How to Bale your Pine Straw
Baling pine straw can be a lucrative activity if you want to sell the straw to landscapers. You can also use the straw in your own landscaping as mulch. Baling the straw may also just be a method of clearing your lawn of pine needles. No matter what the reason, it is simplest to bale pine straw using a hand box baler.
Things You`ll Need
- Rake
- Box baler
- Scissors
Rake up the pine straw. Use the rake to scoop up pine straw and dump it into the baler. Fill the baler with straw, pushing down on it with your hands as you fill it.
Pull the plunger over towards you and press on the lever to compress the straw. Move the plunger up and down three times to compress the straw as much as possible. Push the plunger back overhead.
Locate the strings that hang on the back of the baler at the top. They are usually on nails. Pull them off and drop push them through the slits in the front of the baler.
Pull the second string up from the bottom and side of the baler through the loops you pulled through the front of the door. Do this on both sides. Pull the bottom string down to tighten the loop over the bale. Repeat for both sides.
Pull the plunger back towards you and push the lever as close to the ground as you can. Straddle the lever and use your body weight to compress the bale. While pressing on the bale, tie both loose strings into a knot and cut off the excess with your scissors. Release the plunger slowly and carefully.
Undo the latch holding the baler door closed and open the door. LIft the bale up and over the retaining bar.