Curly Sue wrote:
On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 19:25:45 GMT, "Danny"
wrote:
We got black cedar mulch and it has a very strong scent. not like
the nice
smell of cedar but more like a chemical. perhaps rubber.
I am assuming it is colored with some kind of dye, but what is it?
IT is nasty!! I am concerned there may be some chemicals in this
stuff
thate are no good.
Here is an article about the chemicals:
http://tinyurl.com/3yvws
Just as an aside, here's an article about the effects that colored
mulches have on plants:
http://plasticulture.cas.psu.edu/DSuccess-mulch.htm
The article at the second link refers more to the effects of the color.
They used naturally colored soils, colored Styrofoam panels, and
eventually plastic sheets, not dyed bark. BTW... I used some red plastic
mulch for my tomatoes, and the plants are amazingly big this year, with
blossoms turning into what looks like it'll be a bumper crop. I bought
fewer plants this year (9 vs 12), and spread them out further. I'm glad
I put the latest fruiting plant that'll have the fewest - but biggest -
fruits in the middle because I sure can't get to it now, and wouldn't
want to have to spend too much time
As for the dyed mulches, I've seen some nicely colored mulch at Home
Depot, but personally I would never use it. If I need pretty mulch to
make my beds look good, well, it would be like a painter using
pre-colored canvas, or a golf course using artificial turf. And I don't
have to worry about what chemicals are leaching into my soil, either. So
given my bias, my advice to the OP would be to throw-out the funny
smelling dyed mulch.
--
Warren H.
==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Get Black and Decker Landscaping Tools He
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...ker/index.html