Bolens 12229 Clumps of soil that can interfere with, Your freshly tilled or cultivated soil

14Section 4: Operation

TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tilling Depths

WARNING

Before tilling, contact your tele- phone or utilities company and inquire if underground equipment or lines are used on your property. Do not till near buried electric cables, telephone lines, pipes or hoses.

•Avoid pushing down on the handlebars in an attempt to force the tiller to dig deeper. Doing so takes the weight off the powered wheels, causing them to lose traction. Without the wheels helping to hold the tiller back, the tines will attempt to propel the tiller – often causing the tiller to skip rapidly across the ground. (Sometimes, slight downward pressure on the handlebars will help get through a particularly tough section of sod or unbroken ground, but in most cases this won’t be necessary.)

•Avoid trying to dig too deeply too quickly, especially when busting sod or when tilling soil that hasn’t been tilled for some time. Use shallow depth regulator settings (only an inch or two deep) for the first passes through the soil. With each succeeding pass, dig another inch or two deeper. (Watering the area a few days prior to tilling will make tilling easier, as will letting the newly worked soil set for a day or two before making a final, deep tilling pass.)

•When cultivating (breaking up surface soil around plants to destroy weeds, see Fig. 4-8), adjust the tines to dig only 1" to 2" deep. Using shallow tilling depths helps prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow close to the surface. If needed, lift up on the handle- bars slightly to prevent the tines from digging too deeply. (Cultivating on a regular basis not only eliminates weeds, it also loosens and aerates the soil for better moisture absorption and faster plant growth.)

Choosing Correct Wheel and Tine Speeds

With experience, you will find the “just right” tilling depth and tilling speed combination that is best for your garden.

Set the engine throttle lever at a speed to give the engine adequate power and yet allow it to operate at the slowest possible speed...at least until you have achieved the maximum tilling depth you desire. Faster engine speeds may be desirable when making final passes through the seedbed or when cultivating. Selection of the correct engine speed, in relation to the tilling depth, will ensure a sufficient power level to do the job without causing the engine to labor.

Let the Tiller Do the Work	Avoid Making Footprints	Avoid Tilling Soggy, Wet Soil
While tilling, relax and let the wheels pull	Whenever possible, walk on the untilled	Tilling wet soil often results in large, hard
the tiller along while the tines do the dig-	side of the unit to avoid making footprints	clumps of soil that can interfere with
ging. Walk on the side that is not yet fin-	in your freshly tilled or cultivated soil.	planting. If time permits, wait a day or two
ished (to avoid making footprints in the	Footprints cause soil compaction that can	after heavy rains to allow the soil to dry
freshly tilled soil) and lightly, but securely	hamper root penetration and contribute to	before tilling. Test soil by squeezing it into
grip the handlebar with just one hand.	soil erosion. They can also “plant”	a ball. If it compresses too easily, it is too
	unwanted weed seeds back into the	wet to till.
	freshly tilled ground.

Preparing Seedbeds

•When preparing a seedbed, go over the same path twice in the first row, then overlap one-half the tiller width on the rest of the passes (see Fig. 4-5). When finished in one direction, make a second pass at a right angle, as shown in Fig. 4-6. Overlap each pass for best results (in very hard ground, it may take three or four passes to thoroughly pulverize the soil.)

•If the garden size will not permit

lengthwise and then crosswise	1
tilling, then overlap the first passes			2
by one-half a tiller width, followed	3
by successive passes at one-
quarter width (see Fig. 4-7).		Fig. 4-7

Fig. 4-5		Fig. 4-6
Cultivating
With planning, you can allow
enough room	between

rows to cultivate (see Fig. 4-8). Leave room for the

hood width, plus enough
extra room for future
plant growth.	Fig. 4-8