Clean hoeing in ridge crops
IN recent years, farms growing ridge crops have been faced with a seemingly unsolvable problem – more and more herbicides are being banned and the market is now demanding as much chemical-free food as possible.
At the same time, it has been almost impossible for farmers to keep ridge crops free from weeds without using agrochemicals. Now, the Steketee EC-Ridger, from Lemken, can offer a modern and smart solution to the problem.
This implement, designed for a row width of 75 cm, works in three stages. Hoeing discs cut weeds on the top and the sides of the ridge, spring tines loosen the spaces between the ridges and finally ridging bodies return the ridge to the desired shape.
It is currently available in three variants:
■ The EC-Ridger 5 has lightweight basic elements for removing weeds from the tops and sides of ridges, and can be front or rear-mounted.
■ The EC-Ridger 7 is rearmounted and features the TRS hoeing element which is particularly well suited for working in difficult conditions. A leaf guard can be added to prevent crops from becoming damaged or buried when the implement hoes along the sides and rebuilds the ridges. Also, ridging bodies can be replaced by ridging discs for use in lighter soils and a subsoiler can be added for more challenging conditions.
■ The EC-Ridger 9 is again rear-mounted, comprising of a range of tool modules that can be used to adapt the machine to changing conditions and the various growth stages of the crops. There is a module with hoeing blades for hoeing on ridges and a module with hoeing discs for working in between ridges.
Depth control wheels ensure that both elements maintain a precise working depth. Complementary tools in the range include spring tines, ridging discs and ridging shares. The quick-change system makes replacing the individual elements easy. If required, you can also add a subsoiler to the system.