Filter
Top Products
TILLINGTIPS& TECHNIQUES
Tilling Depths
WAHNING: Before
tilling, contact your
telephone or utilities
company and inquire if
undergroundequipment or
lines are usedon your
property. Do not till near
buriedelectric cables,
telephone lines, pipesor
hoses.
This isa CRT(counter-rotatingtine)tiller. Asthe wheelspullforward, the tinesrotateback-
ward. Thiscreatesan "uppercut" tine actionwhich digs deeply,uprooting soil and weeds.
Don't overloadthe engine,but dig asdeeplyas possibleon eachpass. Onlater passes,the
wheelsmaytendto spinin thesoftdirt. Helpthemalongby lifting upslightlyonthehandlebar
(onehand,palm up,works most easily).
Avoidthe temptationto pushdownon thehandlebarsinan attemptto force thetiller to dig
deeper.Doingso takestheweightoff the poweredwheels,causingthemto lose traction.
Withoutthe wheelsto holdthe tiller back,the tineswill attemptto propelthe tiller backward,
towardsthe operator.(Sometimes,slightdownwardpressureonthehandlebarswill helpget
througha particularlytoughsectionofsod or unbrokenground,but in mostcasesthiswon't
benecessary.)
• Whencultivating(breakingup surfacesoil aroundplantsto destroyweeds,seeFig.4-9), ajust thetinesto dig only 1"to 2" deep.Using
shallowtilling depthshelps preventinjury to plantswhoseroots often grow close to the surface.If needed,lift up on the handlebars
slightly topreventthetinesfrom diggingtoo deeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnotonly eliminatesweeds,it alsoloosensandaerates
thesoil for bettermoistureabsorptionandfasterplantgrowth.) Wateringthegardenareaafewdayspriorto tilling will maketillingeasier,
aswill lettingthe newlyworkedsoil setfor a dayor two beforemakinga final, deeptilling pass.
ChoosingCorrectWheel & TineSpeeds With experience,you will find the "just right" tilling depth andtilling speedcombination
that is bestfor your garden.
Setthe enginethrottle leverat a speedto givethe engineadequatepowerandyetallowit to operateat the slowestpossiblespeed...atleast
until you haveachievedthe maximumtilling depth youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybe desirablewhenmakingfinal passesthrough
the seedbedor whencultivating. Selectionof the correct enginespeed,in relationto the tilling depth,will ensurea sufficientpower levelto
do thejobwithout causingthe engineto labor.
Letthe Tiller Dothe Work
Whiletilling, relaxandletthewheelspullthe
tiller along while the tines do the digging.
Walkon theside that is notyet finished(to
avoid makingfootprints in thefreshly tilled
soil) and lightly,but securelygrip the han-
dlebarwith just onehand.
AvoidMakingFootprints
Wheneverpossible, walk on the untilled
sideof the unit to avoidmakingfootprints in
your freshly tilled or cultivated soil. Foot-
prints causesoil compactionthat canham-
per root penetrationand contribute to soil
erosion. They can also "plant" unwanted
weed seeds back into the freshly tilled
ground.
AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil
Tilling wet soil often resultsin large,hard
clumps of soil that caninterferewith plant-
ing. If time permits,wait a day or two after
heavyrains to allow the soil to dry before
tilling. Testsoil by squeezingit into a ball.If
it compressestoo easily,it is too wet to till.
Preparing Seedbeds
• Whenpreparingaseedbed,go overthe samepathtwice inthefirst row,then over-
lapone-halfthetiller width ontherest ofthe passes(seeFig.6). Whenfinishedin
onedirection,makea secondpassat a rightangle,as shownin Fig.4-7. Overlap
eachpassfor best results(invery hardground,it maytakethree or four passesto
thoroughlypulverizethe soil.)
• If thegardensizewill not permitlengthwiseandthencrosswisetilling, thenover-
lapthefirst passesby one-halfatiller
width,followedbysuccessivepasses ....................v .................................
at one-quarterwidth (seeFig.4-8). _ _
Fig. 4-8
Fig. 4-6 Fig.4-7
Cultivating
With planning, you can ==.._vp. ==_._v_
allow enoughroom _" _ (_
betweenrows to cultivate _ _
(seeFig.4-9). Leaveroom _ _
for the hood width,
plus enough extra _ _'
room for future plant Fig.4-9
growth.
14