber gives me anxiety! I have a hard time buying tires! So not to worry about that! Rock gets very hot , I would say hotter than rubber! Your choice. Natural mulch brings in ants!

Norma Jean Savitsky · Answer

Thank you so much. I will check out her site.

Mikell Paulson · Answer

Make sure that your mulch does not take away the nitrogen out of your soil! Just saying!

Jean DeSavage · Answer

Have you thought about using a mulch under the decks and then putting a fine screen from the deck to the ground to block out the leaves? It would also help keep the critters out as well.

Mikell Paulson · Answer

I have landscape fabric down and the mulch on that! The garden area are all level. We don't get very much rain where I live! My post say Silverdale, but I live in Port Angeles, and we get less rain here then the rest of western WA. I have had the rubber mulch down and I have not smelled anything! I have a very sensitive nose!

White Oak Studio Designs · Answer

In Michigan I have had no trouble with natural wood mulch bringing in ants. It does bring in the worms which is a good thing as the worm castings make great soil. Natural mulch helps to keep the soil moist and the plants alive. If this is a summer/vacation home and you are not going to be there to water shrubs during dry periods, natural wood mulch will help to keep your plants alive and safeguard your investment of money and time.

Linda T · Answer

I put rubber mulch down around 5 years ago. It is great in that it holds it color.  However, it easily moves when I use the blower on it.  I still love it, but must replenish it every so often.  I did not put landscaping fabric down as it surrounds plants.

Need advice on the use of rubber mulch compared to using stone.

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