Give a dozen pine cone fire starters as a Christmas gift to anyone with a fireplace. And don’t forget the family members who love spending summer evenings around the fire pit or the friends who are always going camping.
- Using a double boiler, slowly melt the paraffin wax over low heat. Once the wax is melted, stir in a few crayon pieces if you’re coloring the wax.
- Now turn off the heat and set a timer for ten minutes. You want the wax to cool and thicken a little bit. Otherwise, you’ll get a thin coating of wax, and subsequent dippings will melt off.
- Stir the wax again and then dip the cone into the wax, rolling it to coat all sides. Hold the pine cone on its side, allowing excess wax to drip back into the pan.
- Place the cone on a sheet of wax or parchment paper to solidify. If you want, add dried herbs to scent the fire starters. Sprinkle the herbs on while the wax is still wet.
- You can then dip the pine cones again to cover the herbs in wax and build up a thicker layer. Repeat the process of melting the wax and then letting it cool a bit again.
- Let the cones cool on the paper for 24 hours.
I held the pine cone by the tip when I dipped mine. However, if you want a firmer grasp or do this with kids, wrap a bread tie or piece of floral wire around the tip to make dipping the cones easier.
A tip – the easiest way to remove the wax from your pan is to put the pan in the freezer for half an hour once it cools. The wax will easily pop out and break up once it’s frozen.
Using Pine Cones Around the Garden
5. Peanut Butter Bird Feeder
This craft is great for little hands who don’t mind getting sticky.
- Use a butter knife or clean popsicle stick to spread peanut butter all over the pine cone.
- Then roll the coated cone in birdseed. Press the seed into the peanut butter once it’s completely covered.
- Add a length of string and hang these natural bird feeders from the branches of trees and off your porch.
Now sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the myriad of feathered friends you’ll attract. If you’re lucky, you’ll even find more adventurous squirrels swinging wildly from the pine cones while enjoying this tasty treat.
6. Mulch that Keeps Out Pests
This is a great way for homeowners with pine trees on their property to put those bucketloads of pine cones to good use.
Pine cones make for excellent natural mulch around shrubs and flower beds.
They’re slow to break down and will last for years. The natural resin coating the cones makes them water-resistant, meaning water will slowly drip down to the soil rather than being soaked up by the cones. This feature also prevents soil erosion.
And if you use whole pine cones as mulch, you can keep neighborhood cats and other four-legged critters from digging in your flower beds or fouling up your shrubs.
7. Use Pine Cones in Container Gardening
Container gardeners rejoice! You’re going to love this tip.
As anyone who has grown vegetables and herbs in containers can tell you, all of that soil gets pretty heavy. And filling up those containers with soil can get pretty spendy, pretty quickly.
Add a layer of pine cones to the bottom of each container before adding soil. Fill the container ¼ full of pine cones. This will make the containers lighter and save you money by using less soil. Not to mention it will improve drainage.
Obviously, this tip shouldn’t be used for root crops such as carrots or potatoes
But for most vegetables which fruit above the soil – think tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants – this trick is ideal. The root systems for these types of plants rarely go down into a 5-gallon bucket that deep.
Because pine cones take so long to break down, you can reuse them for several years. And, leading to my next tip, you can add them to the compost pile once they do start to break down.
8. Put Pine Cones in the Compost Pile
Pine cones are a great ‘brown’ addition to the compost pile. Because they’re so slow to break down, it’s best to break them up first. If you have access to a chipper, chipping the pine cones before adding them to the compost is the best way to go.
Putting your pine cones in the compost is another excellent idea for folks who have many pine trees on their property and an excess of cones.
9. Ladybug Hotel
Ladybugs are a fantastic beneficial insect to have around the garden. These aphid-munching beetles can be lured to your garden by giving them a place to hide and reproduce.
Scatter a few pine cones in and around the plants, and you’ll be providing these beneficial bugs with a place to live while keeping them close to your plants.
If you want to get the kids involved, have them paint the pine cones or decorate them to look like little houses.
As you can see, pine cones aren’t just for pretty winter décor. These tough little woody treasures are incredibly useful around the home and garden.
Whether you’re a forager with a basketful or a homeowner who’s got wheelbarrows full, I hope you’ll save some and put a few of these suggestions to use.
