Rubber Mulch - questions
After dealing with spotted windows and siding from mold spores spread by wood mulch, I am thinking of trying rubber mulch. Does anyone have any experience with rubber mulch, pros and cons? Do I need to remove all the wood mulch or top layer the rubber mulch? Is there an alternative to try, something to spray on to kill the spores? Any help would be appreciated.
justwondering 
strangerdanger Just wondering, what do you mean by spores from the mulch? We put mulch down for the first time this year and had some weird growth in it. I'm wondering if that's what you're talking about.
Bessie The spores may or may not be from the mulch. But wood chips when wet can definitely grow some kinds of mold. Some of those molds are actually good and you want that to happen. Mold that looks like white strands is considered very good for soil development. Other molds are a plain nuisance like slime mold (dog barf) or stinkhorn. You don't want to over water and keep the wood too wet. Also if the mulch is more than 3 inches it's supposed to dry out and lose the good mold.
Mold can also happen even with stones or rubber. It's just harder because it tends to be very dry which is what keeps mold away, both good and bad mold. Drying out though is not always what you want with plants, so it's a mixed blessing.
Personally I would try using something to control the mold on the windows first before switching. Do that as well as watch not to let the mulch get too wet. For something that's all natural, I've had good luck with neem oil. You have to use it constantly for a good week to ten days to notice results. But in particular powdery mildew on my phlox and bee balm have gone away using neem.
GC There is something called artillery mold spores that grow in wood mulch. They can shoot tiny brown spores up to 20' and they are all over my windows and white window trim. My house is a darker shade so it isn't that noticeable. They attach and don't wash off, I need to use a razor blade to remove them. My sister in RI has the same issue on her light gray siding. I don't know if it is because my yard gets a lot of shade but it is annoying. I am looking to replace the mulch but don't know an alternative. Maybe a more specific kind of wood mulch?
Typically, cedar and hardwood mulch have less of a problem with artillary (aka shotgun) fungus. So those might be better organic mulch options. Avoid at all costs anything with ground pallets or stumps sold as mulch.
3wbdwnj Are you using mulch in beds where you have shurbs and such. They depend on the moisture from the mulch. They may need more watering if you convert to alternative.
CraftBeerBob I do have rhododendron and azaleas, which I keep pruned to a smaller size. Am I the only one with this issue - lucky me! It is the front of my house specifically and I like it to look nice. I don't know much about various types of wood mulch, but hardwood was mentioned above. I guess Home Depot could provide guidance. The kind we used was the 5 for 10 dollars in Spring. Looked nice but not happy with the spots.
I moved away from using mulch 8 years ago. First and forth most, I was mulching allot of beds every couple of years and wanting something fairly maintenance free, as well as addressing the mold spore, blacks dot on the house. Additionally I wanted an application that looked just as nice as mulch with a better return on my investment.
I would do research on the rubber products available, I recall from research 8 years ago, the rubber products degraded over time and can created a black or colored dust that gets everywhere. I also recall reading where similar products used in public park play grounds where removed because of the dust issue and concerns that the dust could be related to health concerns.
I suggest looking into crushed, river, polish stone products. They come in a number of color choices. Additionally how you implement the stone cover it prevents weeds from growing through for many years. For my application mt returning on my investment was 2 years, or better said after what would have been my second application of mulch.
I went with a crushed red gravel type of stone 8 years ago, and it still looks great and have received many compliments on the application. The only maintenance I have had to do over the years, is the occasional walk around the beds to pull the stray single rocks that end up in the adjacent grassy areas. Mostly drawn on the the grass at times by landscaper mowers that have a incredible amount of air flow pull and the occasional leaf blower to remove the fall leaves. Additionally when I had had to pull the random overgrown shrub out and replace it something new, a small amount of new rock was added to fill here and there. This being a very low spend.
Hope the suggestion helps. Best of luck in your final choice, either way I am sure what you select will look great.
JimInNJ Jim, just wondering --- how many inches deep, thick, did you make the spread.
SD, ours is probably 2-3" thick, maybe thinner where we were running low. Is depth the problem?
justwondering, I went 2 to 3" on depth in flat areas, and about 4" in areas that were sloped. On the sloped areas I had to build a bit a foundation to hold the layer of rocks further up the slope. I only have one area about 15 feet long where I need to do this. Actual you reminded me of the one maintenance item I forgot to mention. On this sloped area I have to take a straight rake in the spring and firm up the sloped area. The snow tends to pull the rock down in the pile over the winter. It is about a 30 minute job each spring.
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