Pine needles--what to do with them?

[Orrex]

We have an aging white pine in our front yard, and each fall it drops about 100 pounds of needles.

What do I do with them?

I've heard that composting is a problem due to acidity, but even if that's not the case, my compost area simply doesn't have the capacity for this volume, after taking in the summer's grass cuttings and as much of my deciduous leaves as will fit.

We have community leaf pick-up, but it specifically excludes pine needles.

I'm reluctant to throw them out in the regular garbage, but what else can I do with them?

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. great mulch for acid loving plants like azaleas and rhododendrons and blueberries!

[Earth_First]

8. Hydragneas as well...

Well, that depends on what color you want your blooms that is...

[JCMach1]

2. Plant some azaelas, or use as mulch

[eShirl]

3. if the needles are long enough, you could use them in pine needle basketry

http://www.pineneedlegroup.com/site/cateffigy.html



http://www.pinterest.com/preymanta/pine-needles-into-baskets/

http://www.pineneedlegroup.com/instruction.html

[Turbineguy]

4. I let them accumulate

in the gutters. That way they don't plug the drains and downspouts.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. This works...

I have not done it, but have seen neighbors do it.
They rake all the needles into a pile of at least 8 inches high
and as broad as they want, to make sorta of an instant garden bed.
Then they plant in the middle and/or the sides ( depending on wide and long the bed is)
acid loving plants..like azaleas, or blueberries, or, if in shade, hydrangas.
I assume they dig a bit into the soil in the needle beds, so the plants can root.
Water often if needed the first year ( this is usually done in fall or mid-spring).
and the darn needles decompose slowly enough that the bed only needs re-plenishing
the following year, a few inches on top.

I use bags of needles, when I can get them, to fill in the rather deep holes left by trees that fell over
in the wind storms.

[NNadir]

6. Actually, they're not bad as compost when added to wood ashes.

Typically wood ashes contain oxides and carbonates which tend to offset the acidity.

Of course, burning wood is not particularly good for human health, but people do it, and the ashes are pretty concentrated in essential minerals on which plants thrive.

[LiberalEsto]

9. Plant blueberry bushes, use needles as mulch

They LOVE pine needles.

So do camellias, azaleas, etc.

Or run an ad on Craigslist for free pine needles

[Orrex]

10. Thank you all for the suggestions

Regrettably, I don't think that the blueberries-and-azaleas approach will work, because we don't really have the square footage for it. I'm actually looking for a way to get rid of the needles altogether in an eco-acceptable way.

How about the storm drain?

[handmade34]

12. send them to me

I would love to use them

[Jenoch]

13. The storm drain would be a worse solution than if you burned them.

[Orrex]

14. What if I burn them *in* the storm drain?

Best of both worlds, baby!

[Jenoch]

17. If you are going to burn them,

do it in a fire ring so yhe ash does not grt into the water system. That is fertilizer that promotes green algae just like grass clippings.

[Chan790]

11. Dry them, they make great kindling.

Really. If you dry them, you can use them as kindling or sell them as fire-starting material to campers or people with chimneas or fireplaces. They smell lovely when they burn, like Pine-Sol and Christmas.

Alternately, steep them like potpourri to release the scent. Or throw them by the handful on a fire to release the scent.

[politicat]

15. We used to rake them into paths where we didn't want grass to grow.

Basically mulch paths between the shed and the garage and around the raised beds. Grass doesn't grow well through them, they're pretty stable underfoot, they last just over a year, and they don't get icy like cobbles, bricks or concrete. Plus, water permeable. (Which may matter less to you, but it matters in arid climates.)

We don't have pines anymore -- beetles got them.

[grasswire]

16. some people make pine needle baskets.

I've seen them. Don't know if yours are the right kind for that craft.

[B Calm]

18. We use them for mulch around plants. They

are great to start fires with too.