How to properly spud potatoes with a walk-behind tractor and a cultivator
Every gardener and horticulturist wants to get the maximum amount of harvest when growing potatoes. To do this, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of hilling potatoes with a walk-behind tractor. Correctly carried out hilling of bushes will improve their growth and increase productivity several times.
Fundamental rules
Before starting work, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules for hilling. First, determine why this procedure is carried out when growing potatoes. The grown plants need hilling, because thanks to this treatment:
- The tubers have much more space that they need for further development and growth. Thanks to this, the roots become larger and ripen faster.
- Humped bushes better protect themselves from possible night frosts.
- The soil is more saturated with oxygen, which is needed by potato roots. If hilling is not carried out, there will not be enough oxygen in the soil, due to which the roots will stop developing and die.
- The land is completely cleared of dangerous weeds, which actively absorb useful components from the soil.
Having dealt with the main goals of hilling potatoes with a cultivator, determine how many times to carry out the procedure. Each grower independently determines the optimal amount of the procedure.
However, experienced gardeners advise doing this at least three times per season:
- the first time - after the first shoots appear on the site;
- the second time - when the height of the bushes reaches 25 cm;
- the third time - 2–3 weeks after the previous weeding of the site.
Sometimes it is not necessary to loosen the soil three times. For example, on hot summer days, you can refuse the second hilling. In this case, it is enough to simply loosen the soil between the rows.
Types of hillers
Loosening the soil is considered a long and laborious process, which some growers spend all day on. Most often, so much time is spent on processing the site with an ordinary hoe. To speed up the process of hilling potatoes, use a walk-behind tractor. It will take 2-3 hours to process the garden.
Before proceeding with the selection of a suitable tool for loosening, you should familiarize yourself in more detail with their varieties. There are two main types of hillers that growers use most often when processing a site.
Disk
Often, when hilling with a walk-behind tractor, they use disc-type models, since they are the most affordable.Outwardly, such devices look like a small frame to which two discs and two wheels are connected. In addition, the device includes:
- T-shaped leash;
- racks;
- two lanyards.
The racks from which the disc models are made are used to change the distance between the discs. This helps to independently adjust the width of the hiller. Lanyards are responsible for the angle of inclination and rotation of the discs, which allows you to adjust the depth of soil loosening.
Plow-shaped
The second most popular hiller is the plow-shaped model, which is often used for loosening areas with potatoes. Before hilling potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, you should familiarize yourself with the main types of plow-like hillers:
- Double row. This variety allows you to immediately process the soil in two rows at once. When using a two-row model, pay attention to the plow, since it must half enter the soil.
- Single row. The device practically does not differ from the two-row model. The main difference is that this model only processes one row.
Some people try to make a plow-shaped hiller for hilling potatoes with their own hands. However, a homemade product does not always loosen the soil well and therefore it is better to use ready-made devices.
How to spud?
Before spilling potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, you should understand the peculiarities of working with each hiller. Of course, the general principle of operation of each of them is very similar and practically does not differ in anything. However, all the same, when hilling potatoes with a cultivator with various devices, there are nuances that you need to familiarize yourself with in advance.
Disk
To use a disc-type hiller, it is attached to the back of the walk-behind tractor. For this, the device is attached to the coupling brackets and bolts. While loosening the soil with a walk-behind tractor, the forward speed is reduced to increase traction. Therefore, experienced gardeners advise to loosen the site only in first gear.
Before carrying out the first and second hilling of potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, attention is paid to its location in the beds. The tiller is placed so that its wheels are between the rows and do not touch potato bushes.
Double row plow
Double row models are much more difficult to use as they are difficult to manage. Before processing the area with a two-row hiller, the lugs connected to the walk-behind tractor are placed on special extension cords. In this case, it is recommended to use lugs with a large diameter, as they are better suited for double-row hillers.
At the first and second hilling, the walk-behind tractor with the hiller is placed so that the potato bushes are located under them, and adjacent rows are located on both sides. Applying a two-row model, the row under the walk-behind tractor will completely huddle. Adjacent rows are half worked.
Single row plow
If the potatoes are covered with a walk-behind tractor with a single-row hiller, it is not necessary to use lugs. Many people use small rubber wheels instead. Before using rubber wheels, you will have to set a small distance between them yourself. When adjusting the distance, take into account the width of the row so that the wheels do not touch the bushes when hilling.
When using a plow-shaped single-row hiller, you will have to walk along each aisle in order to thoroughly sprinkle the bushes with earth.
Benefits
Hilling is popular among many gardeners and this is not surprising, since this procedure has many advantages. The main advantages of hilling potato beds with a walk-behind tractor include:
- quick cleaning of the garden from weeds that impair the growth and development of potato bushes;
- ease of procedure, so you do not need to spend a lot of energy;
- improving the growth of potato bushes and its roots;
- soil enrichment with moisture and nutrients;
- protection of young tubers from dangerous parasites;
- reducing the likelihood of damage to ripened tubers by sunlight.
Having familiarized yourself with the main advantages of loosening the soil, we can conclude that it is necessary to sprinkle potatoes with a walk-behind tractor regularly throughout the season.
Conclusion
Almost every gardener who loves to grow vegetables in his garden is engaged in growing potatoes. Before planting potatoes, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of hilling the soil. Correctly performed loosening of the soil will not only enrich it with useful components, but also improve yield.
