TILLING | TIPS& TECHNIQUES(CON'T) |
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PowerComposting |
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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 | 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. |
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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 | |||
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| Leverdown to ashallow |
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Standingcornstalksof reasonableheight can bepowercomposted.Pushing over (but not | setting andthen slowly |
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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 |
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turnafewdayslatertofinishoffanyremainingstubble. |
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Aftertilling undercrop residues,addmoreorganicmattersuchasleaves,grassclippingsand | cou d result | n oersona | n urv | |
evenkitchenscraps. Whentilled intothe soil,this organicmatterwill decomposeandadd |
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evenmore important nutrientsto the soil• |
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Afterpowercomposting,you maywantto planta "greenmanure'!covercrop to protectthe soil duringthe
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
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
•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
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
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