Step Aside Gravel: Control Weeds With A Permanent Mulch Solution

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Controlling the weeds in your garden might have you researching ways to make the job easier and less time-consuming. After all, you'd probably rather spend your weekends enjoying your garden, not toiling in it to pull up all those weeds. While laying down gravel can be quite effective at weed control, relying on pea gravel around your yard could backfire because weeds will eventually grow through. However, there's another mulch solution available that's touted as permanent — recycled rubber mulch. Hear us out.

Permanent rubber mulch, like this one from Plow & Hearth, is made from recycled tires. It's designed to be used around your garden beds and along your driveway as a border to prevent weeds from growing and to keep your regular mulch in place. This recycled rubber mulch is available in a variety of sizes, including 6-inch-wide rolls and rubber tree rings. Many customers have found this permanent rubber mulch useful, with a few saying that it's lasted quite well over several years. 

On the other hand, some have said that weeds may still grow through in full sunlight and that it does tear quite easily. It's also a good idea to use landscape pins (which you'll have to buy separately) to anchor down the strip, especially if you're going to curve it around your garden beds or use it to create a pathway.

While these mulch strips are a decent solution for controlling weeds next to your driveway or along the edges of your garden beds, keep in mind that they're made from recycled tires, which may have you thinking twice before using rubber mulch in your garden. In an article published by Linda Chalker-Scott, Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor at Washington State University, rubber mulches made from discarded tires do eventually break down and can release toxic elements, like lead or heavy metals, into the soil. 

On top of that, rubber tires can contain minerals, such as zinc, which can be toxic in high amounts. At the very least, this means that you certainly shouldn't be using these rubber mulch strips around your vegetable gardens.

Another concern with using rubber mulch products in your garden is that rubber can be really difficult to extinguish if it's been ignited. So, if you live in an area that's prone to wildfires, you may want to think twice about using this product in your yard. On the plus side, even though these rubber mulch strips are not totally permanent, they will break down much more slowly than other types of mulches, so that should save you a little time in not having to replenish the mulch. At the end of the day, it's up to you whether you want to use organic or inorganic mulch around your garden, depending on your needs and what you want to achieve.