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Design Dilemma
christine1651

Pine Needles! What to do?

13 years ago
Needles from neighbor's pine are making the landscaping of our newly purchased hime a bug challenge. They get into plants, shrubs and pots, and cover the patio and beds.
Featured Answer
  • 13 years ago
    Wow, do I ever feel your pain. Our neighbor has about ten of them that make a mess in our yard, too. They also have this yellow dust, probably pollen, that blows into our pool just as it becomes the season to start using it and I can't tell you how much we enjoy that! You really are just going to have to ask the neighbor how he feels about the tree. Maybe he'd like to split the cost of taking it down. It might be annoying him as much as you. If not, the only thing you could do would be to hang a big screen up from the fence to help keep them from dropping on your side. We did that on over our deck and it helped, but then the house burned down and took out two of his trees with it. Two down and eight to go is the way I see it.

    Comments (27)

    • 13 years ago
      Well, you can look at the bright side: neighbors have given you a beautiful focal point. And, pine needles make an excellent mulch in planter beds. How about just investing in a good blower and flexible rake to gather them up? Would hate for you to create hard feelings with new neighbors!
    • 13 years ago
      Your just going to have to let this go....the neighbors do not have to do anything about this and you will just start your relationship on a really bad foot. Once you tick off a neighbor, its really hard to fix. One thing you could do is get to know them, and once you have developed a relationship, ask if they would be interested in cutting it down, AT YOUR COST! if they say no, let it go.

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    • 13 years ago
      last modified: 13 years ago
      pine trees shed needles once a year ... kind of like deciduous trees loosing leaves. rake them up and get on with life.
    • 13 years ago
      Start a strawberry bed. Berries love to lay on a bed of pine needles - free supply of them!
    • 13 years ago
      Foreverfarm11, we have a great relationship with new neighbours who plan to have tree cleaned up in the fall when we will pay to have a couple of huge branches removed from our side.
    • 13 years ago
      awesome. I have the neighbor from hell, so I can never stress enough the importance of good neighbors!
    • 13 years ago
      Brenda yes that's what we thought. But we have had this house 5 months and needles fall continuously because when the wind blows more dead ones come down that were caught in branches. Our dog gets them poking in his little paws and brings them in house too. These needles are about 8-10 inches long. Maybe we should buy a grinder of some sort to grind them up into mulch and start a business selling them for mulch!
    • PRO
      13 years ago
      Great ! And you can always get a garden blower/ vacuum !!
    • 13 years ago
      My pine tree lost most of its needles after hurricane sandy will the tree fill in again?
    • 13 years ago
      Best cure for insects is birds! Plant bird-attracting shrubs, and hang feeders.
    • 13 years ago
      last modified: 13 years ago
      BETH BOURQUE : Thank you. I hear your pain also. We've had the pollen things and our dog drags those in on his feet too. Tree epert says the cost to remove this tree would be $8-10K! It would need a crane to lift it over the houses. So, so, huge. The branches that hang on our side are from the fence, past our fairly small yard, and then to over the roof. Gutter cleaning is great fun. Love your screen idea, and I've scratched my head trying to think of something like that, but with the extent of our issue, decided that was not an option.
    • 13 years ago
      Ann Peterson: I don't know, it would seem it should?
    • 13 years ago
      last modified: 13 years ago
      Large scale shrubs will act as a catcher. Rhododendrons are acid soil lovers, and evergreen. Until they mature, frequent use of your mulcher attachment can speed breakdown. It isn't a magic cure-all, but perhaps can help you live more comfortably.
    • PRO
      13 years ago
      Lived in South Ga for many years, all they use for mulch is Pine Needles! Now back in the NW and back to using Bark, pine needles were actually better and did not blow away, or make as much a mess as bark. Guess it just depends on area we are living in as to what we think looks good!
    • 13 years ago
      I would get another estimate on removal, that price seems crazy high.
    • 13 years ago
      "I've scratched my head trying to think of something like that, but with the extent of our issue, decided that was not an option."
      Check into garden shade screens. They are light in weight and both rain and wind goes through them. I don't know what your yard is like, but with a bit of tree trimming and a couple of flag poles, you might be able to pull it off. Check out this site, it's one of MANY where you can buy this stuff (it's cheap) and do some creative designing with it for a lot less than you might think. http://www.shadeclothstore.com/default.aspx Do some brainstorming with someone and see if you can't figure out a way.
    • 13 years ago
      I, too, am losing the fight against pine needles. Thankfully, no bugs from them though. I have 6 Norway Spruce and a White Pine in my front yard so the needles get tracked inside and get in between the plank floor pieces. Makes me nuts, but they're all over 100 years old and I love them all.

      So, no advice unfortunately. :(. I do think the quote might be rightish though. We had all of our trees pruned last year and asked how much to take down an ash (if the ash borer gets it) and the pine (might reach the end of its life while we live here) and it was about 5k - that's with no cranes or anything b/c they wouldn't need to lift over anything or go on anyone's yard.

      Jenn
    • 13 years ago
      Should have added 5k per tree. :)
    • 13 years ago
      from yahoo…

      Any branches of a tree that extend into your yard are technically on your property and okay to cut off.

      However, even though the law might be on your side, you might want to let the neighbor know you are trimming them just to keep things on the friendly side.

      You don't have to ask permission since they are on your property, it is just the right thing to do. Most "good" neighbors wont mind the branches being pruned back.
    • 13 years ago
      To clarify, the owner of the tree is probably feeling very responsible but doesn't have bundles of money -- he was all set to have it trimmed and we were going to do our side at same time, then he backed out saying someone told him it was better to wait until fall since there is too much sap now.
    • 13 years ago
      Another note: Pine needles vary much in size. We'd gladly use these for mulch or to replace bark, but they'd have to be chopped up since they are up to about 10 inches long. How can that be done?
    • 13 years ago
      Guess you can try and be zen about it. Consider it your new exercise program to take your morning coffee out on the patio with a rake, and then in the evening repeat, only with a glass of wine!
    • 13 years ago
      Actually if the tree encroaches over land boundary lines where I live in Nashville, I can remove the limbs. Now, would I mutilate a tree to see it lopsided for the benefit of a free and clear yard...NO. Good neighbors these days are hard to find, keep the peace by buying a blower.
    • 9 years ago

      judianna20 you can not cut the limbs off. The owner does not own the airspace. That is how it works. The only branches you can cut or the ones that touch your fence. Anyone knows that the airspace is not your property. Check the laws and do not listen to web people-

    • 9 years ago

      Just wait until the leaves from all the other trees come down. Do we really need all these trees?

    • 5 years ago

      We’ve been dealing with 10 firs across the street from us that blow directly onto our house, driveway, yard, and cars. We have to blow our roof at least twice a month and I have to use the blower almost everyday everywhere else, not to mention I vacuum almost everyday. We are actually planning on moving because of this. We’ve been putting up with it for almost 20 years, time to move now.

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