A question posed by one of my readers has me thinking about rubber mulch for my yard - not the entire yard but the space in between my double fence.
I'm laying concrete right now but it's slow going. The bags are quite heavy and the dust that I stir up is irritating to my nose, throat, eyes and skin.
A few years ago, I tried shredded mulch. I had the same problem - the lighter parts of the wood mulch was irritating to my nose, throat, eyes and skin; and I seem to remember getting tiny splinters. I had used mulch in flower beds before. But spreading mulch on a larger scale (a truck load) didn't work well for me.
So I went to the websites of some of my local home supply stores and read about the experiences of others who have used rubber mulch. Some people did complain of a rubber smell but I think it might be better than getting mulch dust up my nose.
The bags are light weight and several people said that bug issues disappeared with this product. But I'd think that bugs or critters who like dark places might still like to tunnel into the mulch (which is why I'm using concrete right now).
I don't plan on letting my dogs have access to the mulch. But for those who are interested in how this might work for pets, there were some comments that one might find useful:
One person said that the shredded mulch got stuck in the dog's feet.
One person claimed that the mulch got hot, but it could be sprayed to cool it down.
One person wrote that his/her dog ate some of the mulch and passed it in tact.
How do you prevent weeds or erosion in your yards?
Tell us about it in the comments below.
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Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard or seen anything about the artificial turf with respect to dogs? Supposedly, it's guaranteed for life, doesn't need watering (obviously), and "looks like" a lawn.
I haven't seen one, but I imagine it's like a golf green. I wonder how dogs like it, and how the liquid and solid waste is cleaned up. It's hard to believe my terriers wouldn't shred it before long playing fetch, chasing squirrels, running after imaginary friends, etc.
Hi Bart
DeleteI've heard of artificial lawns but I have never seen it, nor do I know of anyone who has it.
I know that some dogs are fine going potty artificial turf.
More here: http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2013/09/yard-cover-part-v-artificial-turf.html
Also, I put down some rubber mulch today. My experience here:
http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2013/09/yard-cover-part-iv.html