Red Mulch Dangers

The scenic beauty of flowers growing against a red background is worth the onlooker's appreciation. Precisely, plants look great, appearing more green and vibrant when planted with red mulch. If we leave aside the aesthetic aspect of using red mulch, there are basically, no benefits, but only harmful effects which it may have on your plants. An important point to make a note of is that the hazards of red mulch do not involve the dye, but the material from which the mulch has been prepared. For instance, there are several types of mulch which use iron oxide as the dye or vegetable dyes and other natural products. These substances pose no threat to the plants. However, there are still some products which use petrochemical dyes. Although, most commercial dyes are safe, their content of petrochemicals that can be hazardous, particularly to vegetable gardens. So while going for red mulch, one must go for one which specifies that it contains biodegradable pigments.

Health Risks of Red Mulch

You run the risk of harboring red mulch dangers only when you are not sure if the mulch has been manufactured using recycled or salvaged wood. The reason? These kinds of woods have all chances of containing Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA). These woods are known as arsenic-treated wood and they result when lumber is treated with CCA. The problem with CCA is that it contains chrome, arsenic and copper. As a result of improper testing and unlawful recycling, most recycled woods have been found to contain CCA. It is to be known that if the wood for the red mulch has been pressure treated then it must have been treated with CCA thus, with chrome, copper and arsenic. As a result, there are high chances of arsenic leaking into the woods. Arsenic has been found to show carcinogenic activity and thus, it may cause a variety of cancer in animals and humans. So, before you go for red mulching, you would want to know the details of the wood which had been in use in the manufacturing process.

Red Mulch Uses

Although unsubstantiated, most farmers and gardeners believe or claim that using red mulch stimulate the growth and improve the health of tomatoes. This is because the mulch reflects more light onto the plants. Although there are several kinds of plants whose yield can be improved using the red mulch. Tomatoes, in particular, have an especial affinity towards this substance. If you are interested in growing ornamental plants and not so particular about the yield, you can provide an interesting visual appearance to the flower bed using chipped red mulch.

Fortunately, the dangers of red mulch are not as widespread as they used to be earlier. This is because most manufactures use non-toxic dyes such as iron oxide in their mulches. Iron oxide essentially rusts and pose no threats to humans or animals. The best red mulch you can get is from land clearing companies. The wood which is used in manufacturing these mulches are brought from the raw lumber, instead of being treated with CCA. So the best thing you can do if you make up your mind to go for red mulch, would be to throw some questions at the dealer and try to reconcile the details with the one cited in this article.