White Pine needles!!!

[Jabroni]

My arms are about to fall off from hand raking white pine needles. I must have raked several cubic yards of needles today. There has to be a better way. I hand raked the area once creating many small piles of needles, then raked them into my loader. Afterwards, I kind of scoured the lawn with the rake to bring any stragglers to the the surface, then ran over them with the mower deck and a power bagger to suck them off the lawn. I'd like to find a 3pt rake with lots of wire tines that I could drag around to bring the matted needles to the top of the grass but wouldn't damage the lawn itself. Does an implement like that exist? Suggestions eagerly accepted!

 

[amigauser]

You need whats called a pine straw rake. They actually use pine straw as mulch down south.

Rakes : Leinbach Machinery, Implements and attachments for agriculture and landscaping

From a TBN sponsor
http://www.(Temporarily blocked due...ure)/SearchResults.asp?Search=pine+straw+rake

 

[smstonypoint]

They actually use pine straw as mulch down south.

There is a range of equipment available for commercial harvesting of the straw.

AGRIQUIP.com

It can be a profitable business. In fact, pine forest landowners have to worry about pine straw theft.

Pine Straw Theft Growing Across the Midlands wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports |

Steve

 

[Carl_NH]

Get a tow behind lawn vac - Trac Vac, Cyclone Rake etc.. They do a good job without the raking effort. We have pines and last year they shed like crazy this year not so bad - but the trac vac I have does a good job on them and them they go to the compost pile.

 

[Egon]

Pine Beatles?? They sure did a good job up in BC.

 

[smstonypoint]

They can have all of mine they want. It's probably not profitable for the small landowner. I'm down to less than 50 trees from an original 500, and I don't miss them one bit.

Thanks, but no thanks. I've got 40+ acres of loblolly pine plantation. Prior to my retirement, I gave some thought to starting a pine-straw enterprise following retirement. After some research and pencil pushing, I abandoned the idea. I didn't have enough acreage, longleaf and slash pine needles are preferred, and most importantly, it seemed too much like work.

Steve

 

[bp fick]

I've got a dozen white pine, and love them all. Even have planted a half dozen new ones. To each his own.

I don't do much of anything with the straw. In spring, we'll rake it back under the dew lines of the tree and use some of the excess as mulch around new Maples, Ash, Chestnuts, Aspen, etc that we also have planted. Two or three for each grandkid. They all know which is theirs and one day, they'll tell their kids about these tall, shady trees that their old papa planted. :thumbsup:

 

[beenthere]

I have a couple hundred 45 yr old white pine and same number red pine. I let the needles compost back into the ground. Some get picked up when I pick up leaves with the Deere powerflo and MC 519 cart. But that is incidental to cleaning up leaves which I don't let compost.

 

[rimshot]

There is nothing any more beautiful than a mature White Pine. The city of Chicago was practically built from the wonderful lumber of the highly sought after White Pine. I have a few around to tend to also. The needles shed always manage to find a home nestled amongst my shingles and that is the part I hate.

The clear timber from a White pine has provided many a door jamb or molding. Not only good for door jambs it makes a fine 2 X 4 also. Rarely does White Pine Lumber twist and it holds a nail very well.

Recenty I took an a couple old straight White Pines down for threatening my house. No more pine needles to contend with and I got 200 2" X 4" X 8' studs and built a garage framed of the wood. I manged to have 100 left so I gave them to he neighbor and he built another garage.

rimshot

 

[Gordon Gould]

We have alot of white pine. I like them. The needles dont seem to accumulate on the lawn much. I just mow normally with a JD mulching deck and they disappear. The pine cones are a much bigger pain. I usually pick them up by hand each spring. The really bad thing though is the pine needles in my truck heater vents and the pitch on the truck paint. Not to mention all the pollen that blows into the house.