Cultivation is the preparation of the land for farming. Cultivating the land is important for the following reasons:
- It helps break up and loosen the soil’s dry crust on the surface, allowing air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper where the plant roots can access them.
- It makes it easier for the crop seeds to germinate through the soil’s surface.
- It eliminates the germination, growth, and spread of weeds.
Every farmer has his preferred methods in preparing the soil for planting – tilling, plowing, non-tilling, or spading. Many farmers choose spading because they see it as a better way of cultivating soil.
What is spading?
Spading refers to a method of soil preparation that breaks up and loosens the soil’s top layer and mixes it with compost, crop residue, weeds, and other organic material that can fertilize the soil. But unlike tilling or plowing, spading doesn’t turn the soil’s entire top layer. It can be seen as an alternative to tilling or plowing for primary tillage. The primary tool for farming is a spade, a digging tool consisting of a flat, rectangular blade (but the blade can also be square or round) and a long handle. Also called a shovel, a spade is commonly used for creating holes, trenches, and other small-scale digging tasks.
What is a spader?
You have been familiar with or perhaps even used the hand-held spade at some point. There are also the machine-run spades that make the work easier. They are collectively known as a spaders. The spader or rotary spader is a set of mechanical shovels that prepare the soil for planting without causing a hardpan, which is typical of tilling or plowing.
Falc spaders – how do they work and make cultivation more efficient?
A well-known Italian manufacturer, Falc designs mechanical spaders. They are usually operated by the power take-off (PTO) behind a tractor. They work similarly to rototillers but with reciprocating spades or shovels. The working principle of Falc’s mechanical spaders resembles manual digging, penetration, tearing, and throwing of the soil. A hardpan is a compact layer of soil just below the surface. It can be caused by soil composition or human activities, such as tilling or plowing. When hardpans occur near the surface, they can lead to high soil erosion rates and degradation of the topsoil. Another hardpan causes the roots to grow horizontally instead of deep into the soil to have access to water and nutrients. In the end, hardpan can effectively cut off crop development and yield. Spaders are superior methods of cultivating land because, unlike rototillers, they leave a better soil structure without causing a hardpan beneath the tilling layer. Furthermore, spaders can do deeper tilling. Falc’s spaders are among the latest and most sophisticated of their kind in soil preparation. They are a “one-pass” type of equipment, enabling easy working in of cover crops into the soil. Plus, towing a spader behind a tractor is generally easy as spaders don’t cause a significant load on the tractor or other machines. Solex Corporation, a reputable distributor of farming, landscape, and light construction equipment in the Western US for over 50 years, offers the following Falc spaders:
1) Panda 1000
From the Panda series, this PTO-driven spader works as a digging machine that leaves the soil broken, loose, friable, and permeable. As a result, the manure or organic fertilizer is completely mixed with the soil. Working with this machine also encourages the decomposition of crop residues, promotes better oxygenation of the entire worked dirt, and improves the life of the microorganisms essential for transforming organic matter. Specifications:
- 35- to 58-inch working width
- 4-speed gearbox
- For 20- to 35-hp tractors
- PTO shaft (less clutch)
- Cage protection
- Important note: Tractors must be equipped with creeper gear.
2) Toro 1500
The Toro 1500 works in the same principle as all Falc spaders. It works as a digging machine that leaves the soil loose and permeable. As a result, the manure or organic fertilizer is completely mixed with the soil. It also encourages the decomposition of harvest residues, promotes better oxygenation of the entire worked soil, and improves the life of the microorganisms essential for organic material transformation. Specifications:
- 50- to 98-inch working width
- For 40-90 hp tractors
- Three speed ranges: 120, 140, & 160 rpm.
- External flanges and cage protection.
- PTO shaft with clutch
- The tractor must be equipped with creeper gear
3) Mini Toro 1000
The Mini Toro 1000 works in the same principle and function as all Falc spaders. Specifications:
- 40- to 80-inch working width
- 4-speed gearbox
- For 30 to 60 hp tractors
- PTO shaft with clutch
- Cage protection
- The tractor must be equipped with creeper gear
All Falc spaders listed here are ideal for vegetable fields, nurseries, greenhouses, vineyards, and large farms when working the soil with other machines or equipment is impossible. Here are the following benefits of using spaders:
- Spaders do not cause hardpans as mechanical plows and rototillers do.
- Preparing the soil with spaders helps increase water filtration. Spading provides passageways for the water and moisture to enter by diluting water-repellent or hydrophobic soil with non-water-repellent soil and breaking down the soil’s organic matter that causes water repellence.
- Preparing the soil with spaders helps increase soil aeration. When the soil is well aerated, it receives the proper oxygen, which is an essential element for plant growth. The plant’s roots will be able to penetrate deeper into the soil and have more access to water and nutrients. With the plants receiving adequate nutrition, they grow healthy and productive overall.
- A spader can be easily integrated with a seeder or planter. By combining spading with seeding and planting, you will be able to save time, effort, fuel, and money.
- Spaders are suitable for every soil type, contrary to the misconception that they work only on light soils. Falc’s spaders can also work on heavy soils, such as clay.
Solex Corporation has imported and distributed farm, landscape, and light construction equipment for over 50 years. It offers 30 product lines from various American and European manufacturers throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. If you are a dealer or end user interested in knowing more about Falc spaders or other equipment from Falc or other manufacturers, contact our sales staff by calling us at (707) 678-5533 or message us here.