pine needle rake

Since the straw is usually collected from the woods using a tractor is not really possible. 2 or 3 guys with rakes loading it onto the back of a pickup truck that has had 6 to 8 foot high fencing aded around the bed. In residential areas, some people vacuum it up, but the hand rake is still the main weapon.

I have always picked up the needles on my lawn with the riding lawn mower and have used the pretty well chewed up needles for mulch around ornamentals. I have found that unless I remove most of the needles, the grass dies. Pine needles don't work very well for compost--it takes years for them to break down, even in a good, hot pile.

In the woods, pine needles just lay there, and that is one reason we have such catastrophic fires. I bet there is 8 inches of compressed needles under some of my big trees. In the old days, they did controlled burns to get rid of the needles and the low underbrush, but that has been out of favor for many years. Now if a fire goes over my property, I will probably lose all of my pine trees.

It would be neat if a market developed in my area for this now-useless product. Maybe it would be worth it to pick up the needles.

Obviously, you don't live in the South, or you would be selling those 'worthless' pine needles!!
I have a welding shop that makes balers, wagons and tractor cages for the pine straw industry here in north central Florida. www.barnesweldingshop.com

A pine straw "rake" is just a wide pitchfork, usually having 5 tines. The workers spring the tines outward to get the broadest sweep.

• Barnes Welding Shop

Maybe someone could describe it or post a picture of one. Sounds interesting!

Thanks...

Mike

After I replied and read Mikes re: I realized you may not just be looking to clean your yard. I then rememered that while looking for plans for a mini baler I ran across a website that not only sells mini hay balers but also "pin-wheel" rakes for raking pine needles.R and S Fabricators (I think). They also build mini balers to bale the pine needles and have pictures of people baling inbetween rows of tall pines. I have no idea what you do with pine needle bales though...too much tar to heat with.

ll

ll