Mechanical weeding is coming under the spotlight once again as grass weed control gets more tricky. Keep it simple, suggests Claydon Drills, which recently launched the TerraBlade hoe
In the battle against blackgrass, a range of controls may be needed to reinforce the effects of herbicides, or, as active ingredients become less effective or are taken off the market, to replace farmer reliance on chemicals entirely. Mechanical removal of weeds by hoeing has long been the stand-by for organic farmers who cannot rely on chemicals, and it is now attracting interest in conventional systems, too. Claydon Drills has developed the TerraBlade inter-row hoe over the past three years, testing tools and configurations on the family’s own 320ha farm in Suffolk.
