Rolling crops: answers to common questions

The topic of rolling crops is relevant for farmers and farmers, but not everyone knows why to do it and when it is better to start. Many people have difficulty choosing ice rinks. What equipment is worthy of attention and allows you to carry out the operation with a high quality, we will tell you below. We will also reveal all the subtleties and features of rolling on soils of various types. After studying the information, there will be no questions left, you will be able to efficiently process the field.

What are the goals of rolling?

This type of soil cultivation allows you to solve many problems, including:

• alignment of the relief;
• elimination of medium and large lumps;
• increased capillarity;
• ensuring rapid heating of the upper layers of the soil, etc.

When planning packing, you need to clearly set goals. The result will be different with shallow soil tillage before and after sowing. It depends on the timing of the application of this agricultural technique. If it is necessary to level the relief, remove lumps and create comfortable conditions for the growth of small-seeded crops, they are rolled up before sowing, and then - when setting the following tasks:

• creation of optimal conditions for the emergence of friendly seedlings;
• improved capillarity;
• destruction of large lumps;
• "Sealing" moisture after the seeder.

They are rolled to provide the culture with normal growth conditions. Thus, moisture is retained in the soil, which is always important. This contributes to the simultaneous emergence of friendly seedlings. This agricultural technique is a must when working with a blocky and lumpy structure of the earth.

When to start rolling?

As mentioned earlier, the land is cultivated using this method before and after sowing. In the first case, it is better to perform the operation as quickly as possible after cultivation, ideally on the same day. Why? Delaying tillage on light soils, there are great risks of moisture loss, on heavy soils - the formation of large dry clods, which will interfere with all further work. The right thing to do is those who, after sowing, roll in immediately after a few hours. This allows you to get good results, as a last resort it is worth cultivating the land during the day.

Is it worth using agricultural practices on gatherings? No, so as not to damage the stems and young roots. They do not roll over the seedlings even in the presence of huge clods or crust in order to avoid adverse consequences, because the rollers are quite powerful machines. It is advisable to use this equipment as long as there are no shoots half a centimeter high. They usually appear 3-4 days after sowing. The presence of seedlings is an unambiguous reason for refusing to roll. In most cases, the soil is passed by rollers immediately after sowing or the next day. Lump problems will be solved after the seeder has worked, but provided that the soil is sufficiently moist and the moisture level in it is optimal.

Which ice rinks are better?

To answer the question, you need to decide what tasks the machines should cope with. Based on this, select a roller according to the required characteristics. By the type of profiles, they are:

• ring-toothed - suitable for post- and pre-sowing work;
• smooth - used for rolling after sowing on light and medium soils;
• ringed-spur - used after disking and cultivation in order to form a fine-lumpy structure.

When choosing a diameter, the size of the clods is taken into account, respectively, equipment of the required size is used. The lower this parameter, the greater the traction resistance.

Examples of the optimal choice: when there is a lack of moisture, wedge-shaped narrow rollers are used for row sowing, and ring-spur rollers for spread or belt sowing, ring-toothed analogs with a diameter of 35-60 cm on medium and heavy soils.

What features of rolling are distinguished?

This agricultural practice is definitely recommended to be used after and before sowing small-seeded crops, but for cereals - at will. In the latter case, the need for rolling is determined based on the moisture level. If there is a shortage, it is better to resort to processing in order to "raise" the resource from the lower to the upper layers to ensure rapid germination.

Experienced farmers always roll in the seeds of rape, alfalfa and other small crops after sowing. The contact of plants with the soil becomes more dense. Moreover, with a lumpy structure, they simply do not germinate. Modern equipment allows you to quickly cope with the task, most seeders today are equipped with roll-on mechanisms. The seeds are placed in furrows, sprinkled with soil and then immediately passed through the territory by a machine. There is no need to carry out the operation several times with modern seeders.

Important: if the soil is dry and the sowing work was not completed on time, then it is imperative to roll the soil in order to ensure good and uniform seedlings.

Is there an alternative?

Rollers are an indispensable technique when you need to solve the above tasks, but if after sowing a crust forms after sowing, you can also use a harrow or rotary hoe. Experts expressed their opinion on this matter:

1. "When we compared the unpristine and the pristine areas, we saw more friendly stairs on the latter. We are very pleased with the result. "
   “For unknown reasons, modern European-style rollers make it heavy, so you need 50% more traction. Take, for example, the McCormick X7.690. He copes well with the tasks set before it. "
2. “When growing small-seeded crops, you can't do without a skating rink. It is irreplaceable on dry soils and poorly cut soils. Ideally, it is better to have one 6-meter skating rink on the farm ”.

When choosing a rolling technique, experts take into account the granulometric composition of the soil in a specific area, the type of crop and the timing of the equipment commissioning.