Troy-Bilt 634A, 634K manual Tillingtips & Techniquescont, PowerComposting, Tilling On Slopes

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 non-growingseasonandadd importantnatural nutrientsto the soil.	DepthRegulator Leverat a
Thefirst placeto beginis with crop residuessuchas leftovervines, stalks,stemsandroots.	deepsetting if the tiller jumps
	or bucks.
Powercompostthesecrop residuesas soonas theyfinish bearing.Thesoonerthis is done,
	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.
turn a fewdays laterto finish off any remainingstubble.
	Failureto follow this warning
Aftertilling undercrop residues,addmoreorganicmattersuchasleaves,grassclippingsand	could result in personal injury.
evenkitchenscraps.Whentilled into the soil, this organic matterwill decomposeandadd
evenmore importantnutrients to the soil.

Afterpower composting,you maywant to planta "greenmanure"covercrop to protectthe soil duringthe off-season.Yousimply grow a crop of clover,alfalfa,buckwheat,peas,beans,rye grass,grain, or kaleandthen till it into the soil priorto the planting season.

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 (checkeveryone-half hour of operation).The inclineof the slopewill causethe oil to slant awayfrom its normallevelandthis can starveenginepartsof requiredlubrication. Keepthe motor oil levelat thefull point at all times!

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 goodmoisture-holdingtexture andtry to avoid leavingfootprints or wheelmarks.

•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 aboutone-halfthe width of the tiller.

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 2-t0-3 feetwide. Diggingtoo far into theside of the slopewill exposepoor subsoilthat is unproductivefor plants.

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