Removing Pine Needles?

Question

I have several large pine trees in our front yard with about 7 years worth of pine needles underneath. I have read conflicting information regarding leaving the needles...as natural mulch and evidently a desireable trend...versus raking out the area. I'm leaning toward removal...and placing a red shredded bark mulch over the same area - my own personal preference, not to mention the needles are very dry and brittle in the summer heat - but am concerned I may cause undue harm. The current needle layer appears to be about 5 inches thick with needles on top and a fine black sandy soil beneath. (Is this good?) We also see a lot of spiders and other bugs. Is it advisable to clear it out? Is the red shredded tree bark a good replacement? Any help is appreciated. We are new to lawn & tree care! Thank you!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO RESPOND WITH THOUGHT AND DETAIL! WE TORE UP ONE AREA BEFORE I ASKED THE QUESTION AND WILL NOW GO BACK AND TRY TO "FIX IT" IN FAVOR OF A REDUCED NEEDLE COVERING. THANKS AGAIN!!!! :)

Answer 1

MASTER GARDENER.... jealous!

Wow! I would kill for what you want to toss out! You are very lucky. DON'T do anything. What you see is just what Mother Nature wanted you to do. We had beautiful green pine forests since time begain. No one raked up the needles then & noone need rake them now.

As for the spiders, thats great. They are protecting the trees from all the nasty bugs that want to move in and suck the life out of your trees. Spiders love a good bug lunch!

Remove the needles & put down red shreaded bark. Ohh you are pulling the old Doctor's leg, right?

That would really be bad.

Under those layers of needles is a layer of tree roots, almost like a thick carpet if right at surface. The needles have been good to those roots. Keeping the soil ph with just the right amount of acid. Protecting from heat & cold, keeping in the moisture they need. It' a happy place, a healthy place. Red shreaded bark. The bark is going to start taking from your trees. As it breaks down it will start robbing the nitrogen from the soil. The bark will not be a nice blanket for the surface roots. More like a mesh blanket. Moisture can get out, nasty grubs & other creepy root munching things too. Hot, dry air will get thru and dry out the roots. You will need to water the trees to replace the moisture loss. If you don't water, the trees will become stressed.

Weak trees get attacted by bark beetles and other boring insects. They weaken the tree even more. Before you know it you're paying some dud with a chain saw to cut down your dead pine trees. I've seen it happen... many times.

I think you should rethink your plan. Pros vs Cons. As someone who deals with nature every day, I see only the Pros. LOTS of them. But it's up to you?

I just want to leave you with this thought........

. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" ....Ann Landers.

Answer 2

Pine Needle Removal

Answer 3

You can exchange pine needles for tree bark. Pines need acidic soil and the needles are very acidic. The black humus underneath should stay, and the spiders are good. The other bugs are probably good for breaking the mulch down.

You do realize that eventually the needles will cover the bark and your work will disappear into the forest floor. As for being a fire hazard, you may have a point. I wouldn't let the needles (or any mulch) build up to more than 3 inches. You can spray them down occasionally if that makes you feel safer.

Here's a site for more information:

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/prints/evergreenprob.html

Good luck!
gg

Answer 4

You've gotten some really good advice regarding whether or not to remove the dropped pine needles. I would err on the side of caution though and only remove an inch this year.

The black sandy soil is an excellent indicator that your tree is healthy.

Spiders are gardeners friends.

One additional piece of information though, red mulch of ANY kind is dyed. This includes red cedar mulch. It's color is enhanced artificially and it smells awful.

Answer 5

The black soil is great for the trees. THe pile however is a bit thick. Get rid of a couple of inches of it...and keep the rest. Pine needles are great mulch. YOu have to thin the pile out and make room for the ones that are going to fall off this fall.

Answer 6

I too am jealous! You have natural compost going on there. I advise against tree bark mulch-- because it floats away with heavy rains.! If you choose to remove some of the pine needles-- use it for azaleas-- and if you have friends with azaleas-- they'll happily do the work for you I bet!
good luck

Answer 7

An old tennis racket or similar item, put a set of old panty hose over it and skim the surface for the pine needles. Scrub the dirt loose with a mop and use the pool vac to get it out. Then clean the filter.

Answer 8

Don't waste time reading this. Go back and read what Garden Dok wrote. He said what all the rest of us are thinking plus a few other good points. "If it ain't broke, dont fix it". Give Garden Dok the 10 points for best answer. He saved your trees, saved you money & saved yiu a lot of hard work.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Thanks for all your help. I was wondering how to take care of thick pine needles in my front yard. Guess I will listen to Garden Dok. Anna Burdick, Reno.