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Are old tires safe to use as planters?

— Sharon White
Mora, New Mexico

April 10, 2008

Short-term, yes, tire planters are OK, although the soil in black tire planters will probably get hotter than most plants would prefer. Long-term, no, because the tire rubber will slowly biodegrade and release zinc, carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and other toxic compounds into your soil.

Toxics from tires are an even greater concern in some recycled products, such as rubber mulch and artificial turf, that are made from shredded or pelletized old tires. Here is an excellent report about the hazards of recycled tires, by Sarah Lane at Progressive Kid.

— Cheryl Long, editor in chief, Mother Earth News 
Elena 4/25/2008 12:10:24 PM

You're kidding, right? For an authority on this subject you are quoting a blog written by a fiction writer? Give me a break. Besides, there is a world of difference between shredded tires and whole tires used as planters.

1 Comments
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Bill 4/25/2008 2:00:43 PM

Thanks Elena I wouldn't have followed up on the link and known what type of things this person believed. It's nice to know from which galaxy a person is coming from when considering their viewpoint.

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Fuzz 4/26/2008 10:09:51 AM

l have used tires to plant in for 12 years. Yesterday after l read your comment about the tires l pulled up one of my tires an it looks the same as it did when l started planting more than 12 years ago. Could you please give more info on using tires full time is no good. Plus I live in an Earthship that l built with tires. Thank You, Fuzz

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felder 4/28/2008 11:19:22 AM

This is just another knee-jerk reaction, folks. There has been a lot of extensive, INDEPENDENT (non-industry funded) testing conducted on the environmental aspects of using recycled tires (whole or shredded), with NO substantial problems found. I have made hundreds of tire planters over many years, and I DEVOUR research on the topic, yet have not been able to find any SERIOUS research that shows a problem with using them. By the way, the long-term leaching of the metals is so slow as to be negligible, and at any rate, those metals are neither absorbed nor translocated in plant tissue.

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Heidi Hunt 4/29/2008 10:22:36 AM

This is a response from soil scientist, Garn Wallace, who specializes in metals in soils. Daniel E. Bowman, Richard Y. Evans and Linda L. Dodge (HortScience, 1994, volume 29, pages 774 - 776) found that automotive tire crumb rubber was toxic to Chrysanthemum and demonstrated that the toxicity was due to the accumulation of zinc. Subsequently, Edward Bush, Kris Leader and Allen Owings found that automobile tire crumbs were toxic to river birch, lacebark elm and pecan. (Journal of Plant Nutrition, volume 24, 2001, pages 503- 510 and Journal of Plant Nutrition, volume 26, 2003, pages 1413-1425) have confirmed the toxicity of zinc in crumb rubber. The toxicity of zinc in crumb rubber has been conveyed to growers, Media Notes for North Carolina Growers, April 1997. Zinc is essential both for plant and animals. Zinc functions at the active sites of some enzymes. However excessive levels of zinc are toxic as are all nutrients. Zinc is used as a biocide in skin creams and in some paint formulations. The chemistry of zinc contains a full shell of electrons called the "D" shell. Two other elements with similar chemistry as zinc which are in the some grouping since all of the them have a full "D" shell of electrons are cadmium and mercury. Modest levels of zinc are essential nevertheless high levels of zinc inhibit growth. Some species are more tolerant than others. Grasses are the most tolerant. The symptoms that I have noted in tomatoes included early senescence before the fruit ripens and discoloration of the older leaves with yellow/orange and scorching of the leaf margins. The addition of zinc containing materials is desirable for media and soil low in zinc. Zinc is not generally low in urban soils since zinc is a commonly present. It is in tire dust, galvanized steel including chain link fencing, rain gutters, downspouts, plumbing, etc., exterior paints, some fertilizers and some organic amendments.

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