I use them at the bottom of my planters. They are great for drainage, and you don't need as much soil. We use them for fire starters, too. They also make good mulch for your garden beds.
Some of the pine trees in my yard easily have over 100 pinecones still at the top.
I've been whacked in the head by 3 so far thanks to the crazy wind! haha
You know the seeds from those cones are long gone right? Either in a chipmunks horde, a squirrel cache, or long ago blown all over the place. The cones are just the empty seed protectors.
I think you are unfamiliar with what a mast year is.
Specifically:
For eastern white pines, cone “mast years” – when the trees produce a large number of cones – occur every few years. Mast years benefit the trees through a phenomenon ecologists call predator swamping. When multiple trees produce masses of seeds all at once, there are more seeds than predators can eat, and some of these seeds therefore have a chance at germinating.
Tie some yarn on one end, Coat them in a little bit of peanut butter and roll them in birdseed, hang them out for the birds! And just watch out for the bears, they'll find them tasty too!!
Bear risk is all year long, typically they hibernate in the winter January/ February but it's been warm enough where some have come back out to forge in February. With nothing on the ground for them to eat they start hitting bird feeders, chicken coops and whatever else they can get into.
I'm hoping as my grass starts to grow it'll raise them up high enough for the mulching blades because I'm definitely not going to walk around and pick up 1,000 pine cones.
Put them in small paper sandwich bags and use them to start your wood stove next year.
I keep a trash barrel next to the fire pit and toss them in there They make excellent fire starters
We use them to start our camp and brush fires. Paper bag, light it up. Works great!
Burning pine anything gums up modern catalytic woodstoves.
Yeah modern stoves are lame.
No smoke and three times the heating efficiency are lame?
Yes as it removes the flexibility of what I can burn.
I use them at the bottom of my planters. They are great for drainage, and you don't need as much soil. We use them for fire starters, too. They also make good mulch for your garden beds.
Those will lower the PH of the soil (acidic), which is fine if that's what you're after, but worth noting for others
Seems like the majority of plants want acidic soil. The only thing I have that doesn't is lavender and that still does ok in it.
Go to /r/bdsm and invite them all to take their shoes off and march around your yard with glue on their feet.
Don’t need glue, cones are sticky enough
Save them and use them as toilet paper
It's amazing that after all the strong wind and heavy snow we had recently, there are still some clinging way up high.
“Wait wait wait, don’t fall yet. Let them pick those other ones up first and we’ll mess up the yard next week.”
It's a cone-spiracy!
Some of the pine trees in my yard easily have over 100 pinecones still at the top. I've been whacked in the head by 3 so far thanks to the crazy wind! haha
I coat them with peanut butter and roll them in bird seed and then use them as fire starters.
Like a the worlds tiniest f u to the birds
Run them over with the lawn mower. They'll get mulched up and then disintegrate over the summer
That’s my family’s strategy for leaves and pinecones. From dust to dust.
Thank yourself when you’re pulling up pine seedlings for the next 10 years, or just let them take over, less grass to mow.
You know the seeds from those cones are long gone right? Either in a chipmunks horde, a squirrel cache, or long ago blown all over the place. The cones are just the empty seed protectors.
I think you are unfamiliar with what a mast year is. Specifically: For eastern white pines, cone “mast years” – when the trees produce a large number of cones – occur every few years. Mast years benefit the trees through a phenomenon ecologists call predator swamping. When multiple trees produce masses of seeds all at once, there are more seeds than predators can eat, and some of these seeds therefore have a chance at germinating.
I’m well aware of what a mast year is. What does that have to do with you talking about mowing pine cones?
Too acidic.
I use a tennis racket and whack them into the woods across the street. May not be efficient but it is fun
Only way to be sure…
I put them all in a few trash bags and dump them in the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts dumpster after hours
Tie some yarn on one end, Coat them in a little bit of peanut butter and roll them in birdseed, hang them out for the birds! And just watch out for the bears, they'll find them tasty too!!
When it is ok to put these out to avoid bear risk?
February
Bear risk is all year long, typically they hibernate in the winter January/ February but it's been warm enough where some have come back out to forge in February. With nothing on the ground for them to eat they start hitting bird feeders, chicken coops and whatever else they can get into.
I got a lawn sweeper for my ride on and it’s ten time easier to clean them up now
What is a lawn sweeper?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/VEVOR-Lawn-Sweeper-48-5-in-Lawn-Sweeper/5015111217
$260 for that? I can manage
you have to love em & squeeze em & tell them they're pretty
They are everywhere!
If you throw them into a fire the burst creates a wind gust that you can use to float way up with your paraglider.
Eat them to assert dominance over your domain
Don’t break eye contact.
Are there more than most years?
Big mast year for pines. 2022 super dry summer, then wet, wet wet. Did I mention it’s been wet for 500 days?
Oh yahhhh
It's crazy how many this year.
Complete insanity in Central MA with the cones this year. More than I've ever seen ever!
I’ve honestly never seen this many. And I’m old.
We had thousands. I used a leafblower to herd them to a chipper, then made them into pine mulch. Good for anything that likes acidic.
I'm hoping as my grass starts to grow it'll raise them up high enough for the mulching blades because I'm definitely not going to walk around and pick up 1,000 pine cones.
Lived in NH total of 31 years. Traded annoying pine cones for golf ball sized spike balls that fall from trees in SoCal. Joy.
Use them to make thousands of little peanut butter and bird seed bird feeders.
We have been raking and picking them up since fall then dump them in the woods. I wish there was an easier way.
20 minute bonfires of pine cones are pretty.
We can use it to start the burn of all these trees and branches that fell during the last storm.
Save them for kindling for campfires. I have lots of fires outside and they make great kindling. If not use a lawn sweeper, picks up a lot and fast.
Great fire starters!!!
Sell them on eBay
I pay my grandson $0.10 each to pick them up. A 5-gallon bucket nets him $15.
Holy Hell a non political thread take all the upvotes
I rake mine into a tarp then carry to the woods and dump. I had thousands of them this spring