How to quickly weed potatoes: tools and equipment, do-it-yourself instructions with video

Do you need to weed potatoes?

People are increasingly trying to move away from manual potato cultivation. This brings a lot of health problems and takes up time. Planting, irrigation, and weeding are increasingly becoming mechanized.

Do I need to weed potatoes? A few facts:

Many people think that it will grow just like that, once they plant it. But with all the diversity of weeds, they are not able to fully develop. In the early stages of growth and formation of the bush, it is very important that the garden is clean, otherwise harmful vegetation will ruin the potatoes and prevent the vegetable from gaining momentum at full strength.
Another reason why weeding is necessary is because it draws nutrients out of the soil. Rhizomatous, creeping herbs with abundant green mass will absorb humus much faster than the crop develops.
Weeds are a haven for the fruitful development of some insect pests, which lay their eggs on it in the fall, and in the spring they emerge and begin to diligently eat young potatoes.
With rapid growth, the weeds will form a “carpet”, then the potatoes will not receive the full amount of light and air.

Usually, weeding the garden is carried out several times a season, until the moment when the bushes get stronger and rise up, then they themselves can suppress the weeds growing underneath them.

Rules for using hedgehogs for a walk-behind tractor

In order for the self-made hedgehogs on the walk-behind tractor to last as long as possible, you should adhere to certain rules when using them.

The latter include:

do not install homemade hedgehogs too close to the back of the walk-behind tractor - during operation, an unexpected impact may occur that will bend not only the pipe of the device, but also damage the walk-behind tractor itself;
try not to work with equipment in areas with a large number of large stones - as a result, the spikes on the hedgehogs will quickly bend and become unusable;
Regularly clean the spines and axles of the hedgehogs from wound weeds - it is best to do this after each processed row;
use hedgehogs on a walk-behind tractor mainly in dry weather - wet soil will contribute to the formation of corrosion on the spikes and pipe of the hedgehogs;
before each season, paint all structural parts and treat them with an anti-corrosion compound;
sharpen only the lowermost parts of the spikes - if you sharpen too much of the parts, this will lead to cutting off the weeds instead of wrapping them around the discs;
use only a grinder with the smallest abrasive wheels for sharpening;
At the end of the season, homemade hedgehogs must be cleaned, treated with an automotive anti-corrosion agent and stored in a dry room.

Compliance with all of the above rules will help maintain the effectiveness of homemade hedgehogs for walk-behind tractors, as well as extend their service life.

The described procedure for making hedgehogs is optimal for assembling a device that can be used to work with the Neva walk-behind tractor and agricultural machines produced by other well-known brands.

Description of potato weeding and timing

Weeding is a process that involves removing weeds from vegetable beds. The crop yield depends on the quality and timeliness of its implementation. Weeding can be manual, mechanized and chemical.

For potato beds, it is important to start weeding a week after planting, because weeds are much faster than the growth of the vegetable.

The weeds are removed for the first time at the end of May, beginning of June, depending on the timing of planting potatoes. For different regions this is from May to June. Here you can resort to the help of harrows, hoes and other mechanisms that make work easier. This will be easy to do, since the potatoes are still deep in the soil.

At first, the grass is removed as it appears, about once every two weeks. The second and subsequent weedings should be equated to the appearance of a new layer of weeds, before hilling.

During hilling, which is at the beginning of July, they try to overcome harmful vegetation as much as possible, since after this procedure it would be unreasonable to use hoes and various mechanisms, only in the rows, if they are wide enough.

Determine the timing correctly

There are no universal recommendations. The summer resident relies on the characteristics of the selected variety. The height of the bush will be a signal that you can weed the planted potatoes. The limit is 25 cm in height.

Simultaneously with weeding, hilling is carried out. If the variety does not grow so quickly, then they rely on another criterion. A month after planting, the first weed removal is carried out. The next time you need to weed by hand or with a cultivator a few days before flowering begins - in July. As soon as the first flowers have formed on the seedlings, it means the bush is formed. There is no need to weed it anymore.

On a note! Regardless of the selected potato variety, root crops are weeded manually or with a tool no more than 3 times during 1 season.

Tools for weeding potatoes

Today there is a large selection of manual devices and mechanized devices for weeding potatoes.

Walk-behind tractor and its attachments

The walk-behind tractor and its modifications are designed specifically for soil cultivation, replacing manual labor with mechanical labor. Wheels, attachments, handles, gasoline - these components ensure its operation.

To remove weeds, nozzles in the form of weeders, flat cutters, and paws are used:

Rotary cutters are mainly used for weeding potatoes and applying fertilizers. Star-shaped plates are attached to the working shaft, set the required distance equal to the row spacing, and then do the work.
Lancet paws are also used by gardeners for weeding potatoes; they are equipped with V-shaped plows that cut weeds to a depth of 3 cm, without raising dust or spoiling the tubers.
Rotary hedgehogs are used at a row spacing of 50-70 cm. With this attachment you can weed a fairly small area of potatoes even when planting frequently.
Cone hedgehogs capable of cutting weeds located on the surface and inside the soil that have not yet emerged. In addition, the nozzle performs the function of loosening the top layer of soil.

Cultivator

This device is similar to a walk-behind tractor, but slightly smaller and more compact, easier to use. To carry out agrotechnical activities on potatoes, electric, manual and gasoline cultivators are used. There may be attachments for them that are similar in principle to the attachments of a walk-behind tractor.

Most often, knives are used that are located at an angle of 45 degrees relative to each other. These knives can be replaced with forks with teeth. To make the task easier, wheels are installed on the cultivator. Some gardeners install hedgehogs on the cultivator, which, in addition to weeding, also hill up rows of potatoes.

Hand tools

If the area occupied by potatoes is small, then processing can be done manually using flat cutters, hoes, and hoes of various modifications. It will be problematic to weed a hundred square meters of arable land with a walk-behind tractor or cultivator.

What devices exist these days:

weed weed "Swift";
Fokina flat cutter;
weeder "Gardener";
hoe with a crescent-shaped blade.

These designs have a simple system that is easy to use. For example, the Gardener can loosen and weed narrow row spaces in beds with carrots, onions and other vegetables. These flat-cut hoes go deep into the top layer of soil and cut all types of weeds.

For the device to work, it must be held at arm's length away from you, slightly buried, and pulled towards you.

Another option, for example, the “Swift” weeder can be moved towards you and away from you, alternating.

Trimmer and attachments

Weeding potatoes with a trimmer is now available. It significantly reduces the time and effort of the gardener. Any trimmer can be used: electric or gasoline. But the nozzles need to be selected.

It is important to use it correctly here:

Wear special safety glasses and rubber boots to avoid injury to soft tissues and eyes in the event of flying stones or particles of earth.
When strangers approach the operator, the trimmer is muffled.
It is not advisable to bury the working attachment into the soil so that the brush cutter does not fail.
Work for 15 minutes with breaks to prevent the motor from heating up.
Wash knives with disinfectants every time.

Working with a lawn mower or trimmer requires skill, otherwise you can cut down the weeds along with the potatoes. Round fishing line and metal knives are used as attachments.

How to quickly weed potatoes

In any case, weeding potatoes will require some effort and time. At the same time, there are methods that allow you to do this faster, while weeding with a regular hoe is the slowest way.

First of all, it is important to remember that it is better to water the soil 2-3 days before weeding, since it will be harder to weed into dry soil. At the same time, you should not flood the area so much that dirt remains on it for several days - this will not only delay weeding, but may also negatively affect the health of the plants.

Among hand tools, faster weeding will be ensured by flat cutters of the “Swift” and “Gardener” types, which can additionally be equipped with star-shaped wheels to facilitate movement. Weeding is done with forward movements away from you, deepening the blade of the tool by 2-3 cm.

As for mechanical tools, quick weeding will be provided by a trimmer or walk-behind tractor. As mentioned above, a trimmer can only weed, but not hill up the beds. At the same time, you can install a V-shaped attachment on the walk-behind tractor, which will ensure cutting high-quality ridges in potato beds.

General weeding rules

All the rules for weeding potato beds come down to one thing in order to easily and quickly eliminate weeds. What you should pay attention to when clearing your garden:

It is important to carry out the first and several more weedings before the plants begin to touch each other, otherwise precious time will be wasted clearing the grass that has risen in several waves.
It is not recommended to skip early weeding. It is lighter and faster, allowing you to easily move between bushes without causing harm to them.
Weeding should not be done randomly, but starting from a certain corner or strip, so as not to miss the potatoes.
It is better to weed in damp, cloudy weather. If weeding occurs in hot weather, wear a cap and light clothing to avoid sunstroke.
As the manipulations are performed, the potatoes are monitored to identify diseased specimens. If you weed in the evening, after 16:00, then the likelihood of seeing diseases and pests on potatoes is reduced.
In cases of plowing land for potatoes, tractors with mounted plows are most often used, which do not plow the first couple of meters on acres, but are used to turn to a new paddock, so they pay special attention to this place.

With weeding, gardeners combine collecting caterpillars, aphids and Colorado potato beetles by hand. If there are few beetles, this option will be effective and will not force you to resort to chemicals.

Reviews

Ivan, Minsk
Undoubtedly, I believe that it is imperative for a modern person to use all the latest advances in technology when growing crops, including weeding potatoes. At the same time, I am a supporter of the point of view that various tools need to be used in combination, depending on the situation. For example, in the first time after the potatoes appear, I weed exclusively with a trimmer, while later I use a walk-behind tractor with an attachment in the form of small plows, with which I cut the ridges of the beds. Overall, potatoes grown this way have never disappointed me.

Vitaly, Novgorod
I have a small farm, and during the season I earn enough to wait out the winter without worry. The main source of income is growing potatoes for sale. I have a small staff of workers, especially since it is not economically profitable. Therefore, the most profitable option for me is mechanized weeding. I have 5 walk-behind tractors, and in a couple of days my employees can easily weed several hectares of potatoes, while simultaneously hilling the bushes to form ridges.

DIY equipment for weeding potatoes

Even when buying the simplest hoe, it does not always pay off. The cutting may not be suitable, the cutting angle is not the same. People always try to make work easier and begin to redesign the device: weld additional cutters onto walk-behind tractors, make new hoes. Homemade designs are often more effective than purchasing. What can you do with your own hands?

To make a hoe, like any other device, you will need metal, a welding machine and welding skills.

In addition - wooden cuttings and fastenings. If your arsenal of obsolete items includes a manual ripper with a flat-cut frame, some spare parts can be taken from there or a new one can be made according to its type:

Cut a long strip from thin durable metal and bend it, imitating a square without one edge. The result is a flat-cut frame.
You need to purchase sprockets for such a flat cutter or design it yourself, if your skills and abilities allow.
All parts should also be connected with metal rods, but so that the ripper blades are free floating, and the working frame can move slightly back and forth.
Weld a small cylinder under the handle.

Such a hoe will serve as a ripper and weed trimmer. You can weed the garden by moving it back and forth, which will make the work much easier. You can adjust the sharpening angle of the knives, which will reduce friction with the ground. This will reduce the strain on your hands. Every time before the next cleaning of potato beds, knives, hoes and flat cutters need to be sharpened.

Homemade devices

Today, there are many ways to control weeds, including chemical, mechanical and biological. In addition, Russian homemade Kulibins have long been independently designing and making very interesting devices and devices with their own hands, which in their effectiveness are not inferior to modern agricultural tools, and sometimes even surpass them. In addition, a homemade weeding installation costs the owner of a personal plot much less than factory equipment.

To make homemade hedgehogs, you will need a hollow tube onto which you need to weld teeth from metal rods or fittings. The resulting structure must be secured to a metal frame and provided with a wooden handle. The principle of operation of such a tool is quite simple and consists of pressing and simultaneously moving the device forward and down.

There are also relatively complex, but also more productive, as well as the most convenient home-made devices. These include a universal semi-bicycle device, which consists of a frame, a bicycle wheel and various interchangeable devices that facilitate the destruction of weeds. The replacement equipment used are wide and narrow cutting brackets, as well as a bracket for processing hard soil.

An interesting solution for removing weeds from potato plantings is a string hoe - a device in the form of a grip with a steel wire with a diameter of 1-2 mm stretched over the arms. The quality of weeding and the productivity of the device are very high on black soils.

Is it worth weeding potatoes during flowering?

Potatoes in bloom should be weeded in the same way as before flowering. This has its advantages:

additional loosening, which will provide air access to the roots;
removal of weeds that draw juices from the ground.

If there are very few weeds, then this weeding should be neglected. When the grass is low, it will not cause much harm to the potatoes, even when they are blooming. After the color drops, the potatoes are not at all afraid of harmful growth, since the bushes are large enough, and the grass will not gain the strength that it would have in a vacant lot.

What are the advantages of using hedgehogs for weeding?

The advantages of using hedgehogs on a walk-behind tractor are obvious to every farmer.

They allow:

perform effective weeding of an area planted with potatoes - during operation, they do not cut off the stems of weeds, but wind them together with the roots, which allows you to achieve the best results when processing the beds;
loosen and hill up the soil, which will increase the amount of moisture, oxygen and heat received by plants;
get rid of pests - hedgehogs on a walk-behind tractor effectively repel the ubiquitous rodents and turn out harmful insects, which feel comfortable and actively reproduce only with a layer of soil;
help to level the soil layer on a planted bed and cultivate the bed.

By using hedgehogs on a walk-behind tractor, the owner of the plot has the opportunity to save his time and effort, which is very important when growing large quantities of potatoes on large plots.

Related article: When to plant potatoes: planting times in different regions

Method of growing potatoes without weeding

Some gardeners do not weed their potatoes with anything. In the fall, after harvesting the next crop, the soil is dug up or plowed to a decent depth in order to incorporate residual weeds and their seeds after the growing season. A layer of straw is placed on top. The height of the pillow should be at least 5-10 cm.

In winter, the garden will be covered with snow, causing the straw to begin to rot intensively, and with it the residual weed seeds. In the spring, after the snow melts, the material will turn into mulch, which will not allow moisture to evaporate quickly, and will also subsequently slow down the development of weeds. This method will, to some extent, ease the efforts during the season when mulching was carried out.

If the garden is large, weed removal is carried out using devices equipped with motors. This will completely reduce the burden on your health, but you will need to spend money to purchase a cultivator or walk-behind tractor, although it will quickly pay for itself. In the case of two acres, you can go under the window with a hoe or any flat cutter, be it purchased or homemade.

Hedgehog designs and drawings

Country craftsmen make a wide variety of hedgehog designs. But they are all similar in that they consist of three different-sized rings connected to each other by welded jumpers. The rings form a conical structure, each ring is equipped with metal rods. The size of such a rod is from 5 to 10 cm. The cones are attached to a pipe, inside of which there is a fixed axis. As a rule, in garden work two hedgehogs are used, which are attached to any available garden tool; they have a wooden handle. The fastening is done at an angle so that the cones, rotating, can not only pull out weeds while moving, but also hill up the bush to form a neat bed. There are hedgehogs that can be attached to agricultural vehicles.

Usually the angle between the cones is left at 45 degrees for ease of hilling plants and forming ridges

Now about how you can make hedgehogs for processing potatoes with your own hands: sizes, drawings, diagrams.

If the potato plot is small, you can construct a simple device.

This homemade hedgehog cultivator will cope with weeds without damaging the potato seedlings.

In summer cottages, gardeners most often use the simplest homemade hedgehogs; they are easy to make with your own hands

It is done step by step like this:

Metal stars are welded onto a piece of pipe d 14-25 cm and 25 cm long (possibly smaller, depending on the size of the desired row spacing); they are equipped with spikes or pointed ends. The photo above shows hedgehogs with stampings in the form of stars, below - with spikes;

The simplest hedgehog with metal spikes

To rotate the hedgehog, a hub is installed on a bearing. For fastening, a frame is made of metal, and a regular wooden handle is attached to it.

This device successfully pulls out weeds near potatoes. By rolling the device back and forth, it is possible to pull out most of the weeds by the roots, which distinguishes the hedgehog from the flat cutter, which cuts the weed from above. However, this work requires a lot of physical effort. Therefore, you can make a hedgehog for a walk-behind tractor using an independent drawing or the one we offer below.

Related article: Boric acid for potatoes for feeding and against late blight

The official walk-behind tractor kit may contain a ready-made hedgehog for weeding, but in this case the walk-behind tractor will become significantly more expensive. Moscow summer residents, and gardeners in other regions of Russia, make hedgehogs themselves, using, as a rule, ready-made drawings, using their own materials and design additions.

This is a drawing of a conical hedgehog used for mounting on a walk-behind tractor

Conical hedgehogs are more complex in design, but they are also more efficient in operation than hand tools. According to the scheme proposed above, you can make such a device at home.

Work and materials:

To make one conical hedgehog, you will need three discs of different sizes. The parameters can be your own, you can use the dimensions 24 cm x 17 cm x 10 cm. All materials can be bought at metal depots (Moscow has a large number of ferrous metal collection points, many summer residents buy the necessary pipes and other metal there);
Drill a hole in the center of each disk equal to the diameter of the pipe on which the disk will be attached. It can be 2.5 cm in diameter;
Having calculated an equal distance between the disks on the pipe (up to 18 cm), the disks are welded using a welding machine. You can take a ring instead of a disk; the rings are connected to the pipe with rod jumpers in the manner of spokes in a wheel;
Now you need to weld spikes to the three disks mounted on the pipe in one hedgehog. Spikes can be cut from a rod 1 cm in diameter. The rod must be steel and durable. You need to prepare about 4 dozen spikes for three disks of one hedgehog of this design. The spikes must be welded to the end parts of the disk or ring;
Next, the second hedgehog is made in the same way. Both of them must be secured into a single cultivation mechanism. Both hedgehogs should be connected at a 45-degree angle to each other and secured with a bracket. They are located with the largest disks inward, respectively, and the mechanism by which they are attached must be located inside the pipe. These may be bearings on the shaft, or they may be bushings for sliding;
Hedgehogs will experience high pressure and stress when working with a walk-behind tractor. To reduce them, a pair of wheels can be adapted. The guide wheels are fixed to a metal strip-bracket, it is quite thick (made of steel at least 4 millimeters thick), and the width of the bracket can be 7 cm;
When the mechanism is ready, it is better to first carry out the tests in an open and potato-free area of the dacha or garden. If everything is done correctly, the device works efficiently, leaving behind beautiful loosened and weeded soil with neat, even furrows. There is no need to re-hill the potatoes after this treatment.

Another diagram for making conical hedgehogs with your own hands

Hedgehogs are a convenient device for making agricultural work easier. They can be used both for manual processing and for mechanized cultivation by attaching them to a walk-behind tractor or mini-tractor. There are no fundamental differences both for a tractor and a walk-behind tractor, and for manual tillage. All of them are structurally similar and perform their task of weeding, loosening and hilling potato plantings.

How to dig and harvest potatoes using a walk-behind tractor

Potatoes are considered one of the most common vegetables that gardeners grow in their summer cottages. Growing a great potato crop is only half the battle.

After cultivation, it is also necessary to properly harvest the ripened root crops. Digging by hand is difficult and that is why many people prefer to dig potatoes with a walk-behind tractor.

This method is much simpler than using a bayonet shovel, since you just have to operate the cultivator to harvest the crop.

Before you start harvesting in this way, you should familiarize yourself with the features of using a walk-behind tractor.

Advantages of digging potatoes with a walk-behind tractor

Some vegetable growers refuse to dig up potatoes with a walk-behind tractor because they are afraid of ruining the potato harvest. Such fears are not in vain, since if the cultivator is used incorrectly, tubers can actually be damaged. Incorrect adjustment of the mini tractor often results in spoiled tubers cut into pieces.

However, despite this, the use of a walk-behind tractor has advantages that make the collection of root crops much easier. Common benefits include:

Simplicity of design. The equipment has a simple design, the features of which are easy to understand. The main element of the cultivator is a potato digger, consisting of an upper fan and a metal plow.
Easy setup that an inexperienced person can handle without any problems. Even gardeners who have never been interested in technology can handle setting up a potato harvesting machine. In order not to damage the root crops during harvesting, it is enough to adjust the depth of the plow, which is responsible for digging up the tubers.
Reducing physical activity. The walk-behind tractor digs the potatoes itself, thanks to which physical activity is significantly reduced.
Quick harvesting of ripe crops. Harvesting tubers using a cultivator takes less time than harvesting manually.

How to properly configure equipment?

Before you start harvesting the cultivator, it is pre-configured

When setting up equipment for collecting potato root crops, special attention is paid to adjusting the plow responsible for digging up potatoes

First, the distance the plow goes deep into the soil when digging is adjusted. It is enough to set the depth equal to the size of one shovel bayonet. If you set a smaller distance, then when digging potatoes out of the ground with a motorized cultivator, the root crops will be damaged.

After adjusting the depth, the angle of inclination of the field board relative to the ground surface is adjusted. To adjust the angle, you will have to use a screw handle. When adjusting, the handle is twisted until the board rests completely on the ground. Then the handle is twisted in the opposite direction so that its back part rises 2–5 cm above the ground.

Digging potatoes with a walk-behind tractor

Beginners who have not previously harvested potatoes with a walk-behind tractor often have problems when using such a cultivator. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the features of using such equipment in practice.

First you need to clear the area with the grown potatoes from debris, leaves and weeds. When clearing an area of weeds, you can also use a cultivator.

To do this, a special hiller and two rippers are placed on the equipment, after which you can loosen the soil between the rows.

Once the rows are prepared, you can begin harvesting. When digging up potatoes with a cultivator, the harvest is collected through a row. Therefore, after collecting tubers in the first row, they immediately begin digging up the third. This is done to:

do not accidentally damage the dug-up crop with wheels, which often ends up between the rows after digging;
The walk-behind tractor was easier to control and did not drift to the side.

If you follow this easy scheme, you can harvest potatoes from five acres in 35–40 minutes.

Conclusion

Digging up potato roots is a labor-intensive task that all gardeners face. To somehow simplify this process, it is recommended to use special walk-behind tractors for harvesting.

Scribbler for planting potatoes

Planting potatoes using a scriber will shorten this process several times. Everything is done easily and without straining. It is not difficult to make; any man can do it and it will take no more than 2 hours.

Drawing of a scriber for planting potatoes

To make it you will need two stakes Ø 10 centimeters and two boards one and a half meters long . The stakes are made from dried bars or thin spruce trunks. They need to be processed, edges sharpened and handles made. Then nail wooden crossbars to them.

It is necessary to make the required distance between the stakes. If subsequently the potatoes are processed with a mini-tractor, then the distance should be approximately 65-70 centimeters; if with a cultivator, then a distance of 60 centimeters would be rational. When processing manually, the stakes must be placed at intervals of 45-55 centimeters.

The board from below must be nailed with a margin on which you need to install a note from a narrow strip. It is done at the same distance as the stakes. With its help, the beginning of the pits is determined.

You need to make handles for yourself so that there are no problems when working later. The board from below must be installed so that, when pressing on it, a hole is formed, approximately 10-15 centimeters deep .

Scribbler for planting potatoes

The idea of working with a scriber is the following: when placing it on the edge of the area, you need to hold it with your hands by the handles in front of you. Then press on the board from below, while the stakes sink into the soil, and the mark leaves a mark. Then they move it with their hands, making movements back and forth, in order to enlarge the pits. There should be two ridges of holes, and the third ridge will be a mark from which you need to follow, but in the other direction, placing a stake on the mark.

At the same time, a person follows the marker and plants the potatoes. The whole process is quick and easy. Use this technique and make your work on the site easier.