Content
Planting potatoes under a walk-behind tractor is an excellent alternative for those who like to garden but want to save time and effort. This device will be especially valuable in large areas. With the help of a walk-behind tractor, you can quickly and efficiently process the entire garden. In order for potato planting to be successful, you must follow some rules. Once you try to use a walk-behind tractor for these purposes, you will not want to return to traditional methods. We will talk about how to properly plant potatoes under a walk-behind tractor in this article.
Hiller's choice
There are several types of hillers for planting potatoes using a walk-behind tractor. They all make the task much easier. Each hiller has its own characteristics. The least popular is the hiller with a fixed working width. The furrow coverage in it is standard, about 30 cm. It is suitable for planting vegetables with a narrow row spacing, but for potatoes this distance is not enough.
But a hiller with a variable working width copes with this task perfectly. It is considered more energy-intensive, but nevertheless is in great demand. Thanks to the ability to adjust the distance between rows, it can be used for different purposes.
Disc hillers are among the most expensive.The discs of this hiller can be set at different angles, which significantly improves the quality of planting potatoes. It is very convenient to use and makes it easier to prepare the soil for planting potatoes.
A Dutch-type hiller would also be a good option. It processes the soil no less efficiently. The holes made with it do not fall back asleep, but hold their shape well. It is worth noting the low price of the hiller and the economical use of fuel.
Experienced agronomists use disc hillers when planting potatoes. With their help, cutting furrows will not be difficult and will also save time. The disc hiller is considered one of the most economical. It not only makes ridges, but also further fluffs up the soil.
Preparing the soil for planting
Planting potatoes using a walk-behind tractor requires only special soil treatment. The land must be thoroughly plowed. The looser the soil, the more oxygen it contains, and the better the vegetable will grow. To cultivate the land, you can use a special plow or cutter.
Additionally, you can break the breasts using a rake or the same walk-behind tractor. A good motor cultivator plows the soil perfectly, and usually it does not need additional processing. Its cutters can penetrate the soil to a depth of 20 centimeters. The Neva walk-behind tractor is often used for planting potatoes; it is one of the most reliable devices for cultivating land. You need to start plowing the area from the edge. For uniformity, it is necessary to capture a small part of the already plowed land each time.
The next step will be marking the rows. All gardeners know that potatoes need free row spacing, this is the only way they can get enough strength to grow and form tubers. A row spacing of about 65–70 cm wide is considered normal. But there are varieties that require more space, or, conversely, less.
Now that the holes are marked, the most important step remains - planting potatoes walk-behind tractor.
Preparing the walk-behind tractor
The motor cultivator itself also needs some preparation. Instead of cutters, it is necessary to install lugs on the unit. Instead of a central stop, a hitch is mounted. All this is easy to do yourself. Next, metal pins are placed in the holes and a two-row hiller is installed. You need to set the row spacing on it. For planting tubers, a distance of about 65 centimeters is suitable. If you use other types of hillers, then install them in the same way according to the instructions. Some gardeners use potato planters on their plots. Let's look further at how they can be used.
Landing process
So, to plant potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, 2 methods are used:
- hiller;
- potato planter.
We have already looked at the types of hillers and their advantages. The difference between a potato planter and hillers is that it allows you to perform several operations at the same time. This unit is equipped not only with a hiller, but also with a potato distributor.With its help, you can plant a large area yourself. There is no need to additionally lay out the tubers in the holes and then hill them, everything is done at once in one pass. This method is very effective for large gardens or fields.
The method of planting tubers under the plow is also practiced. In this case, lugs and a plow are installed on the motor cultivator. The first pass is being made, and we will focus on it. It is very good to plant potatoes using this method with two people. While one makes a hole, the second immediately lays out the tubers along the cut furrow. Having completed the first row, the plow is turned around and a second hole is made, simultaneously burying the previous one. This method is also very convenient, although it takes more time.
The potatoes must be placed at equal distances in the cut furrows. Next, the wheels on the walk-behind tractor are replaced with regular ones. At the same time, the width of the rows and the distance between the wings remains the same. Now the walk-behind tractor is ready to fill and hill up the potatoes.
Conclusion
So we saw how potatoes are planted using a walk-behind tractor with a hiller. We looked at different types of hillers and their advantages. We found out what other ways you can plant potatoes. In general, progress does not stand still, and new planting methods are replacing the shovel. Thanks to them, we can save our energy and time. The main thing is to purchase the necessary unit and learn how to use it. We also invite you to watch a video about how to plant potatoes using the Salyut walk-behind tractor.
