Rubber mulch isn't a good option for any landscape, but one worried Redditor inherited such a space. Worried about the effect the removed black tire mulch would continue to have after its removal, they reached out to the r/Gardening subreddit in a post asking: "Would I be in the clear if I heavily amended and rototilled the soil?"
The homeowner wants to plant a garden filled with iris flowers in the loamy clay soil. However, they're aware of the toxicity from tires and their mulch by-product, which range from fire hazards to heavy metal and chemical release into the environment. Heavy metals such as aluminum, chromium, copper, molybdenum, selenium, sulfur, and zinc have all been identified as elements that rubber leaches, according to Washington State University associate professor Linda Chalker-Scott, a horticulturist.
But do those compounds go into vegetables planted in soil where the rubber once lay? Heliyon stated: "These metals present in the soil cause risks to all the biosphere and are taken up through direct ingestion, absorbed by plants which can be hazardous both to the plant and also to the food chain that eats the plant."
The original poster can start with soil testing to measure contamination — if the results are positive, they can start rewilding the yard with proper soil disposal and replacement. Compost or manure also dilutes the contamination, per the Washington State Department of Ecology.
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Organic mulch like wood chips or straw provides nontoxic fertilization and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus for flowers and other plants to thrive. Adding cardboard, which naturally decomposes, can speed up the soil-reviving process. With careful planning, the OP can have a biodiverse native garden that attracts pollinators and conserves water.
The budding gardener may also consider a partial lawn replacement through native ground covers, like wild ginger, that prevent erosion and soak up hydration or buffalo grass. While it will be some work upfront, doing so now can save time and energy later. As the OP said, they would be "really upset if they failed to root or died due to the soil."
A commenter stated: "If you are worried, you can always put it in a raised bed where you want to grow veggies. Even with an open bottom, plants will get 95% of their nutrients from the top foot of soil or so."
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