Pine trees grow to tower heights and are a beautiful sight in any yard. While many people love the look of pines as they grow and shade their yard, these trees drop slender needles that can easily blanket the ground below. Many people wonder if they need to rake up the pine needles in their yard or if they can leave them there.
While pine trees are beautiful, their needles are not great for your yard for a multitude of reasons. One reason being is that as the needles continue to fall, they will form a thick cover on your yard that will eventually kill off anything that is growing underneath. While there are a variety of ways you can use pine needles that we will cover in this article, it is not recommended to leave the pine needles in your yard.
Taking the time to rake up the pine needles in your yard will ensure your grass stays healthy and continues to grow strong. In this article, we will cover more reasons on why you should rake up the pine needles in your yard as well as various other ways to reuse pine needles throughout your garden.
Should I Rake Up Pine Needles In The Yard
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Pine trees are beautiful evergreen trees that stay green all throughout the year. Once the needles are spent, they will drop them, and over time they can slowly take over your yard.
Yes, you should rake up the pine needles in your yard. The main reason you should rake up the pine needles in your yard is that they often create a thick blanket where no light can get through to the plants below. The problem with that is that if they are covering your yard and you just leave them there, you will likely kill off the grass below, resulting in a less than ideal yard.
Another downside of trying to rake up pine needles in your yard is that they are so slender and hard to rake up when they are just a few. You almost need them to pile up just enough so you can get enough traction to rake them away from your yard. Trying to grab for slender pine needles with a rake can be a daunting and frustrating task, you can always use a leaf blower to compact them together to pick up easily.
What Do You Do with Pine Needles From Your Yard
While pine needles are not the best option to keep covering your yard, there are a variety of other ways you can reuse pine needles around your outdoor space.
One way is to leave pine needles at the base of trees to add nutrients to the soil as well as act as a mulch to retain moisture.
What Is The Best Way To Pick Up Pine Needles
Rake
Time after time, people utilize rakes to get the mounds of pine needles off of their yard. Raking takes a lot of work but provides the most effective way to remove the most pine needles at once.
When choosing a rake make sure to find one that is heavy-duty and is durable for long days of use. Oftentimes people use a large rake head that is made out of plastic or metal to rake up pine needles effectively.
Leaf Blower
A leaf blower is a time-efficient way to compile pine needles into one big pile. While you will still have to rake up the pine needle pile into a trash bag, it minimizes the effort it takes to get your pine needles altogether.
Mow
While mowing will likely not catch all of the pine needles that are covering your yard, it can definitely minimize the amount you have to pick up. The best way to mow your yard to get rid of pine needles is to attach a bag mower. By attaching a bag mower, the mower will suck up some pine needles as you mow.
No matter what avenue you choose to use to rake up your pine needles, it is a crucial process to keep your yard looking beautiful all throughout the year.
Are Pine Needles Bad for A Garden
When used properly, pine needles are not bad for a garden and can serve various purposes.
One such purpose is to use layers of pine needles to clear out a bed from weeds. Layering a heavy layer of pine needles over the weeds will ensure that over time they will lose their sunlight, and the weeds will eventually die off.
Another way you can use pine needles in your garden is by creating a path on either side of your garden rows. The pine needles will keep weeds away from overtaking your walkways while also adding some extra layers to keep them from turning into a muddy mess.
While many people also combine it in their compost in one way or another, you need to know one important fact. Pine needles take a very long time to completely break down so if you are adding them to your compost, you should only do a small amount. If you add all of the needles you raked up into your compost, you won’t have an adequate amount of compost to use any time soon.
Besides that, you can also utilize pine needles in your garden as a mulch for your plants. Pine needles provide a barrier between the moist ground below and the fruit from your vegetables or fruit harvest. Having an extra layer minimizes the chances of having fruit or vegetables that rot and have fungus. You can also use pine needles as mulch around your trees and other plants in your garden.
Lastly, Pine needles provide warmth. If a frost or cold front is heading your way you can use your piles of pine needles to cover tender plants and keep them warm overnight.
There are so many uses for pine needles in your garden that you can bag them up from your yard and save some for use in your garden beds later.
Conclusion
You take care of your yard all throughout the year and a lot of times put countless hours into keeping it looking fresh and healthy all year. There are multiple seasons when you should be taking the necessary steps to keep your yard healthy.
One season that repeats over and over is when your pine trees get rid of some of their leaves. While pine trees are amazing to have on your property, one thing no one looks forward to is the piles of needles it leaves on the ground below.
When it comes to your yard, you should always rake up the pine needles that cover your grass so it can continue to grow healthy and strong. While it is not recommended to leave pine needles on your grass, there are a variety of other ways you can use them in your outdoor area.
You can use pine needles as mulch in your garden or as a way to kill off weeds in certain areas. You can also use pine needles to create a weedless walkway throughout your garden or to keep tender plants warm on a cold night. Lastly, leaving pine trees around the base of your pine trees and other trees in your yard will help retain moisture and provide nutrients.
