Synthetic Tree Mulch

Manufacturers crush and tumble glass bottles to make glass mulch.

Synthetic mulch provides the weed suppression gardeners desire without the degradation and insect attraction natural mulches create. Gardeners may spread loose mulch around trees by hand and cut synthetic sheet mulches to size.

Loose Synthetic Mulch

Loose synthetic mulches include tumbled broken glass and chopped rubber. Both man-made mulches utilize recycled material in the making of the product. Glass mulch, smoothed by a tumbling process, provides a bright and colorful garden mulch ideal for tree perimeters and other areas where little cultivation will take place. Manufacturers create rubber mulch by chopping used tires, adding value to what would otherwise become waste.

Sheet Synthetic Mulch

Sheet synthetic mulches include polyethylene plastic and polypropylene landscaping fabric. The plastic sheet varieties hold moisture in the ground through prevention of soil water evaporation. Porous landscaping fabric, on the other hand, allows soil to absorb and eliminate water more readily.

Loose Synthetic Mulch Disadvantages

Synthetic mulch presents a variety of potential disadvantages to the gardener or landscaper. Loose synthetic mulches resist degradation and may incorporate into the soil. Gardeners must take into account future gardening and landscaping plans, as soil filled with glass or rubber pieces may result from the use of these mulches. Furthermore, rubber mulch may contain carcinogenic and otherwise harmful elements, according to a study by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and reported by Treehugger.

Sheet Synthetic Mulch Disadvantages

Plastic sheet mulch not only retains moisture, but it also prevents water from entering the soil. Gardeners must ensure trees mulched in this manner may receive water from irrigation and/or rainfall. Gardeners must remove sheet synthetic mulch prior to cultivation to avoid incorporation into the soil. However, sheet mulch surrounding trees should not present this problem unless the tree is subsequently removed. Finally, dark-colored mulches raise the soil temperature--potentially damaging for plants and soil organisms.

References

• Iowa State University: Weed Management in the Home Garden
• Mulch Types: Glass Mulch
• Treehugger: Carcinogenic Tire Mulch
• Cornell University: Mulches for Landscaping