A possible use for Car tyre as "Soil warmer"

[no_akira]

This year on my plot I've gone "Outdoor Aubergine" crazy

"This year is gonna be the year I actually get some "plump" aubergines". Four different varieties across various locations and set ups.

+ Grown from seed indoors from mid Feb - CHECK

+ Planted into Open sunny positions - CHECK

+ Cloche covered during the cooler month of April - CHECK

+ Deep bed of Soil and rotted manure 50/50 - CHECK

One of my set ups were Aubergines plants just plonked into large 10l black plastic paint pots in a sunny position as they looked half dead. There revived and started to thrive. I put it down to the black pots absorbing and heating the soil surrounding the plants so...



So far these are the best I ever done.

Think I should have added the tyre soil warmer and Strulch earlier (rather than yesterday), always next year.

Cutting a tyre to break the ring and stretching it into a semi circle sun warmer idea ?

[ESBkevin]

I can see your thoughts on this. It may well be a good idea in the earlier part of the year but being essentially a pessimist I would add a couple of thoughts.
1) How clean is the tyre? They collect lots of chemicals like oil, heavy metals (cat converters) and silicoln in the daily use on out roads.
2) Would a simple plastic sheet (inverted compost bag) over the root area serve a similar purpose.
3) One of the purported benefits of mulch/no dig gardening is that the soil temp remains far more static or regulated (so not too hot in the day and not too cool in the night). While early season warming before planting and during the first weeks of spring is a good idea it might not be so good later on in weather like we are 'enjoying' at the moment.

The evidence you have suggests warmer soil is the way to go and that is supported by gardening in general. I may just be allowing the high temps to sway my thinking. Anyway thats my contribution for what it's worth.

[no_akira]

All valid points

The tyre has been kicking around my plot for about 4 years as I've tried various things with it all with so-so success. Any residue is possibly long gone. But you are correct the roots would grow along the inside of the tyre wall with the potential to pick up residue in those micro filament roots.

There are three Aubergines in this picture and that was a mistake, next year I will only plant 2, one in each half of the semi circle.

Tyres with a worn smooth "poor tracking" wear strip will warm quicker as the rubber is thinner and greater surface area is angled towards the sun.

Cutting the side wall off the tyres using a stanley blade is best done with care. I work with these tools in my trade so risk of deep cuts is reduced. The trick with cutting is to cut a tab then pull on this tab to put the cutting zone under tension. As you apply the cut it should come off like a zip. To cut through the tyre (metal mesh) across the profile you will need a hacksaw blade (metal).

I've a belief that watering the 10" soil zone around plants is crucial to the flushing of minerals and feeds down through the soil to the roots and by covering this area on greedy plants your hindering this function.

The thinking is again "Positive" & "Negative" bands of soil moisture across the growing mound.

[Thelma Sanders]

Tyres are banned on most allotment sites in Kent, now, so it may be a good idea to find out if they are allowed on yours.

[Greenleaves]

Tyres will always leach into the soil, as Thelma says most sites have ban them for two reasons.

The primary is leatchate and the secondary is that people leave them behind and the council or association then have to pay for their disposal.

I agree that black rubber warms quickly if exposed to sunlight so for many years people have used them to warm soil...

Tyres have the potential to be the new asbestos due to;

Natural rubber
Synthetic rubber compounds, including Butadiene – known carcinogen
Solvents: Benzene – known carcinogen, Styrene – anticipated to be carcinogenic, Toluene – has negative health effects, Xylene – irritant, & Petroleum naphtha
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Phenols – some are endocrine-disruptive, Benzo(a)pyrene – linked to cancer
Heavy metals: zinc, chromium, nickel, lead, copper & cadmium
Carbon black – possibly carcinogenic
Vulcanising agents: Sulphur & Zinc oxide
Polychlorinated biphenyls – known carcinogen
Other synthetic chemicals

So in my view should be nowhere near edibles and soil used for growing, at the very least you should line them

[no_akira]

I can understand the ruling, "Hey is that big mound of tyres on John's plot fly tipped or the latest growing fad ?"

Its just a potential "Second life product" from a robust and very long lived everyday waste item. Rubber tyres are a great "outdoor material" unfortunately.

"The UK produces around 55 million waste tyres a year" uk.gov.chaos stat

Also using it in a moderate limited sort of way, low key, hidden out of eye line. Also using it in a long strip, one piece construction means if it doesn't work as expected it can easily be pulled up, wrapped into a coil and taken to the dump.

[Greenleaves]

That won't stop the leaching though....pollution has a simple cycle

Source, pathway, receptor...tyre is the source, soil is the pathway and humans are the receptor in this instance

It's your call, I am just making you aware

Not all councils will except tyres at the waste recycling centres, if they do, you will be subject to a £3 disposal fee

[Bluenowhere]

Not all councils will except tyres at the waste recycling centres, if they do, you will be subject to a £3 disposal fee

Kent charge per tyre and limit numbers residents can disposal of.

Most London boroughs won’t take or treat as trade waste and charge by weight - minimum charge is usually around £30.

[no_akira]

Well a week later and these little babies have turned up...



x3+ on each plant

Cant say if its the tyre or the commercial mulch or the combination of both together. Oh and possibly this freakish summer...

But for the first time i've got plump outdoor aubergines

[no_akira]

Coming back to these overwintered Sunken car tyres at the head of my sun orientated beds. Noticed a strange situation.

A higher number of worm casts on the mound of soil behind the tyre than other areas of soil across the plot.

It seems the worms are bumping into the curved shape of the tyre and are "coraled" back into the soil behind the tyre.

If i'd realised this at the end of last year I would have piled a small little mound of compost on this soil to further help the worms with some more food and some insulation.

[Logunner]

Tyres are banned on our plots due to the toxic effect of degradation

Around the world they have started removing the man made reefs they created using tyres after discovering the high levels of contaminants in sealife.

[no_akira]

Worms behind south facing rubber tyre wall.



When you break a circle and roll it out, the shape it forms is called "Isochronous or tautochrone" curve which have special properties in the maths world.

I think you will find that tyres in isolation are a relatively benign and inert substance very similar to an old "Rubber welly".

The real reason they banned the "coral reef projects" is not down to degrading tyres but more to do with the international law banning countrys from dumping at sea and being responsible for their own waste. Also corruption leading to toxic waste being mixed in with these "dumping at sea oppurtunities". Also not much in the sea binds to slick rubber. See any video images of WW2 sunken hauliers with their cargo holds full of rusty vehicles but yet their tyres look fresh as the day they sank.

Remember I have cut off the wall of the tyres which include the metal stretch band.