Manual

TILLING TIPS& TECHNIQUES
TillingDepths
_=i, WARNING: Before
A _• tilling, Contactyour
,m ==== telephoneor utilities
company and inquireif
underground equipment or
lines are used on your
property.Do not till near
• Avoidpushingdownon the handlebarsin anattemptto forcethe tiller to dig deeper. Doing
so takesthe weightoff the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Without the wheels
helpingto holdthe tiller back,the tineswill attemptto propelthe tiller - often causingthe tiller
to skip rapidly acrossthe ground. (Sometimes,slight downwardpressureonthe handlebars
will helpgetthrougha particularlytough sectionof sodor unbrokenground,butin most cases
this won't benecessarY.)
• Avoid trying to digtoo deeplytoo quickly,especiallywhenbustingsod or when tilling soil
that hasn'tbeentilledfor sometime. Useshallowdepth regulatorsettings(onlyaninch ortwo
deep)for the first passesthrough the soil. Witheachsucceedingpass,diganotherinchortwo
buried electric cables, deeper. (Wateringthe areaafew daysprior to tilling will maketilling easier,as will lettingthe
telephone lines, pipes or newlyworkedsoil setfora dayortwo beforemakingafinal, deeptilling pass.)
hoses.
• Whencultivating(breakingupsurfacesoilaroundplantsto destroyweeds,seeFig.4-9),adjustthetines to digonly 1"to 2"deep. Using
shallowtilling depthshelpspreventinjury to plantswhoserootsoftengrow closeto the surface. If needed,lift uponthe handlebarsslightly
to preventthe tines from diggingtoo deeply. (Cultivatingon a regularbasisnot only eliminatesweeds,it also loosensandaeratesthe soil
for bettermoistureabsorptionand faster plantgrowth.)
ChoosingCorrectWheel& Tine Speeds With experience,you will find the"just right" tillingdepth andtillingspeedcombination
that is bestfor your garden.
Setthe enginethrottle leverataspeedtogive the engineadequatepowerandyetallow it to operateat the slowestpossiblespeed...atleast
until you haveachievedthe maximumtilling depthyou desire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirablewhen makingfinal passesthrough
the seedbedor whencultivating.Selectionof the correct enginespeed,in relationto the tilling depth,will ensureasufficient power levelto
dothe jobwithout causingthe engineto labor.
Let theTiller Dothe Work
Whiletilling, relaxandletthewheelspullthe
tiller along while the tines do the digging.
Walkonthe sidethat is not yet finished(to
avoid makingfootprints in the freshly tilled
soil) and lightly, but securelygrip the han-
dlebarwith justonehand,
AvoidMakingFootprints
Wheneverpossible, walk on the untilled
side of the unitto avoidmakingfootprints in
your freshly tilled or cultivatedsoil. Foot-
prints causesoil compactionthat can ham-
per root penetration and contribute to soil
erosion. They can also !'plant" unwanted
weed seeds back into the freshly tilled
ground.
AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil
Tillingwet soil often results in large,hard
clumps of soil that can interferewith plant-
ing. If time permits, wait a day or two after
heavyrains to allow the soil to dry before
tilling. Testsoil by squeezingit intoa ball. If
it compressestoo easily,it is too wetto till.
PreparingSeedbeds
• When preparinga seedbed,go over the samepath twice in the first row,then
overlapone-half the tiller width on the rest ofthe passes(see Fig.6). When fin-
ishedin onedirection, makea secondpassat a right angle, as shown in Fig.4-7.
Overlapeach passfor best results (in very hardground, it maytakethree or four
passesto thoroughly pulverizethe soil.)
• Ifthe gardensizewill not permit lengthwiseandthen crosswisetilling,then over-
lapthe first passesbyone-halfatiller
Fig. 4-8
D
Fig. 4-6 Fig. 4-7
Cultivating
With planning, you can _ _ r_
allowenoughroom _ _-_"-(_"
betweenrows tocultivate _ _
(seeFig.4-9). Leaveroom _ _
for the hood width,
plus enough extra _ _'
room for future plant Fig. 4-9
growth.
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