Tire buffings or nuggets of rubber from retreaded tires or used tires that have been ground up whole after removing their steel bands. Buffings are usually thin slivers of rubber, nuggets are small pieces ranging in size from 10 mm to 32 mm. Rubber mulch have a few advantages over plant-based mulches. Rubber mulch is good for soil moisture as rubber is nonporous and does not absorb water on its way through to the soil. It also reduces fungus growth and plant growth, and becomes a weed barrier as weed seeds dehydrate in the mulch before reaching the soil.