Here’s Why Cultivating Is Good For Your Land
When you make your living off the land, you have to take good care of your property to ensure that it stays fertile. This has to be kept in mind throughout the different stages of your operation to ensure you take the necessary steps to retain or restore the soil quality. One of the questions that may have crossed your mind is whether it's better to cultivate or till your land.
Rivera’s Machinery, Inc. is your local cultivator dealer in Donna, TX and we want to help you make the best decisions for your enterprise. If you’re looking for cultivators for sale near Harlingen or San Benito, get in touch with us and have a chat with one of our helpful staff members!
What is Cultivating?
This is one of the oldest practices when it comes to agriculture and it’s still as good an option today as it was centuries ago! Cultivating your land leads to two results: it removes weeds from the soil and it loosens the soil so that air, water and any nutrients you add can penetrate deeper into the soil. With the right cultivator model, you can easily maintain any size of land!
Why Cultivate?
You can’t really protect your soil from the elements, which means it can become crusty and tightly packed over time. When you cultivate the soil, it breaks and loosens up, which allows air, water and nutrients to reach deeper levels where they can be used by the roots of the crops you’re growing. It also makes it easier for the germinated seeds to grow up out of the soil.
Sometimes, weed seeds are buried deep into the soil. Cultivating brings these seeds to the surface where they will wither away on the surface instead of germinating and taking away the nutrients you intended for your crops. Since cultivating lets water soak deeper into the soil, it also increases water retention, which means your crops might not need any supplemental water.
When Should You Cultivate?
Most of the time, you’ll find that surface cultivation is all you have to do. For example, if you see that the soil is becoming crusty or a lot of weeds are starting to grow, you can do some surface cultivation to improve soil health. It’s not advisable to cultivate soil when it is wet because that only serves to compact the soil further. It’s better to wait until the soil is dry before you bring out your cultivator!
You should consider cultivating your land before planting any seeds. This helps the seeds germinate and thrive, especially if you’re working with smaller seeds. It is also a good idea to get your cultivator going before you add any fertilizer or compost. Not only does this allow for deeper penetration of the products, it also reduces the chance of rainwater runoff.
How Do You Cultivate?
When you’re ready to go to work with your cultivator, keep in mind that you don’t want to dig too deep. This will only decrease the amount of time it takes for the soil to dry out. You want to create loose soil only for the top couple of inches. Any deeper and you may cause more harm than help by reducing the water retention capabilities of your land.
If you’re going to be cultivating when your crops have started to grow, try not to damage any of the roots. Take care to only cultivate between the rows so you don’t disturb any plant. Aim to stay as far away from the plants as possible to reduce the risk of thwarting their growth. After all, you don’t want all your hard work to end up reducing your productivity!
Another important step is to get the right cultivator for your needs! To find out more about these machines or if you’re ready to check out cultivators for sale in Donna, TX, contact Rivera’s Machinery, Inc. and talk to one of our expert staff. We’re also proud to be the preferred cultivator dealer for our patrons from Harlingen and San Benito!