Kress Cultivating Tools

Kress just started in the US.

There have been people succesfull with the fingerweeders in France and Germany.
The linke here shows examples how to incorporate fingerweeders on draft animal machinery. Horse power with Kress

The picture is also from Germany.

That´s unfortunate, the message somehow doesn´t get modified when I edit it… nor can I delete it.
The link doesn´t work correct neither.

For the correct images of fingerweeders click the link and then on “cultivators” on that website.
There´s a one horse cultivator with fingerweeders where you can click on to see more.

From what I´ve read and heard about fingerweeders:

Pro´s:
– Removes weeds in-row and partly takes the soil from the weeds root.
– Gives little crop damage because it approaches the crop from the sides (underneath its
leaves).
– Useable in many different crops.
– Many options: for each soil and each crop the optimal fingerweeder type can be chosen.

Cons:
– The weeds quickly get too big.
– Many options: this can also be a disadvantage to make the right choice.
– Breaking of fingers, which happens when they get older on heavy (hard) clay soil.
– On a hardend and dry soil it can be hard sometimes for the fingers to enter in the soil.

All by all it would mean that Kress becomes available for probably a better price. The fingerweeders have good results when used the right way.

Hello Erika,

It´s great you´re mentioning the fingerweeders, its a cool tool to be excited about! It works to lessen hand labour mechanicly.
And I agree; it fits in very well with the sustainable and innovative future of draft animal powered agriculture.

Its exciting to hear you are thinking of purchasing fingerweeders. The firmness by color like you say makes it indeed easier to pick the right one.
The other types of fingers (rubber coated on metal) sound very agressive to me too.

I´m sorry you couldn´t make it to the cultivator sessions. The Fields Days were a wonderfull full weekend, I´m still digesting on it with joy.
I think its great you bring this subjecto the forum. Its not covered enough. There is a lot more to say for these “mechanical weeding tools”.

I can inform you on that (link with) sweep with combined hiller and harrow. Kress buys those from another company called “HAK”.
I like the 3 actions combined in one: hoeing (or scuffling), hilling & harrowing. It works shallow, efficient and light.

And the sweep with hiller can be supplemental to the fingerweeder. When for example the brassica gets too big, a fingerweeder could grab its leaves and damage it or pull it out of the soil. After the “fingerweeding stage” the sweep and hiller could come. That hiller is low and designed to go underneath the leaves of the brassicas. Pushing the soil underneath the leaves smoothly in-row. Without breaking the brassica´s leaves. In-row the small weeds get covered with soil and suffocate.
To make sure the soil is pushed all the way in-row, the “wing” of the hillers can be adjusted in width.

Have you heard of the “torsion weeder”?
That company HAK writes on their website that when a fingerweeder is used it gets up to 60% of the in-row weeds. Using a fingerweeder combined with a “torsion weeder”, up to 90% of the in-row weeds are “caught”. Leaving 10% to do by hand. They base this info is on field tests from the Europe.

Here´s a link to HAK´s website informing on the “torsion weeder”:
HAK mechanical weed control

If you are interested, I can inform on the price of the sweep with hiller and harrow.
I know “HAK” and “Steketee” (both Dutch companies) also offer fingerweeders, I can inform you those prices too.
I´m curious about Kress their prices for fingerweeders.

I came across this video that goes through the various technologies, perhaps it is helpful.

Anyone using any of these tools with horses? Updates on availability and pricing?