Planting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor: how to plant with video

Growing potatoes is considered one of the most labor-intensive types of agricultural work, even when it comes to a small vegetable garden on a personal plot. And if the size of potato plantations is 10-15 acres, then you can’t do without small-scale mechanization. The most popular device that can facilitate the work of a potato grower is today considered a walk-behind tractor. Let's take a closer look at how potatoes are planted using a walk-behind tractor.

What is a walk-behind tractor?

Motoblock is a self-propelled mechanical device with which you can automate the entire process of growing potatoes.

It is a unit consisting of the following main units:

• internal combustion engine;
• transmissions;
• chassis, consisting of an axle and two wheels;
• handle to control.

In order for the walk-behind tractor to perform this or that work, additional equipment is hung on it.

How are potatoes planted with a walk-behind tractor?

To plant potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, the land must first be plowed and harrowed. For these works, a plow or a special cutter is used. Next, planting is carried out, for which a potato planter is used, and then it can be replaced by a hiller, which fills the furrow with earth.

In the subsequent care of crops, a hiller (hilling up) and a flat cutter (weeding between rows) are used. Another attachment is designed for harvesting - a plower.

Technology for plowing the field

The modern fleet of minitractors has about two dozen devices, domestic and imported, differing in functionality, power, price. Consider the most popular of them.

Motoblock "Neva"

Domestic unit from a well-known manufacturer to summer residents - the Red October plant. This is a powerful device that can handle any soil.

Pros include:

• easy operation;
• reliable engine with high efficiency;
• durable case to prevent damage to movement;
• ability to handle attachments designed for a wide range of applications.

In addition, this type of walk-behind tractor provides the user with ample opportunities to choose the optimal speed and comfortable position of the handle. At the same time, according to gardeners, the Neva did not work very well in the plow mode (small plowing depth).

The downside can be considered high weight (more than 90 kg), lack of stability on uneven ground, high cost.

Motoblock "Salute"

The author of this device, the Salyut association (Moscow), did everything to make it as convenient as possible to use. Its center of gravity is lowered, and the engine is moved forward, making it easier to control than the Neva and able to easily maintain balance when connecting the plow.

Another advantage is its low weight and maneuverability, allowing you to use the Salyut in small areas. It should also be noted that the handles of the walk-behind tractor are narrower and can be rotated 180 °, which makes it very convenient for harvesting.

A significant drawback is the lack of a differential, which makes it difficult to turn and makes it inconvenient to use the cart. In addition, some varieties of "Salute" are characterized by a high level of noise.

Motoblock "MTZ"

The brainchild of the Minsk Tractor Plant attracts with its compactness and maneuverability. Despite the high weight, the device is perfectly balanced, making it extremely stable.

The last modification - MT3 09N will become a universal assistant for the gardener, and if you purchase an additional adapter with a seat, then the walk-behind tractor can be turned into a mini tractor. Among other advantages - wide functionality, large fuel tank capacity, high power.

It should be remembered that MTZ is more intended for processing large areas, it is unprofitable to use it in small areas. In addition, the unit is picky about the choice of soil: it is not recommended to use it on heavy soils.

Planting methods

Depending on the type of attachment, there are three ways to plant potatoes using a walk-behind tractor. When choosing one of them, the size of the site, the functionality of a particular device, as well as its cost are taken into account. Consider each of the options.

Working with hiller

The hiller is called an agricultural tool designed for further processing of already dug up land. In our case, the hiller is used to fill a furrow in which potatoes have already been laid.

At the first stage, metal wheels are placed on the walk-behind tractor, creating furrows, and a hopper with a distributor, from which, when moving, the potatoes fall into the furrow. At the second stage, metal wheels are replaced with rubber ones, and a hiller is placed instead of a bunker, which covers the potatoes with earth and slightly compacts it.Consider working with different types of hillers.

Disk

The disc hiller, consisting of a T-shaped rack, on which two disc-shaped working elements are movably fixed, is more convenient and easy to use. Since it changes not only the distance between the working elements, but also the angle of their inclination, it is possible to obtain ridges of a given configuration with its help.

Fixed working width

Fixed-width hillers are unable to independently adjust the distance between the wings, since the working elements are rigidly fixed to the rack. They are usually used for small, light walk-behind tractors when processing narrow row spacings of the same width.

It is important to remember: this type of hiller has insufficiently strong racks, so they cannot be used on hard soils.

Adjustable working width

Hillers with adjustable working width, in which the working elements are fixed movably, due to which the distance between them can change. You can use this type of hiller on beds of different widths; it is intended for walk-behind tractors with a power above 3.5 liters. s.

The disadvantage of this type of hiller is a large amount of fuel consumed.

Using a two-row hiller

Double-row hiller consists of two hillers located on the same rack and allows you to process two rows at once, significantly saving time and fuel reserves. Working with it is more complex and will require considerable experience.

Plowing

A plow is a simple device for plowing the land.When planting under a plow, the top layer of soil is first loosened with a cutter, after which the plow fixed on the walk-behind tractor is inserted to the depth of the shovel bayonet into the soil. Each row is passed twice: during the first pass, a furrow is created in which the seed potatoes are placed, during the second pass, an adjacent furrow is formed, and the first, already sown, is covered with the excavated earth.

Among the advantages of the method is a high landing speed. Of the shortcomings, the most important is the difficulty of working with a plow and the impossibility of planting potatoes with long (more than 5 mm) sprouts.

Planting with mounted potato planter

The potato planter is a bunker equipped with a belt mechanism that regulates the supply of planting material. Its use allows planting in record time, since a furrow is created in one pass, for which the device is equipped with a plow, filled with potatoes at regular intervals, and covered with a hiller located behind the bunker.

Nevertheless, this planting method also has its drawbacks: in particular, these are high requirements for planting potatoes: they should be approximately the same average size with small sprouts.

The high cost of work can also be considered a disadvantage.

Workflow

Before planting potatoes, it should be remembered that there are certain rules regarding the marking of the garden, preparing the soil and equipment for work, cutting furrows and beds. Without their observance, the use of a walk-behind tractor will be ineffective, so we will dwell on these issues in more detail.

Marking the garden

Marking the garden comes down to determining the location of the holes for planting. For the successful operation of the walk-behind tractor, the furrows must be parallel and located at a distance of 55-65 cm from each other.Marking can be done using a homemade T-shaped marker with three pegs screwed to it at a distance of 65 cm.

Preparation of soil for potatoes

Preparation of soil for potatoes begins with the selection of a site with sandy or sandy loam soil and early fertilization. This should be done in the fall, after harvest. In the spring, before sowing, the soil is plowed to the depth of a shovel bayonet, for which you can use the “cutter” attachment.

Cutting furrows

Cutting the furrows is done with a hiller of any kind or a plow. For late and mid-season varieties, planting is carried out in increments of 35 cm, for early varieties this parameter is 50 cm. Row spacing is 60 cm.

Cutting beds

Cutting the beds begins with determining the position of the first of them. A hiller is placed on the walk-behind tractor, its working surfaces are located strictly in the center.When the first bed is cut, the walk-behind tractor is rearranged so that the wheel is now the right (left) wheel moving along the track previously left by the left (right) wheel.

Planting depth

The planting depth depends on the characteristics of the soil and the size of the seed. Planting medium-sized potatoes in sandy and sandy soils is carried out in a furrow to a depth of 10 cm.

For loams, the depth is 5-6 cm. For other types of soil, deep planting is used - over 10 cm. The smaller the planting material, the shallower the planting depth.

Proper sowing pattern

The correct sowing pattern when using a walk-behind tractor assumes that the row spacing is 60 cm, the distance between the holes is 35 cm (when late and mid-ripening varieties are planted).

How to check readiness?

Preparing equipment and checking the performance of the walk-behind tractor is as follows:

1. Checking the oil level and fuel level in the system.
2. Unlock the levers that control the wheel drives.
3. Opening the fuel supply valve.
4. Turning on the ignition.

Doing work

After checking the walk-behind tractor, it remains only to start the engine. To do this, sharply pull the starter cord.

Crop care

Motoblock and various attachments will facilitate further care of the potato plantation.

Post-germination treatment

The time from planting to the first shoots of potatoes is the most important for the formation of full and he althy tubers. Germination will start from the upper eyes. The main thing that should not be allowed is breaking off sprouted branches. This will negatively affect the growth and development of potato fruits.

The role of the plow

After the appearance of the first sprouts, a weeder is used for weeding and loosening the soil between the rows. It performs the tasks of an ordinary plow.

Hilling

Accelerates the development of stems, destroys weeds and protects the plant from possible frosts. It is carried out 2-3 weeks after the emergence of shoots. Hiller is used for work.

Spraying with walk-behind tractor

Can be done with a special sprayer that is equipped with a pump.

Weeding harrow

To remove weeds after sowing, but before the first shoots appear, a weeding harrow is used, which is fixed on the frame of a walk-behind tractor and pulled across the field.

Cleaning potatoes with a walk-behind tractor

Harvesting is an even more laborious process than planting potatoes. But even here a walk-behind tractor will come to the aid of the gardener: you just need to supplement it with a device called a potato digger.

There are both simple and complex models equipped with a screen or conveyor belt that are used on high-power walk-behind tractors. When choosing a potato digger, you should take into account the capabilities of your walk-behind tractor and the intensity of the load on it.

The purchase and maintenance of a walk-behind tractor with attachments will require certain costs, but it will facilitate the cultivation of potatoes, simplify all the necessary operations, from preparing the soil to harvesting. Is it worth buying? The choice is yours!

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