Tilling Depths, AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil

TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tilling Depths

WAHNINL_: 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, pipes or hoses.

•Avoid pushing down on the handlebarsinan attemptto forcethe tiller to dig deeper.Doing sotakesthe weightoff the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction. Without the wheels helpingto holdthe tiller back,the tineswill attemptto propelthe tiller- oftencausingthe tiller to skip rapidly acrossthe ground. (Sometimes,slight downwardpressureonthe handlebars will helpgetthrough a particularlytough sectionof sod or unbrokenground,but in most cases this won'tbenecessary.)

•Avoidtrying to digtoo deeplytoo quickly,especiallywhenbustingsod orwhentilling soil that hasn'tbeentilled for sometime. Useshallowdepth regulatorsettings(only an inch or two deep)for thefirst passesthrough the soil. Witheachsucceedingpass,diganotherinch ortwo deeper.(Wateringthe areaafew daysprior to tilling will maketilling easier,as will letting the newlyworkedsoil setfor a day or two beforemakinga final, deeptilling pass.)

•When cultivating(breakingup surfacesoil aroundplantsto destroyweeds,seeFig.4-9), adjustthe tinesto dig only 1"to 2" deep.Using shallowtilling depthshelps preventinjury to plantswhose rootsoftengrowcloseto the surface,if needed,lift up onthe handlebarsslightly to preventthe tinesfrom diggingtoo deeply.(Cultivatingon a regularbasisnot only eliminatesweeds,it also loosensandaeratesthe soil for bettermoistureabsorptionandfaster plantgrowth.)

ChoosingCorrectWheel & Tine Speeds With experience,you will find the "just right" tilling depth andtilling speedcombination that is bestfor your garden.

Setthe enginethrottle leverat a speedto givethe engineadequatepowerandyetallow it to operateat the slowestpossiblespeed...atleast until you haveachievedthe maximumtilling depth you desire. Fasterenginespeedsmaybe desirablewhen makingfinal passesthrough the seedbedor whencultivating. Selectionof the correct enginespeed,in relationto the tilling depth,will ensurea sufficientpower levelto do the jobwithout causingthe engineto labor.

Let the Tiller Dothe Work

AvoidMaking Footprints

AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil

Whiletilling, relaxandletthe wheelspullthe tiller along while the tines do the digging. Walkon the side that is not yet finished(to avoid makingfootprints in the freshly tilled soil) and lightly, but securelygrip the han- dlebarwith just onehand.

Wheneverpossible, walk on the untilled sideof the unit to avoid makingfootprints in your freshly tilled or cultivated soil. Foot- prints causesoil compactionthat can ham- per root penetrationand contribute to soil erosion. They can also "plant" unwanted weed seeds back into the freshly tilled ground.

Tilling wet soil often results in large,hard clumps of soil that can interferewith 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 onthe rest of the passes(seeFig. 6). Whenfinishedin onedirection,makea secondpassat a right angle,as shownin Fig.4-7. Overlap eachpassfor best results (invery hardground, it maytakethree or four passesto

thoroughlypulverizethe soil.)

Fig. 4-6

Fig.4-7

•if the gardensizewill not permitlengthwiseandthencrosswisetilling, then over- lapthefirst passesby one-halfatiller

width,followedby successivepasses	....................v
at one-quarterwidth (seeFig.4-8).	_ _
	Fig. 4-8

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.