Rubber Mulch

The latest craze is rubber mulch, but it will actually do more harm than good. Not only will it not let rain water and other nutrients pentrate into the landscape beds, but it also does not let the beds breath, causing a dramatic increase in soil temperature which can actually kill off some plants.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Have you had customers ask you to apply this? I have seen this product being advertised more and more.

__________________
- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

I know of one local lawn care company that just became a registered seller for the product with a brand company.

But not a lot of people want it. The biggest seller around here is cypress mulch or stones.

[Steve]

Troy here is an article that discusses the issue further.

Experts wary of rubber mulch - One of the components, zinc, is particularly harmful to plants and animals at even moderate levels. She noted that a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher strongly advises that rubber not be used in the garden.

The material does rot ** or rather, it breaks down, just not into something useful to the soil or our plants. Instead, it degrades into all its various compounds.

The rubber itself is an organic compound, but metals and alloys are added to the tires, and used tires may release lead and other residues that were accumulated during the tire's life on the road.

[Steve]

You know this could be a good topic for a company newsletter to customers or potential customers.

That is why I was really surprised to see one of the local lcos become a dealer of it

[Billz]

I will be installing some next week... about 40 bags I think. I will let you know how it works.