Why does pine straw clog gutters faster than leaves?
Needles lock together. A leaf lies flat and floats toward the downspout, where it either passes or plugs the opening. Needles land every which way and knit into a mat, and the mat catches shingle grit until it is closer to soil than to straw. By the second summer there are seedlings in it. A matted gutter holds water against the fascia long after the rain stops.
The mat forms on the roof too. Straw collects in the valleys and along the last course of shingles, and each storm pushes another load of it into the trough.
When do pine trees drop their needles in North Georgia?
Some fall in every month, and most fall from September through November. Loblolly and shortleaf pines keep each needle for two or three years, and the oldest ones yellow and drop in autumn. A dry summer brings the drop on early. Any thunderstorm shakes loose whatever was ready to go.
April adds a second kind of debris. The spent pollen cones come down by the bucketful, small and brown and soft, and they pack into downspout elbows better than needles do.
Do gutter guards keep pine needles out?
Fine mesh does. Most other guards do not.
| Guard | What needles do | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|
| None | Mat in the trough | Scoop twice a year |
| Wire or plastic screen | Spear through and stand up | Pull, clean and reset every year |
| Perforated aluminum | Lodge in the holes and bridge over | Brush, and lift to clean every year or two |
| Stainless micro-mesh | Lie on top | Brush off once or twice a year |
| Reverse-curve hood | Ride the water around the nose and in | Flush the trough, which is hard to open |
Mesh trades scooping for brushing. Brushing is faster, and on a one-story house it can often be done from the ground with a soft brush on a pole.
Do gutters under pines need cleaning twice a year?
Usually not. Open gutters under pines alone do well with one full cleaning in December and a look in late summer. If hardwoods share the lot, add a cleaning in late May, after the oak tassels. With mesh guards, plan on a brush-off once a year and a rinse of the trough every few years to wash out the grit that gets through.
Leave the wire strainers out of the downspout openings. Under pines they plug within weeks and turn a slow gutter into a full one.
Does pine straw on the roof matter?
It does. Straw lying on shingles stays wet, and shingles that stay wet grow moss and shed their grit sooner. It is also next month’s clog, waiting uphill. A cleaning that leaves the valleys full has done half the job. Clearing the roof edge and the valleys is part of a gutter cleaning here.