What Is Mechanical Weeding?

Weeding is a practice that involves controlling the proliferation of weeds and weeds. In addition to the aesthetic aspect, weeding is beneficial for the growth of plantations (flowers, plants, shrubs, trees, etc.) in your garden or orchard. Among the various techniques related to this practice, mechanical weeding is the most recommended method due to its advantages. What should be remembered about mechanical weeding?

Mechanical weeding is an effective alternative to reduce the use of herbicides

Like the use of herbicides, the principle of mechanical weed control is to get rid of weeds. This weeding method requires a good knowledge of certain techniques and different tools. Increasingly used in organic farming, it is a method that is proving its effectiveness in weed control, while reducing the use of phytosanitary products. This technique favors the mineralization of the soil and contributes to the development of plants while improving the supply of nitrogen.

Due to the rise of the mechanical weeding method, equipment manufacturers offer more and more tools adapted to each type of crop. These manufacturers provide you with innovative solutions to make manual weeding easier whether the surfaces are hard or not. By opting for tools with a patented design, you will find in particular the motorized mechanical weeder, efficient and adapted to your needs. The use of these tools allows you to weed with great comfort using hard surfaces, invaded by moss and weeds. This considerably reduces its harmfulness to flowers or cultivated plants.

The mechanical weeding tools marketed by these designers are intended to uproot, cut or bury weeds and are rather intended for professional use or demanding users.

Therefore, these machines are very popular with companies and communities for weeding public spaces, housing estates, and castles. And campsites and are suitable for paths, park paths, cycle paths, sidewalks, cemeteries, and playgrounds, bowling alleys, athletic tracks, private gardens. … It should be noted that these specialist weeding manufacturers also market machines such as power tillers, cultivators, mowers and brush cutters, log saws and splitters. These different tools are practical to guarantee the maintenance of your garden or its environment in a natural way.

What are the main tools used for mechanical weeding?

There is a range of simple and effective tools used in mechanical weeding. These tools may be intended exclusively for professional use for demanding users, or for local authorities and technical services. We find in particular the weeding brush, weeder, tooth harrow, and rotary hoe.

Suitable for hard surfaces, the weeding brush is effective at removing weeds in an orchard or garden. This tool can be used to maintain the green spaces of campsites or common areas. The weeding brush can also be suitable for bowling alleys, park paths, playgrounds, sidewalks, bike paths, running tracks, etc.

It usually comes with 4 different sets of brushes that can have a fine, thick, mixed, or plastic structure respectively. This technology allows working with different types of floor coverings. The weeding brush is characterized by its ease of use. And there are new models with up to 8 adjustable metal brushes . These brushes can be easily adjusted to allow low soil degradation.

The weeder, for surface weeding

The weeder is one of the essential tools in mechanical weeding. The action that this machine emits consists of scraping the soil and scraping the weeds on the surface. The weeder allows destroying the root of the weeds in a shallow depth. This is an ideal model of operation to disturb the soil.

There are two types of brush cutters, namely manual and motorized. The first is used to maintain crops in your garden or orchard, delineate cultivated areas, and ventilate the foot of roses, hedges, or shrubs often reserved for places of difficult access. The second motorized is used in particular for large areas to be equipped for weeding specific weeding tools developed by manufacturers. This machine has a roller, a rake, blades, and an adjustable handlebar that can be easily operated and save valuable time on all weeding jobs.

The weeding harrow, to eradicate weeds

Indispensable in mechanical weeding, the weeding harrow is a multipurpose tool that can be used to get rid of weeds. Its effectiveness is based on several adjustments: the speed of advance, the depth of work, and the inclination of the teeth. The weeding harrow works the soil to a depth of about 2 cm depending on the nature of the surface to be weeded.

This tool removes weeds by vibration effect, and its flexible teeth offer better aggressiveness. However, the flexible tine harrow is not suitable for soils that are too wet or, conversely, too dry. This machine is also ineffective at removing perennial and mature weeds.

The rotary hoe, an effective weeding tool

It is a mechanical weeding tool that requires few adjustments. Like the flexible tooth harrow, the rotary hoe works the soil to a depth of approximately 2 cm. It is suitable for beaten or clay soils due to its crust formation function. Equipped with wheels in the form of spoons, it digs, sweeps pulls, and then throws the weeds.

To optimize the aggressiveness of the rotary hoe, it is possible to adjust the depth of penetration of the buckets. The rotary hoe is not effective on mature weeds. This tool requires low maintenance and it is possible to combine its use with that of the weddin harrow for greater efficiency.

Some practical tips for successful mechanical weeding

Mechanical weeding can have an impact on plants. Or crops in case of incorrect settings or improper use of a tool. Before using any of them, it is important to prepare the ground well beforehand. You must anticipate the growth of weeds and weeds, as power weeding tools are not designed to clear weeds. The more developed the herbs, the less effective the tools.

In addition, it is also recommended to alternate the tools so as not to damage the crop to be weeded. When choosing your tools, opt for quality machines that can adequately meet your needs. To achieve this, it will be necessary to take into account criteria such as the technologies or features it offers, the resistance of the machine, the nature of the surface to be weeded, etc.