Ridge Hoeing Equipment

Materials and equipment

Weeding

Ridger model "EC-Ridger" from Steketee®

Matériel

Ridge cultivation, used for vegetable crops (potatoes, carrots, endives…) or vine, makes weeding the inter-row more difficult. Some agricultural machines allow for mechanical weeding of ridge sides without damaging the ridges or the crops.

It is recommended to alternate harrowing (which is only effective on the ridge) and hoeing which eliminates weeds between the ridges and on their sides.

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Hoe with shares	The most widespread tool. Effective against more developed weeds. Possibility to install ridge discs at the rear to perform hoeing and ridging in one pass. To obtain a partial harrowing effect, can be combined with a broom on the ridge, a harrow with frame	2 people are required if the hoe is at the rear of the tractor and if no automatic guidance system
Star hoe	The most effective tool against developed weeds. One machine to hoe and ridge. Can be combined with a broom on the ridge for a partial harrowing effect. Produces good covering ridges.	2 people required if the hoe is at the rear of the tractor and if no automatic guidance system Clogging in stony soil. Each pass requires a new adjustment of the star inclination, a delicate adjustment. Less effective than the hoe with shares on perennial weeds.
Rotary hoe	Possibility to make large ridges.	Significant impact on the soil. Risk of crusting. Suitable only for light soils. Expensive machine
Ridger (to be used in combination with a hoe with shares)	Possibility to make large ridges.

For soils with coarse structure where hoeing is more difficult, it is preferable to use a star hoe or a strip rotary hoe.

Some examples

EC-Ridger hoe

This tool, developed by Steketee (owned by Lemken), combines three elements allowing mechanical weeding of ridge sides :

• Hoeing discs that cut the weeds on the ridge and its sides
• Spring teeth that loosen the soil in the space between ridges
• Ridging bodies that reshape the ridge

Two optional elements can be added :

• The subsoiler which works the soil between ridges before hoeing
• A metal plate that protects the crop leaves on the ridges

AVR combined tool

This tool integrates three interchangeable elements on the same chassis to build solid ridge sides and mechanically weed them :

• An ecological ridger : it has scrapers that remove a layer of soil and the weeds present on the ridge sides. Ridging elements then consolidate the sides.
• A disc ridger that forms ridges but does not ensure their weeding.
• A hoe that follows the surface of the ridge sides. Ridging elements allow rebuilding the ridges.

References

• Agridea.2013. potato - mechanical weeding.https://www.gutelandwirtschaftlichepraxis.ch/fileadmin/Grandes_cultures_et_herbages/Pommes_de_terre/4.33-34_desh_mec.pdf
• AVR. Combi Machine. https://avr.be/fr/node/44
• Steketee. EC-Ridger.https://www.steketee.com/fr/producten/ec-ridger-3/