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I have a small enclosed play area for my two young boys. It has one Little Tikes Climber and a Log Cabin playhouse. The sides are about 5' tall wood frame with resin lattice. I have shredded rubber tire play mulch for the bedding. My yard is filled with mature oaks and assorted other trees. I use my leave vac to pick up most of the leaves, but it can't get them all because it will choke on the play mulch. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for keeping this type of area clean. Other than handpicking the acorns and leaves, I can't think of another way to get it all out of there. I suppose I could try to turn my play mulch so it would look clean and eventually the small quantity of leaves and the acorns would decompose. I'm a little concerned about the acorns though - they are splitting and rooting and I definitely do not want a sapling in my play area. It's mulched 6-8 inches thick, I don't know if a sapling could somehow take root in or below that. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Sherri,
you're probably not going to like this idea, but here goes... remove the rubber mulch and replace it with playground fiber which is cedar chips that have been tumbled for splinter free play.
I design a lot of play areas and when faced with an area that is under the canopy of a tree(s) , we always choose the tumbled shredded cedar playground fiber .
About a 9 months ago we installed a really fun play fort with swings and a slide up against an old Californian Oak tree which sheds all year round .
The leaves when brown are the same color as the mulch . Sometimes the gardener blows the top loose layer of the fallen leaves off of the play area into another more rough and tumble play area that is used for a dog run.
The kids play ground fiber gets refreshed with a top dressing once a year at a cost of about $ 45.00.
During the late winter and early spring month some of the fallen acorns take root and send up strong little shoots.
The kids make it their job to pull the shoots up. - make a game out of it or assign it as part of their maintenance duty.
You will continually be battling the fallen leaves on the rubber mulch.
All you can do it either try to blow the debris away or use a suction vaccuum - both with negotiable results.
maybe the rubber mulch can be recycled into another play area that doesn't have the problem of overhead fallen leaves or maybe you can bag the stuff up and sell it / trade it on some auction / trading website or community bulletin board.
deviant deziner is right, stick with materials that are: 1, less toxic to mammals (tire mulch still contains all the chemistry that it did when it was tires), and no environmental impact from play mulch that has left the building so to speak...2. On hot days it is less absorptive of heat as the tire mulch, which has been documented to have caused minor skin irritation [burns] on children at play during warm weather with full sun exposure...3. An organic material has no impact on the water table below when exposed to seasonal rainstorms, tires...well the jury is out, but it's eating at McDonalds...lol.
I'm still confused as to why shredded rubber tires ever left the paving industry. Most asphaltic road caps now are "tire reinforced", let's, as responsible people, keep that chemistry where it belongs...either on the tire itself or on the road the tire comes in contact with. Unless you're raising an entire community of future in- patients, tire mulch is probably not your best bet.
Well, that's disappointing information. The playground suppier told us we were doing the "environmentally responsible" thing by using these recycled rubber tires. It was touted at the latest and greatest in playground technology, used in all the "better" playgrounds and safer for the children providing x times the protection during a fall, and eliminating scrapes, cuts and splinters associated with using wood. I was also told that the rubber would discourage some insect life that is attracted to the wood mulch. All in all, though I try to be environmentally responsible - I recycle just about everything, use my mulched leaves, purchased a hybrid vehicle, use some organic products, and freecycle most of my unwanted items - I'm not a totally organic person and I really wasn't unhappy with performance of my playground mulch. My boys have had no injuries in the play area and I'm generally happy with the rubber mulch. Maybe it's because I'm in Cleveland (which can reach 100 degrees a couple times a year) or because the playarea is totally shaded at all times of the day (chosen for sun safety reasons, and because I don't think there is an unshaded area in my yard) but our playground mulch has never gotten even remotely warm. I've been in there barefoot (though not my boys) with no problem whatsoever. Since it is totally enclosed, there is no spill out of the playground mulch. I haven't found so much as one piece outside of the play area. Of course the boys haven't discovered the joy of throwing it yet, I'm hoping there is a chance they won't. My point is, I was just seeking advice on keeping it neat and clean, not asking if I'd used the right mulch material or how to make the play area more organic or non-toxic. I realize there may be no easy way, and everyone might come back and say vac up what you can and the rest is by hand or left there. The boys at 3 and 1 have limited ability to help keep their area clean right now. They are encouraged and try to help, but have limited success - certainly they can't do it all on their own. I was just hoping someone out there may have found a short cut or procedure that is really working well for them. I appreciate the advice, and will certainly consider a different surface option at our next house when we put in a larger play area and structure. I do not remember being offered or even told about "playground fiber," which sounds very interesting. Especially since cedar, I believe, also repels some insects. I'm honestly not prepared to invest much more in this house because we are likely moving in 3 or so years. I consider it cost prohibitive to remove and possibly waste the rubber mulch we have, and to order enough replacement mulch to replace it. I think the area is 36 feet by 60 feet mulched 6 - 8 inches deep, approximately. I don't consider the rubber mulch a safety hazard to the children, so it is not a priority to remove it. Thanks again. Hopefully someone out there has more experience with this type of clean up than I do and may have a neat little trick or tip they developed. This is only our second season, and last year we had an abnormality and none of the trees in the area produced acorns, still don't know what caused that - but they sure made up for it this year it seems.
Sherri,
I know this information will not help you right now, but maybe when you move into your next house... In early 2007 a book published by Taunton Press called " The Outdoor Kidspace Idea Book" will hit the market and will have a ton of great information and inspirational photographs.
As I play hookey and type away on this thread I really should be working on the final photo count for the book , which I will be authoring.
There is lots of good scientific information about recycled rubber tire mulch.
The off gassing has been studied and thoroughly written about. You can find lots of info on this if you do a google search. If you can't find any good links, write back here and I will post the information that will also be listed in my book.
I am still teetering on the fence about its usage as a mulch in a residential play area for a couple of reasons .
Safety for our children is always at the forefront of my mind but there are also environmental concerns too.
There are strong pros and cons on this issue.
Check out grubble.com for more info on recycled rubber mulch, just to understand it a little bit more.
Hello, Sherri,
I am also using rubber mulch, around my perennials [we have no 'play area' here, as my kids are older than yours]. I got tired of trying to sort through -- not to mention, the frequent expense and hassle of replenishing -- weed- and insect-attracting-and-nurturing wood mulches. I am extremely happy with my choice and, as with all mulch options (for example, when injested, "cocoa mulch proves toxic to dogs" also, there are oils and resins in wood) just because it is natural, does not mean "healthful." There are pros and cons. Some proven, some not.
Have you seen the May 2006 Consumer Reports article on rubber vs. wood mulch? Have you tried using a leaf blower, rather than a leaf vacuum? CR reports that the rubber mulch stays put, while the wood mulch does not, when attempting to blow leaves, etc. off.
That could help for the leaves; as for the acorns, I don't know whether the blower would work. If not, perhaps the kids could be bribed . . . say, give them buckets and offer a penny/nickel an acorn, or make a line on the bucket and when filled "to there" with acorns, a desired reward?
Good luck.
--Mary in Minnesota (suzyc)
