TILLING

TIPS& TECHNIQUES(CON'T)

 

 

 

PowerComposting

 

 

 

 

Powercompostingsimply meanstillingunderand burying in thesoil all mannerof organic

WARNING:

When power

mattersuchas crop residues,leaves,grassclippingsandcovercrops. This materialwill de,

composting, do not keepthe

composeduring the non-growingseasonandadd imPortantnaturalnutrientsto the so

DepthRegulator Leverat a

Thefirst placeto beginis with crop residuessuchasleftovervines,stalks,stemsand roots•

deepsetting if the ti!ler jumps

Powercompostthesecrop residuesas soon astheyfinish bearing.Thesoonerthis isdone,

or bucks.

 

 

the better,astendergreenmatter is easierto till under. Usethe deepestdepthregulatorset-

If jumping or bucking occurs,

ting possiblewithout causingthe engineto laboror the tiller to jumpahead,

movethe DepthRegulator

 

 

Leverdown to ashallow

 

Standingcornstalksof reasonableheight can bepowercomposted.Pushing over (but not

setting andthen slowly

 

uprooting) cornstalkswill oftenmakeit easierto chop upthe stalks•Keepthe tines clearof

increasethe tilling depth on

excessivetangling by ,fishtailing"or frequentlyusing reverse.Makeseveralpasses,then re-

I t r

 

.

turnafewdayslatertofinishoffanyremainingstubble.

 

Lee passes;, ...

 

 

t-allure[o follow tins warmng

Aftertilling undercrop residues,addmoreorganicmattersuchasleaves,grassclippingsand

cou d result

n oersona

n urv

evenkitchenscraps. Whentilled intothe soil,this organicmatterwill decomposeandadd

 

 

 

evenmore important nutrientsto the soil•

 

 

 

 

Afterpowercomposting,you maywantto planta "greenmanure'!covercrop to protectthe soil duringthe off-season. Yousimply grow a crop of clover,alfalfa, buckwheat,peas,beans,ryegrass, grain,or kaleandthen till it into the soil priorto the plantingseason.

Tilling OnSlopes

Readthe following recommendationsbeforetilling on slopes:

If you must gardenon a moderateslope,pleasefollow two very _mportantgmeennes:

1.Til!only on moderatemodes,neveron steepgroundwherefootingis difficult I reviewsafe- ry rules in Section1: Safetyof this manuaU.

2.We recommendtilling upand clownslopes ratherthan terracing. Tilling verticallyon a slopeallowsmax_murrplantingareaand also leavesroom for cultivating.

IMPORTANT,"Whentilling on slopes besurethe correct oil levelis maintainedinthe engine checkeveryone-halfhour of oeeratlonL Theinclineof the sloeewl causerne el to slant

awayfrom _tsnormal leveland _n_cans starveenginepartsof requiredlubrication. Keepme motorOHlevelat the full eoint at all times!

Tilling Up and DownSlopes (VerticalTilling)

WAF{NINEi: Do not operatetiller on aslope too steep for safe operation. Till slowly and besure you have good footing. Neverpermzt tiller to freewheel down slopes. Failureto follow this warning could result in personal injury.

To keepsoil erosionto a minimum, besureto addenoughorganicmatterto the softso that it hasgoodmoisture-holdingtextureandtry to avoid leavingfootprints or wheelmarks.

Whentilling vertically,try to makethe first eass. _hillas the tiller digs moreaeeplygoing uphillthan it does downhill. In soft soil or weeas,you mayhaveto lift the handlebarsslightly while goinguphill. When goingdownhill,overlapthe first passbyabout one-halfthe width of the tiller.

Tilling AcrossSlopesWithout UsingTerraces(HorizontalTilling)

f vertical or terracinggardeningaren'tpracticalfor you,then you cantill laterallyacrossa slope. We don'trecommendthis methodas t can createunsurefooting and invitessoil eromon.

As interracegardemng,startat thetop of the slopeandoverlapthe first passey _alfthe widthof thetiller. Foraddedstabilityof the tiller. alwayskeepthe uphillwheelinthe soft. new_yhliedSOIL

TerraceGardening

Whena slope_stoo steepor too short for verticaltilling, _tmay benecessaryto t_llacrossthe sloae andcreateterracedrows.Terraces arerowsthat arecut rotethe sideof a slope,creatinga narrow,but flat areaon whichto plant.

Ona longs_ope,you can makeseveralterraces,one belowthe other.

Terracesshould beonly 2-to-3 feetwide. Diggingtoo far intothe sideof the slopewil! exposepoorsubsoilthat is unproductivefor plants.

15

Page 15
Image 15
Troy-Bilt 634BM, 634FM Lee passes, Allureo follow tins warmng, Readthe following recommendationsbeforetilling on slopes