I work in gardening and landscaping, and I have tried several types of mulch all over the year. Some of them I’ve liked and some of them I haven’t. It also depends on the job and what kind of client I’m working for. Some of them just want me to prepare the garden for them in a one time job. Others require me to visit their gardens every week in order to have them look pretty.

Whenever I get a client that plans to take care of his or her garden himself or herself, I ask him or her how much time will be allocated to taking care of the garden per week or per two weeks. I always divide the answer by 3 or 4 to get a more realistic estimate. I use this estimate to advise him or her on the type of mulch that he or she should get.

For clients that want something easy to take care of, I usually advice recycled tire mulch, also known as rubber mulch. By far, recycled tire mulch is the mulch that requires the least maintenance and replacement. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad kind of mulch or that it doesn’t perform as well as organic mulch.

First of all, recycled tire mulch is ecological, as it is made of rubber from tires that otherwise would end up becoming garbage or pollutants. Of course, this means that when you’re done with using your recycled tire mulch, you should dispose of it properly, so it won’t become garbage of pollutants itself.

Fortunately, that won’t happen often. Recycled tire mulch will last years, since it doesn’t break down like organic mulch. It might need some rearrangement, especially if you have children or pets that tent to move it out of its place, but it’ll be a good 10 years until you need to buy more.

Regarding children and pets, you have to educate them not to put it in their mouths or swallow it. Although recycled tire mulch is not toxic per se, it can still be harmful due to always being in the ground and dirt. Therefore, children might get sick if they lick it or put it in their mouths (as it would happen with organic mulch or pretty much any object that they find in the ground). If you’re really worried about your children, get certified recycled tire mulch, which is even safer for children.

Pets can smell recycled tire mulch and even put it in their mouths safely. They won’t try to eat it since it isn’t organic and doesn’t taste or smell attractive to them.

Lastly, if you want an original look, get dyed recycled tire mulch. It really can combine for a different look and the color won’t go away with water or rain.