Pine trees are evergreen coniferous trees and produce pine needles that shed like leaves.
A pine tree in your yard can be a nuisance since cleaning after the pine needles is quite tedious. If you have a pine tree and you are consumed by the thought of cleaning your yard, then worry not!
Just read our guide and find some exceptionally helpful methods on how to get rid of pine needles.
Pine trees are magnificent and an excellent addition to any landscape or yard for multiple reasons. Pine trees release a fresh scent; they are scenic and lush green, prevent soil erosion, and provide organic mulch to nearby plants.
Despite all these qualities, cleaning after a pine tree and removing pine needles can be a hitch. But don’t sweat over it because we have got you covered!
Our experts have compiled some excellent ways to get rid of pine needles.
How to Get Rid of Pine Needles? | Why Is It Important?
Shed leaves are easy to remove using a simple rake or a leaf blower.
On the contrary, pine needles accumulate very quickly and form a carpet-like spread, taking care of which can be challenging.
It is essential to get rid of pine needles for numerous reasons. Some of those reasons are enlisted below:
- If the pine needles are left unattended for a long time, their stack will grow and most likely suffocate the plants growing near the pine tree.
- They’ll deprive the plants of air, sunlight, and water, which will cause the plants to die.
- Leaves usually start decaying and dry up within days and turn into manure. However, pine needles will take ages to decompose.
- Pine needles do not pose any concern if they fall in a rainforest, but if they fall in a yard, they can ruin the grass.
- Pine needles produce an acidic fluid that can turn the grass into an ugly greyish color.
Removing the pine needles will allow your grass and plants to have healthy growth.
Moreover, you can use the accumulated pine needles as mulch for your garden. Now that we have established WHY it is crucial to get rid of pine needles let us discuss HOW to get rid of them.
4 Methods to Get Rid of Pine Needles
Unlike leaves, cleaning and removing pine needles can be a very tedious task.
If your yard is piling up with pine needles and you don’t know what to do, then read our guide to learn some effective tricks on how to get rid of pine needles.
1. Using a Rake
Pine needles are difficult to rake, unlike leaves, as they are thinner, smaller, and lighter.
The needles usually pass through the large spaces of rakes, and it becomes quite tricky to gather them.
Despite that, raking is one of the most accessible and convenient methods. Investing in a garden rake especially designed for this purpose is the best practice.
You can also try using a regular gardening rake but investing in a specialized rake to pick up pine needles will make your work much easier and more efficient.
“We suggest buying a Groundskeeper rake to help smoothly get rid of the pesky pine needles.”
- Before raking, it is always a good measure to use a bag mower first to pick up the loose pine needles.
- A bagging mower won’t necessarily pick up all the needles, but it will help in cleaning.
- After using the mower, start raking the lawn with your specialized rake.
Investing in the right type of rake will prove very efficient and helpful. An excellent rake to collect pine needles is the one that has its tines spaced closer together.
2. Using a Leaf Blower
Another helpful method of removing pine needles is using a leaf blower.
Leaves are lightweight and can be blown very quickly using a leaf blower.
However, blowing pine needles can be tricky. The needles are pricky and get intertwined, forming a haphazard web that makes it difficult altogether to blow them.
The trick here is to use a strong leaf blower with a powerful motor.
- To make the work easier, rake the pine needles to loosen them up.
- After raking, use a robust battery-powered leaf blower to blow away the pine needles and accumulate them in heaps.
- If you live in a rocky area or your yard is built on terrain, then a leaf blower is your best option to get rid of pine needles.
An important tip to remember here is to aim the blower properly onto the pine needles to avoid pushing them deeper into the crevices.
3. Sweeping Away the Pine Needles
Just like raking, sweeping is a transparent and effective way to eliminate pine needles.
You can find various brooms at your local hardware store or even online. Buy a sturdy broom designed to collect pine needles. This process is very cheap, effective, and simple.
When sweeping away the pine needles, you must keep a few points in mind to ensure the process runs smoothly and you get effective results.
- If the pine needles are in a thick blanket, you might have to use a leaf blower first to loosen the needles and eliminate excess layers.
- Then you can take your broom and start sweeping the yard to eliminate pine needles.
- If your yard is situated on rocky land, a patio, or pavement, then a simple broom won’t do.
- Like leaf blowers, wide varieties of brooms are available in the market, ranging from manual-push sweepers to sweeper attachments towed behind a truck.
Power sweepers can be a good investment providing you with quick, reliable, and efficient results over all types of land.
4. Using a Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuum cleaners are undoubtedly the winner in cleaning floors.
Not only does a vacuum cleaner clean your interiors, but there are specialized vacuums built to be used outdoors.
You can invest in a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner to remove pine cones from your yard. It is the most effective way of cleaning and will ensure the most efficient results.
If you are going to use an indoor vacuum cleaner to clean your yard, you have to be very careful while vacuuming as it may pick up small pebbles and other larger debris, which may clog the vacuum and damage it.
Therefore, before plugging in the vacuum cleaner, make sure to collect small pebbles and debris that can clog or damage the machine.
That would be all! Let’s jump to a conclusion.
Conclusion
A luscious clean yard is a real beauty!
Keeping the yard clean and healthy is vital as it increases the aesthetics.
- Cleaning the shed leaves is simple and can be done with minimal effort.
- On the contrary, cleaning the pine needles is a tedious chore.
- The needles get entangled and knitted into each other, forming a thick carpet if left unkept for a while.
- It may seriously harm your yard by killing and destroying the grass and the plants growing around the tree.
- Hence, it is imperative to clean the yard and get rid of all pine needles.
- In this article, we have enlisted four helpful methods on how to get rid of pine needles.
Tell us which method worked best for you in the comments below!
Regards,
Happy planting!