When choosing mulch, it pays to consider more than its aesthetic value.
After someone asked the r/landscaping Reddit community for advice about what mulch product would be best to use in their yard — out of black, brown, or red mulch — they received a blunt response.
"Anything but color dyed or rubber mulch," one user said.
While they didn't cover the "why" behind that statement, there are a few reasons to avoid these products.
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Bright red mulch is typically dyed for practical purposes, like creating an eye-catching lawn effect.
But it's likely made from recycled wood from construction and scrap pallet waste, which might already be contaminated — think creosote and chromated copper arsenate. It's best to avoid unwanted chemicals in your garden when possible.
Rubber mulch is definitely not the way to go, though. A 2009 study, published in Chemosphere and shared by the National Library of Medicine, found that this material releases significant amounts of zinc into the soil. This might be fine in small doses, but large doses that leak into the soil over time can be seriously detrimental.
If you're seeking some visual razzle-dazzle, one of the best methods to add a little drama to a garden is by upgrading to a natural lawn or taking advantage of local, native plants and grasses. This will provide a low-maintenance, eco-friendly, sustainable, and practical garden full of color and vibrancy.
When you dig deep into the research, it might be surprising how many beautiful, native options there are. Rewilding is the more laissez-faire approach, seeking an ecological restoration solution over carefully maintaining and fostering a monoculture lawn — which can be expensive, resource-heavy, and time-consuming.
Neither rubber mulch nor dyed mulch has a place in rewilding or natural lawn efforts.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
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Making it look better 🌱 Responses to the Reddit post revealed that matching colors and creating a visual pop is not as important as keeping things natural.
"Bark chips are a good choice as they don't fade and break down quickly like mulch," one person said.
"This sub will say undyed/natural," another added.
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