How to properly weed potatoes: methods, tools, trimmer attachment

Potato

Properly and timely weeding of potatoes will ensure the formation of leaves and tubers. Potatoes are easy to care for, but before weeding a planted potato, it's important to understand the care instructions. First, whether or not to weed the root crop. During the first weeks of life, seedlings are unable to cope with weeds without the help of a gardener. The frequency of weeding depends on humidity and temperature. The second rule is to hill up a medium-sized plant.

Determine the timing correctly

There are no universal recommendations. Gardeners rely on the characteristics of the chosen variety. The height of the plant will be a signal that it's time to weed the planted potatoes. The threshold is 25 cm.

Hilling is carried out simultaneously with weeding. If the variety is not growing as quickly, another criterion is used. A month after planting, the first weeding is carried out. The next weeding, either by hand or with a cultivator, should be carried out a few days before flowering begins – in July. Once the first flowers have formed on the seedlings, the bush is mature. No further weeding is necessary.

Note!

Regardless of the potato variety chosen, root crops are weeded manually or with a tool no more than 3 times during the first season.

Which method is suitable?

A small plot of land no larger than 2 acres can be cultivated manually. A gardener's arsenal includes homemade or purchased tools:

flat cutter;
hoe;
hoe.

The only downside to manual weeding is the physical effort required. A lighter hoe is recommended for gardens with two to five potato beds. A hand-held garden pruner can help minimize time and effort in a small area. It allows for faster weed removal by adjusting the tool's angle. After a few hours of gardening, you won't experience back pain.

Mechanical processing method

A trimmer is a mini-device that allows you to quickly remove wild greenery. In short, a trimmer is a scythe equipped with a motor. To quickly and safely weed potatoes, follow a few rules:

The tool may only be started after the gardener has put on protective glasses;
It is permitted to turn on the trimmer for quick weeding after the person has put on a respirator;
potatoes are treated before and during flowering no more than once every 14 days;
Do not press too hard on the trimmer while weeding, otherwise the motor will overheat.

After each seedling treatment, the nozzle must be disinfected. Failure to do so will result in the spread of viral or bacterial diseases throughout the area.

Using a walk-behind tractor on a site

A large area needs to be cultivated with a walk-behind tractor. Depending on the model, the device offers varying levels of functionality:

plow the area;
hill up the ground;
plant root crops;
harvest.

Beginners who haven't used a motor cultivator before can watch a video beforehand. It describes the operating principles of the device. One of them is the use of attachments to improve the efficiency of seedling cultivation. One of these attachments is the tines, which can fairly be compared to a flat cutter. Unlike their manual counterparts, they are more gentle. Even a beginner will have a hard time damaging a bush when cultivating between rows.

Note!

The tilling depth with paws does not exceed 4 cm. If the soil is moist or the potatoes are planted on black soil, the tilling depth reaches 7 cm.

Before cultivating potatoes with a modern walk-behind tractor, the tines are secured. The second rule is that the distance between them is equal to the furrow width. The third rule is that the gardener should allow for a slight overlap to allow waste to pass through unimpeded. Without this space, weeding will be difficult and difficult to perform quickly. There's a high risk that the tines will quickly become clogged.

Single-sided and double-sided instruments

The type of tool used is directly proportional to the plot's area. Weeding and hilling are performed with either a single- or double-sided tool. The former has a working surface sharpened on one side, while the latter has a working surface sharpened on both sides. This restricts the way the tool can be used. The gardener can rely not only on the existing trimmer but also on other tools:

A weeder is a model designed for a walk-behind tractor. Information on this is provided in the instructions. A drum and several blades are mounted on a metal frame. The blades remove weeds, while the drum throws them back. It's recommended to use this tool yourself for weeding newly planted potatoes before the weeds have a chance to establish themselves, otherwise the whole process is pointless.
Hedgehog weed whackers are useful when wild weeds have overtaken the garden. The device consists of several circular blades. The sides of the weed whackers are equipped with pins for removing the collected grass.

Before using a hedgehog, consider its technical variations—conical and rotary. The conical version is best for those removing young weeds. If the weeds have increased significantly, a rotary version is essential. Regardless of the choice, the hedgehog is attached to the body at a 45-degree angle.

The benefits and harms of homemade tools

There's a common misconception among gardeners that buying a gardening tool isn't necessary on a 700-square-meter plot. There's some truth to this. Quickly weeding a potato plant with a trimmer carries the risk of damaging the bush. If a walk-behind tractor is used to weed new potatoes, an inexperienced gardener will disturb the nutrient-rich soil layer. This results in stunted growth and partial loss of the harvest.

The downside is that the quality of homemade tools leaves much to be desired. Gardeners don't always follow the proper blade placement guidelines, which negatively impacts the quality of the work. For example, potatoes hoeed directly during flowering with a homemade hoe may fail to grow. If you're feeling adventurous, you can make a simpler tool.

A universal solution is “hedgehogs” that can be installed on a gasoline engine. cultivatorFirst, they get acquainted with the basics. The "Hedgehog" consists of several elements:

soil ripper (hollow pipe) - steel teeth are welded to it;
holder;
frame.

https://youtu.be/iyg-cnlozfU

The soil ripper is secured to a spacer frame, and then a wooden handle is added to the structure. This is necessary for moving the device along the soil surface. The next necessary component is three steel disks of the following diameters:

100, 200, 300 mm;
240, 180, 100 mm.

To assemble the structure, you'll need a pipe with a diameter of 25 mm. To ensure the potato weeders last a long time, the steel disks are secured together using a steel crossbar. Start with the disk with the largest diameter, moving to the smallest. The distance between disks is 15-17 cm. The teeth are made from a steel rod cut into 40 pieces.

Reviews

Gennady

In temperate climates, homemade "hedgehogs" are used. They don't require much money and deliver results. I made the "hedgehogs" from a hollow pipe. I welded teeth made from metal rods onto it. I attached the homemade "hedgehogs" to a metal frame. The final touch was adding a wooden handle to the structure.

Oleg

Flowering potato plants are only processed by hand. This reduces the risk of damaging the plants. A hoe and a flat cutter are two of the most useful tools.

Tamara

The easiest option is to make a hoe. First, take a steel wire about 80 cm long. The diameter of the wire is 2 mm. The second necessary item is a polypropylene tube and a glue gun. First, I bend the wire in half, and then insert it into the tube. Secure the end by bending it with pliers. The final step is to secure the other end with electrical tape.

Potato weeding is done based on the variety's characteristics. The gardener first picks up a tool one month after planting. Pay attention to the bush's height—20 to 25 cm. The second weeding session is carried out a few minutes before the first flowers appear. Gardeners know that once potatoes bloom, there's no need to weed. Before choosing a tool, consider the plot's size, the number of weeds, and their size.