Rubber vs. Natural Mulch

Over the years one of the most common questions we get from homeowners is “What type of mulch is best for our flower beds?”

While there are many options for ground covers, for example tree bark, wood chips, ground cover plants, rock mulch, etc, this will discuss the difference between rubber mulch and natural hardwood mulch. Natural mulch is anything organic or naturally derived from the earth. This can include wood chips, wood bark, stone, straw, etc.  Rubber mulch is manufactured out of recycled tires, sometimes dyed and come in shredded chunks.

The benefit of rubber mulch is that is last longer than an organic wood mulch. This means homeowners have to replace it less often, resulting in less upkeep. When considering effectiveness, the rubber mulch works about the same as hardwood mulches in helping control weeds. The thicker, the better is rule of thumb.

The negative aspects of rubber mulch address the main issue, soil health. While rubber mulch may be able to provide an adequate groundcover it can leach toxic chemicals into the soil causing harm to your plants, soil, and ground water.

Natural Hardwood Mulch adds nutrients and food to the soil over time as it decays creating a slow-release feeder. This increases the soil health, regulates soil temperature, and helps hold in moisture. We encourage our customers to not use landscape fabric (unless using gravel mulch) as it is ideal for the mulch to decompose adding nutrients to the soil.

We stock a variety of wood mulches, including IPEMA Certified Playground Mulch and Natural Grade A Cedar Mulch. All mulches are manufactured to the highest quality and delivered in bulk throughout the OKC Metro area. For more information give us a call/text/DM/email.