It’s easy to get carried away with a lawnmower and mow over everything you can find, including pine cones. Good news, a lawnmower can, and will, mow over pine cones. This is way better than good news because mowing over pine cones is much easier than picking them all up.
A lawnmower can comfortably ride over pines cones, though it may be a little messy. A lawnmower can cut through pine cones and twigs with its blades. However, pine cones might dull the blades of your lawnmower in the long run.
If you’re tired of picking up all the pine cones in your yard and mowing seems like a better way to get rid of them, then stick around.
Or, if you’re guilty of mowing over pine cones a little too much, and you’re curious about what it might be doing to your mower, then this article is for you, also. Keep reading for more info.
Lawnmowers can cut through your lawn, as their blades are designed for this purpose. However, while mowing, there might be pine cones in the way.
Most people like to clear out the lawns before they begin mowing, but if you don’t see yourself doing that, then you can easily mow over them.
Firstly, you might need to consider the strength of your lawnmower. A mower with sharper blades should ply over pine cones without stress.
If the lawnmower has a physical feature that allows it to stop the remnants of the cones from staying in, then you should consider using it. If the pine cones can go in, then your mower would still be safe.
Also, another thing you need to question is the type of lawnmower. I prefer using a mulching mower over pine cones as it is designed to cut through them. It could even turn the cones into mulch to serve a separate purpose.
In all, you could decide to purchase a lawn sweep to get them off the lawn before you owed. This would make the cleaning more comfortable and faster as there are no more obstructions.
Can a Mulching Mower Go Over Pine Cones?
The mulching mower is excellent at cutting debris into bits just like it would mulch your grass. If you want to use a mulching mower on pine cones, then you should be ready to see the tiny bits scattered all over.
They might not look so bad, but they integrate with the mulched grass and turn into a mulch themselves.
Another thing to consider is the clipping blade and their state after using them on pine cones. It might turn the blades blunt quite quickly that it would when used on just grasses. Yet, it’s worth the shot.
Alternatives to Mowing Over Pine Cones
Mowing over pine cones is an easy way to remove them from the yard and possibly turn them into something useful. But, this is all coming at the cost of dulling your mower blades right now and shortening your mowers’ life in the long run. For some, there are too many pine cones to pick up. If that sounds like you, try one of these alternatives.
Using a Pine Cone Picker
If you aren’t in the mood to use a lawnmower for your pine cone, you could try getting a pine cone picker. They allow you to clear out the pine cones littered all over your lawn before you start mowing. If you want to keep your lawnmower away from stress, then you can try this.
Also, it allows you to pick up the debris without having to bend over as the frame is long enough. The pine cone picker is about 31 inches long. This equipment works like a rake and can be cleared out quickly by pumping.
Use a Lawn Sweeper
A lawn sweeper can be used to clear debris off your lawns. It functions by sweeping up debris into its collection hopper. The brush of the lawn sweeper stays on the ground and moves in a rotary cycle while you swept through your lawn.
Using the same procedure, a lawn sweeper would be practical to clear out pine cones. Instead of ruining the blade of your regular mower, it just sweeps through with its brush.
What to do with the Mowed Pine Cone Debris
Once turned into mulch by your mower, your pine cones wouldn’t be a waste. They decompose quite slowly and gives you a significant amount of depth.
As a mulch, they help to reduce the rate at which weeds grow on your lawn. Pine cones have a unique way of shading your soil once their mulched version stay long in a place. You also wouldn’t have to worry about them smelling bad while they decomposed. On a sunny day, they could even end up filling up your loan with a pleasant smell.
Can a Lawn Mower Go Over Sticks?
You’re not alone: a lot of other mowers are not particular if they could mow over sticks. Well, I understand that you are concerned about your machine, but it can be quite a difficult task to handpick every stick that may be in your way. So, I am going to show you how to handle this.
What Size Stick is OK for a Mower to Go Over?
Your lawn mower should do just fine when going across small sticks here and there on your lawn. Their containment vacuum should be able to contain the fragments without harming the blades.
However, if you continuously have sticks stuck in your lawn, then you should consider the following:
Try purchasing a mulching mower if you intend to go over small sticks (less than 3 meters thick) from time to time. This would quickly process the sticks into a mulch.
Any oversized stick (thicker than 3 meters) shouldn’t be mowed over like the smaller sticks. A rather large stick is much harder to vacuum and can ruin your blades.
Take personal safety measures as the sticks pose a safety hazard. While you mow, even small sticks are liable to fly around and sometimes get to your face. Wear goggles or sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Just before you start mowing, I’d advise you to take a few minutes to clear out the area yourself. You don’t need to focus on the small sticks to save you some mowing time.
Furthermore, before mowing your lawn, there are a few other things or precautions you need to take:
If you’ve noticed the sticks and branches have been out there for a while now, they are probably thin and brittle already. They should be easier to mow over. Also, if they are still fresh, then they could hurt your blades.
As a quick maintenance practice, you can also trim out any plant or flower before you began. This would serve as a means of eliminating any obstruction in your way. Following this step would make your mowing safer and efficient.
Can a Lawn Mower Go Over Pine Needles?
Naturally, the shape of pine needles makes them repulsive to mowing. But, if you have a mulching mower, it will easily turn it to mulch. The mower is designed with clippers that cut everything in its way instead of bagging them.
So, a mulching mower would cut the pine needles in your lawn into tiny bits without taking it in. Since there is no vacuum bag, so there is no risk of it ruining your dirt bag.
Can Pine Needles Make a Good Mulch?
Just like your pine cones, the pine needles are high mulch properties. So you can refer to my earlier answer on if pine cones can make gold mulch.
The Verdict
So… can you mow over pine cones with a lawnmower? The actual answer to this question is dependent on the durability and type of lawnmower. Mowing over pine cones may not be a big deal, but it shouldn’t be a frequent practice.
The blades of a regular lawnmower might get blunt or damaged if used regularly. To be on the safer side, avoid pines cones as much as you can.
I’ve been working in the lawn care business for 15 years. With this blog, I hope to share with you my experience and recommend the best lawn mowers on the market.
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