TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES(CON'T)
PowerComposting
Powercompostingsimply meanstilling underandburying in the soil all mannerof organic | WAHNIN(3: | When power | |
matter suchas crop residues,leaves,grassclippingsand covercrops. Thismaterialwill de- | composting, do not keepthe | ||
composeduring the | DepthRegulator Leverat a | ||
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Thefirst placeto beginis with crop residuessuchas leftovervines, stalks,stemsandroots. | deepsetting if the tiller jumps | ||
or bucks. |
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Powercompostthesecrop residuesas soonas theyfinish bearing.Thesoonerthis is done, |
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If jumping or bucking occurs, | |||
the better,as tendergreenmatteris easierto till under.Usethe deepestdepthregulatorset- | |||
ting possiblewithout causingthe engineto laboror the tiller to jump ahead. | movethe Depth Regulator | ||
Standingcornstalks of reasonableheightcan be powercomposted.Pushingover (but not | Lever down to ashallow | ||
setting andthen slowly | |||
uprooting) cornstalkswill often makeit easierto chop upthe stalks.Keepthe tines clearof | |||
increasethe tilling depth on | |||
excessivetanglingby "fishtailing" or frequentlyusing reverse.Makeseveralpasses,then re- | |||
later passes. |
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turn a fewdays laterto finish off any remainingstubble. |
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Failureto follow this warning | |||
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Aftertilling undercrop residues,addmoreorganicmattersuchasleaves,grassclippingsand | could result in personal injury. | ||
evenkitchenscraps.Whentilled into the soil, this organic matterwill decomposeandadd |
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evenmore importantnutrients to the soil. |
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Afterpower composting,you maywant to planta "greenmanure"covercrop to protectthe soil duringthe
Tilling On Slopes
Read the followingrecommendationsbeforetilling on slopes:
Ifyou must gardenon a moderateslope,pleasefollow two very importantguidelines:
1.Till only on moderateslopes,neveronsteepgroundwherefooting is difficult (reviewsafe- ty rulesin Section1: Safetyof this manual).
2.We recommendtilling up and down slopes ratherthan terracing. Tilling vertically on a slopeallows maximumplantingareaandalso leavesroomfor cultivating.
IMPORTANT:Whentilling onslopes, besurethe correct oil levelis maintainedin the engine
Tilling Up and DownSlopes(Vertical Tilling)
WAHNING: Do not
operatetiller on aslope too steepfor safe operation. Till slowly and besure you have
good footing. Neverpermit tiller to freewheeldown
slopes. Failureto follow this warning could result in personal injury.
•To keepsoil erosionto aminimum, besureto addenoughorganicmatterto the soil sothat it has
•Whentilling vertically,tryto makethe first passuphillas thetiller digs moredeeplygoing uphillthan it doesdownhill. In soft soil or weeds, you mayhaveto lift the handlebarsslightly while going uphill. Whengoingdownhill, overlapthe first passby
Tilling AcrossSlopes Without UsingTerraces(HorizontalTilling)
•If verticalor terracinggardeningaren'tpracticalfor you,then you cantill laterallyacrossa slope.We don'trecommendthis methodas it can createunsurefooting and invitessoil erosion.
•As interracegardening,startat the top of the slopeandoverlapthe first passby halfthe width of thetiller. Foraddedstabilityof thetiller, alwayskeepthe uphillwheelinthe soft, newlytilled soil.
TerraceGardening
•When a slope is too steepor too shortfor verticaltilling, it may benecessaryto till acrossthe slopeand createterracedrows. Terraces arerows thatarecut into the side of a slope,creatinga narrow,but flat areaon whichto plant.
•Ona long slope,you can makeseveralterraces,onebelowthe other.
•Terracesshould beonly
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