BURGLAR PLOWING
Among the preparatory processing phases for the creation of a new vineyard, plowing is one of the most important operations. The methods for carrying out this process are multiple and depend on various factors, including the type of soil and the outcome you wish to obtain for hosting the vineyards.
In this article we will delve into the various types of processing and the benefits of trench plowing for vineyards.
WHAT IS BREAKTHROUGH PLOWING AND WHAT IS IT FOR?
Burglary ploughing, also simply called burglary, consists of breaking the soil in depth - generally up to 80-120 cm; exceptionally at 150 cm - using special tools to prepare the soil to welcome the plants. Without trenching, the roots of the vines would tend to develop towards the surface, making the plants more susceptible to uprooting and drought.
Burglary plowing for vineyards is usually carried out after preliminary soil work - bush clearing, leveling of the surface, removal of stones - during the summer period, when the risks of damaging the soil due to the passage of particularly heavy vehicles are minimal.
THE BENEFITS OF PLOWING FOR VINEYARDS
In addition to making the soil softer to encourage the growth and spread of roots, trench plowing for vineyards, if done properly, brings many other benefits:
Removes weeds, roots of old plants, stones and stones present in the ground.
It allows you to fertilize the soil in depth.
It reduces the development times of the vines as the deeply worked soil also improves in terms of oxygenation and hydration.
It allows you to identify and eliminate any areas of water stagnation that could cause an excess of unwanted humidity in the vines.
SOIL WORKING METHODS FOR THE VINEYARD
There are different types of soil processing for breaking up the vineyard. Below we delve deeper into the main techniques and their purposes.
Burglary with holes
Hole-breaking: consists of making wide and deep holes only in the points where the vines will be planted. It is carried out mechanically with augers in wide-arched vineyards, where the distance between one plant and another does not make it necessary to work the entire soil. Currently, following the reduction of planting spacing, it is only used to replace individual plants.
Trench break-in
Trench breaking: consists of making a deep trench along the lines of the vineyard rows. It is also called trenching because it involves the creation of a ditch - approximately 1 m wide and deep - using a furrowing plow or a spoon excavator.
Real or total burglary
Real or total trenching: consists of working the entire surface with deep plowing or subsoiling (also called ripping).
Burglary practiced with a plow is the most traditional practice. It is carried out using plows capable of reaching a considerable depth pulled by high-powered tractors, such as crawler tractors which, thanks to the tracks and the high mass/power ratio, guarantee better grip on the ground. The trenching carried out with the plow guarantees a total inversion of the soil profile and is ideal for completely removing weeds and fertilizing the soil.
The depth of plowing depends on the type of soil: if it has a marked degree of clodiness, it is generally preferable to proceed with medium depth plowing and one or two harrowings; if the soil is silty or clayey the depth is increased to avoid the formation of a too superficial working surface.
The break-in carried out with ripping involves the use of heavy scarifiers, the rippers, carried by a tractor equipped with adequate power or by an earthmoving machine. The ripping operation involves a series of parallel cuts that simply interrupt the continuity of the ground without altering its profile: for this reason it is advisable to make two passes in perpendicular directions. Compared to ploughing, ripping requires lower traction force and does not allow soil improvers and fertilizers to be buried, which is why it requires subsequent plowing of medium depth.
VINEYARD WORK
Are you interested in further insights into the processes and tools best suited to the well-being of the vineyard?
Check out these articles:
Vineyard screening: learn more about this processing phase
Pre-pruner: the ideal tool for autumn pruning of the vineyard
Vineyard trimmer: what to consider for an optimal result?
Inter-row lawnmower for vineyards: the advantages and the best solutions
Summer pruning: when and how to apply it for the benefit of your vineyards
CONCLUSIONS
Burglary plowing for vineyards is one of the most important preliminary operations in the creation of a new vineyard. Move the soil deeply, using the most suitable method
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Breaking in agriculture is a deep tillage of the soil which is extraordinary in that it is carried out before the planting of the arboretums. The depth of the processing is generally 80-120 cm, but exceptionally can reach up to 150 cm.
The purpose of the trenching is to create soft conditions, even if temporary, even at a certain depth, so that the roots of the trees expand easily. In fact, in unbroken soil, the roots develop more superficially and the plants are more easily subject to uprooting phenomena and more susceptible to drought. It is carried out with a super heavy wheeled/tracked agricultural tractor.
Burglary with holes
Hand auger to create holes in the ground
It is carried out by making large and deep holes at the points where the plants will be planted. This operation was carried out by hand for the planting of large arched arboretums (e.g. 10x10 m) for which it was not considered necessary to work on the entire surface. Currently, with the reduction of planting spacing, it has completely lost importance and is adopted only for the replacement of individual plants within an arboretum or to reduce planting costs. It is carried out mechanically with an auger capable of drilling holes 80-100 cm deep.
Trench break-in
Also called trenching, it is carried out by making a deep trench along the lines of the rows. Not a very widespread practice, it is carried out by tracing a ditch with a furrowing plow (equipped with a double mouldboard) or with a spoon excavator. In general the trench is about one meter deep and over one meter wide.
Total break-in
Also called real or total burglary, it is carried out by working the entire surface. The processing consists of plowing or deep subsoiling (often called ripping).
Burglary carried out with the plow is the practice adopted by tradition. The processing is carried out with special, trailed ploughs, capable of carrying out processing at exceptional depths. Given the high traction force required, tractors with high power and grip are used. Crawler tractors are better suited for this purpose as the tracks and the high mass/power ratio offer better grip than wheeled tractors. The plow is of the towed type, with a depth adjustment device operated by a hydraulic jack powered by the tractor's hydraulic system.
This type of processing determines an inversion of the soil profile and can also have a soil amendment effect when layers of different textures are involved. It also offers the advantage of having an excellent clearing action on weeds and can be used for the burial of fertilizers. The disadvantages consist in the possible transfer of sterile soil to the surface and, above all, in the higher costs. The degree of clodiness is marked therefore the excavation requires complementary operations which generally consist of medium depth plowing and one or two harrowings. The basic fertilization can be carried out in correspondence with the trench, but it is preferable to postpone it to complementary plowing as it concentrates the fertilizers in the layer most affected by the roots (30-40 cm). The depth of processing depends above all on the texture: to avoid the possible formation of a relatively superficial processing base, the depth is increased in silty and clayey soils.
The break-in carried out with ripping is carried out with heavy scarifiers, called rippers, capable of reaching significant depths. The ripper, made up of 1-4 splitting parts, is carried by a tractor with adequate power and grip or by an earthmoving machine. This type of processing does not alter the profile of the land but simply interrupts its continuity with a series of parallel cuts. For greater processing effectiveness, it is preferable to perform two passes in perpendicular directions. At the same depth, ripping requires lower traction forces. Compared to ploughing, it has the disadvantage of not being able to be used for the burial of soil improvers and fertilizers and, moreover, it has a smaller clearing effect. The processing could be followed by a simple harrowing, but a subsequent plowing of medium depth is also necessary in order to bury the fertilizers added with the bottom fertilization.
Execution period
The breaking is carried out after the preliminary operations (clearing or deforestation, leveling of the surface, removal of stones) and before the complementary works. The best period for execution is summer because in this season the soil is in a cohesive state and the risks of damage to the structure, mostly due to compaction with particularly heavy vehicles, are minimal.
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The digging activity is an operation of fundamental importance, therefore, for planting different types of crops: it consists of breaking the compactness of the soil with special agricultural vehicles and cutting tools to spread and prepare the roots of the plants. This activity also allows fertilizers to spread appropriately.
Being able to move the soil deeply allows the rooting of the plants, shortening the times for their growth and development, because the worked soil improves both in terms of water and oxygenation.
Another aspect not to be underestimated is that of promoting excellent fertilization of the soil where we are going to plant our shrubs: a correct preventive analysis allows us to understand the main characteristics of the soil and the presence in percentages of nutritional elements. Usually the most used fertilization is the one that involves the use of manure (both for the costs and for the excellent results, as the soil is softer and richer in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium).
The most suitable period to carry out any type of break-in is the summer because the ground is in the best conditions to avoid various compaction problems following the passage of the heavy vehicles used.
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Break-in
The term trenching, in agronomy, means a deep process, similar to tillage, which is carried out between 80 and up to a maximum of 150 cm before planting an arboretum. In general, the working depth depends above all on the texture: to avoid the possible formation of a relatively superficial working surface, the depth is increased in silty and clayey soils.
Unlike tillage which is a single process, trenching can be carried out on the same land at the end of the productive life of an arboretum, before the new one is planted.
The objective of the trenching is to create soft conditions such as to guarantee easier expansion and deepening of the root system of the tree species.
The burglary is carried out with the aid of wheeled or tracked agricultural tractors of great power and grip.
The break-in causes an inversion of the profile of the ground. It also offers the advantage of having a temporary action to eliminate weeds and can be used for the burial of fertilizers.
The disadvantages consist in the possible transfer of sterile soil to the surface and, above all, in the higher costs and rapid mineralization of the organic substance brought to the surface from the underlying layers.
Due to the large size of the clods, following the trenching, complementary processes are required which generally consist of medium depth plowing and one or two harrowings. Basic fertilization can be carried out in correspondence with the trench, but it is preferable to postpone it to complementary plowing as it concentrates the fertilizers in the layer most affected by the roots (30-40 cm).
Burglary is an agronomic operation which has the objective of carrying out preliminary operations such as: bush clearing or deforestation, leveling of the surface, removal of stones and before complementary processes.
For this reason, the best period for carrying out the trench is the summer because in this season the soil is in a cohesive state and the risks of damage to the structure, mostly due to compaction with particularly heavy vehicles, are minimal.
One of the break-in techniques is the hole-breaking technique which is obtained by making wide and deep holes in correspondence with the points where the plants will be planted.
This operation, which was once performed manually and with specific tools, is now performed mechanically with augers capable of digging holes 80-100 cm deep. Unlike total digging (often called ripping), it does not therefore affect the entire soil to be planted, thus safeguarding the microflora of the soil to a greater extent.
For greater processing effectiveness, it is preferable to perform two passes in perpendicular directions. Compared to ploughing, it has the disadvantage of not being able to be used for the burial of soil improvers and fertilizers and also has a minor weed elimination effect. The processing could be followed by a simple harrowing, but a subsequent plowing of medium depth is also necessary in order to bury the fertilizers added with the bottom fertilization
