Can wood mulch dyed red be used around food plants?
Question:Will the dye seep into the plants and cause any health issues, or is it safe to use?
Answers:
It's not the dye you should be concerned with, it's the type of wood at was dyed. The dye itself is an iron oxide based colorant and is non-toxic.
Be sure the mulch you buy is made from virgin wood fiber, not recycled pallets, demolition wood, or the like. These products can contain any number of chemicals (including copper chromium arsenate.. CCA). This is the stuff they used to use to treat wood for decks, fenceposts, etc and is quite poisonous.
ask your mulch supplier what has been dyed to make the mulch. If they can't tell you or tell you it's waste wood, find another source.
Good answer Julie! ;D More importantly, WHY do you want that stuff . Look at other places that have it . Close your eyes for a few seconds, then open them, letting your eyes wander where they will . I think you'll find that most of the time , your eyes go to the red mulch first . The building , & the mulchee(s) ( the plants) almost seem an afterthought.Don't know about you, but I've never thought of mulch as the most attractive/important feature of any site.
Also ,if you are doing it exclusively for the food plants, probably not the best thing.Decaying wood , uses up a lot of nitrogen . Leaf compost would be a bit better . Most towns have a pile somewhere, & it's probably free.
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