Source:
Weed 'Em and Reap Part 1: Tools for Non-Chemical Weed Management in Vegetable Cropping Systems [DVD]. A. Stone. 2006. Oregon State University Dept. of Horticulture. Corvallis, Oregon. Available at: http://www.weedemandreap.org (verified 17 Dec 2008).
This is a Weed 'Em and Reap Part 1 video clip.
Watch video clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_R-fTC7uYk
Featuring
Suzy and Robelee Evans, Foundhorn Gardens. Days Creek, OR.
Audio Text
Robelee Evans:
This is the Reigi mechanical in-row weeder, made by Univerco of Canada. One of the features I really like about this is the simple design. It's very practical and it's very affordable and really light-weight. It has a few moving parts and it's easy to grease the few parts and it's easily accessible. It would be easy to repair or work on it.
The PTO shaft turns these discs that spin the belts which transfers the movement down to the discs with the tines. These are the spinning discs that come in two sizes: seven inch and eleven inch. You use the smaller ones for closer spacing. We find this one [eleven inch] works better for something eighteen to twenty inches between plants in the row. These optional shield attachments are used to minimize the throwing of soil and rocks away from the plants.
Suzy Evans:
One of the great advantages of the Reigi weeder is it's easy to see what you’re doing. You don’t have to twist your spine looking behind you. It's easy to manipulate. It’s not hard on the arms and it's actually pretty fun. I’ve gone for probably a couple hours straight and Robelee is looking back and going, "You sure you‘re not tired?"
I’m going, "Go! Go!"
It’s low-stress. We love it.
The Reigi is very effective on both small and much larger weeds unless the large weeds are very densely packed. This field was cultivated by the Reigi about two weeks ago. We’re just going through it for the second time. You can see it does a really good job of removing the soil from the roots. The Reigi can be used on a variety of widely-spaced plants, such as squash, strawberries, cabbage-family plants, as well as herbaceous and woody perennials. In a direct-seeded squash field such as this, the Reigi can be used to both weed and thin. We’ll plant at a higher density since it's much easier to thin then it is to transplant.
