Roller weeder full-surface
Since a few years, the rows between the culture lines, if the precipitations it allows, seeded with grass. That means that the used seed are grass or other greening mixtures.
The advantages are:
- Minimisation of the erosion risk
- Better navigability in between the rows, because the greening is carrying
Grass is mostly seeded and stay for a few years, it is mulched a few times a year, but now for a few years, an observation has been made during the maintenance of the greening and concluded that the greening system is bringing a few problems.
These are:
- A much higher water and nutrition competition to the main crop in dry years
- Mineralisation of Nitrogen
- With the mulching of the grass, the water and nutrition consummation is becoming higher
- The low mulched grass favourites the drying of the soil, because no shadow is protecting the soil from the sun
That is the reason why we constructed, based on the “Star cultivator”, a tool for the greening management in between the rows. The main frame is our “KVR” frame, where it is possible to attach 3, 4 or 5 star cultivator sets with the or-dered width and the right number of star cultivators. The star cultivator frames are attached one by one so can be orientated in different positions.
Using possibilities of the full width star cultivator line:
- In spring before the grass is growing, with a vertical positioning of the stars, to just crack the soil, but not damaging the roots. The result is a disturbing of the root system and so a diminution of growth, which means less water and nutritive consummation.
- Further the mineralized Nitrogen can be taken by the main crop and doesn’t have to be done by synthetic fertilisers
- Starting in spring and through the summer, the grass can be “rolled” when it reached a certain size. The stems will be broken a few times so that the full length is conserved and lay on the soil and shade it.
- By seeding just every second row, even the not seeded row can be worked with the same tools, but with another adjustment.
Conclusion
With this system it is possible to have a useful grass management during the season. With all the different adjustment possibilities, we can adapt the tools to different sowing, speed and soils.
