The Tertill weeding robot is an automated cultivator that helps you keep pesky unwanted plants out of your garden. It quite literally does all the work for you, allowing you to put down the shovel and enjoy your garden.
What’s more, the result is astounding as the machine achieves as good weed control as can be achieved with hand weeding.
Developed by the inventors of the Roomba autonomous vacuum, the Tertill weeding robot has been in the market since spring 2019. It is most ideal for vegetable gardens and makes a superb gift for family and friends who love gardening.
By the end of this article, you will have a good sense of how the machine works and why it is a fantastic investment for your garden.
How Does the Tertill Weeding Robot Work?
The Tertill weeding robot gets rid of weeds in a garden by trimming them down and preventing them from growing. It has specially designed wheels with which it stirs the top layer of soil, destroying pre-emergent weeds.
The 3-inch treaded, four-wheel-drive wheels loosen the soil and keep it well tilled, which explains the ’till’ in “Tertill.”
The robot’s trimmer trims down small weeds that escape the wheels. The machine also has a spinning whacker mechanism that uses a nylon string to cut down taller weeds.
It uses sensors to differentiate between normal plants and tall weeds.
The sensors apply capacitive sensing similar to the one used in smartphones and tablets to detect objects.
They generate a small electric field with which they measure and detect changes in the field caused by objects such as living plants, wire fences, and moist landscaping timbers.
These sensors prevent the machine from whacking plants that are taller than 4 inches. A Tertill weeding robot considers anything that is tall enough to touch its front sensors a good plant and turns away.
Plants that are less than 4 inches tall, such as seedlings, are protected from whacking by plant guards that come with the machine. Place the guards around your small plants, and the robot will turn away when it gets too close.
A Tertill weeding robot operates in intervals of two to five minutes that cumulate to a total of one to two hours per day. Also, they are built to cover up to 200 square feet of garden area. The machine produces chiming sounds a few seconds before it starts working.
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How To Set Up for A Tertill Weeding Robot
Start by putting up a border around the garden that is at least 4 inches high to contain the machine within your garden’s perimeter. Also, it is advisable to leave one foot between plant rows to give the machine space to maneuver sufficiently.
You should also ensure that the ground is fairly level. Preferably, the slope within the garden should not exceed 7 degrees.
Otherwise, the machine will not be able to move in the way that it is supposed to. It also helps if the surface is smooth, so you ought to take care of uneven grounds and rocky areas.
It is important to do preliminary weeding before letting the robot run in the garden. Preliminary weeding includes removing weeds that are higher than 2 inches, as the machine will take them for good plants and ignore them.
Finally, use guards to protect small plants and seedlings that the robot could easily mistake for weeds. A guard repels the robot such that when it comes too close to a guard, the machine turns away instantly.
Once your garden is ready for the robot, press the go button twice and watch as the Tertill weeding robot destroys the weeds therein.
Product Review
| Product | |
| Product Name | Tertill Garden Weeding Robot |
| Brand | Tertill |
| Product Dimensions | 8.25 x 8.25 x 4.75 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.4 Pounds |
| Cutting Width | 4 inches |
| Color | Green |
| Style | Automatic |
When it comes to the appearance this weeding robot has a beautiful green and gray finish. The top part of the robot and its wheels are green in color, with the mid-part donning a cool gray. This results in an attractive device.
It is conveniently easy to use. As explained above in this article, all you have to do is set up the garden and press the machine’s go button for it to wake up and start working. You can then relax as the robot does all the work for you.
A Tertill weeding robot has mechanisms to differentiate between plants and weeds. It comes with sensors and guards that enable the machine to identify weeds and get rid of them successfully.
For plants that are tall enough to touch the robot’s sensors, the robot leaves them alone. Guards are put in place to protect seedlings that are too short to be sensed by the sensors.
As a weatherproof device, the Tertill robot is operational all year round as it can withstand all sorts of extreme weather conditions.
Therefore, you can focus on other things as it takes care of your garden. Only, you must ensure that the setup is perfect for optimal effectiveness. For instance, the ground should be relatively level and smooth for the machine to work well.
The package comes with a free smartphone app that enables you to monitor the machine remotely. Using the app, you can check what the machine is doing from the comfort of your living room or while traveling.
You can also upgrade the software with free consultation and services by the manufacturer.
Additionally, it is solar-powered, so it does not need charging. This means that you don’t have to connect it to electric sources for it to work, which cuts down on electric bills.
While it is costly, it has total value for its price. What’s more, it makes for a perfect gift for friends and family that keep a garden.
Key Features
- Green and gray finish.
- Weatherproof to withstand different weather conditions.
- Sensors and guards to differentiate between good plants and weeds.
- Uses solar energy.
- Comes with a free smartphone app for both android and apple.
Pros
- It is solar-powered.
- It is easy to use.
- It is weatherproof.
- It is effective in trimming weeds and tilling the soil.
Cons
- It gets stuck on uneven ground.
- It has few features.
Why You Should Get a Tertill Weeding Robot
Everybody wants to spend their money on products that bring them value that equals or exceeds the cost. The following are reasons why it is wise to invest in the Tertill weeding robot if you own a garden.
It will save you time and energy. You only need to set up the garden and leave the hard work to the robot. With it, you will not have to persevere back-breaking garden work, and you will have time to focus on other facets of your life.
Moreover, you will have space to enjoy your garden as you will not spend all your time dealing with weeds.
A Tertill weeding robot is environmentally friendly. This is especially in comparison to using pesticides or chemicals. Chemicals pollute the soil and can come with health risks if yours is a food garden.
The machine is solar-powered. It runs on sunshine with solar cells that store energy in a battery. As sunshine is a natural resource, it is a free form of energy.
This means that you will not have to incur crazy electricity bills.
It is weatherproof. A Tertill weeding robot can stay outside through all seasons as it is made to withstand harsh external conditions- from April showers to the August heat to the November hard frost.
Thus, you can go on vacation, leave the robot working on your garden, and you can be sure to find it in good condition when you return.
It is easy to use. No mapping or programming is required to run and operate this machine. All you ought to do is press the go button and watch it clear weeds from your garden.
Ensure you fence the garden so that the robot does not wander off the perimeter.
It can differentiate between plants and weeds. The robot has sensors with which it can tell weeds and good plants apart.
It also comes with guards that protect small plants and seedlings from getting trimmed by the machine. So, you can be sure that your plants will be safe as the machine gets rid of the weeds.
It scares away marauders. The machine scares away small animals such as rabbits that may destroy your vegetable garden.
This helps to keep your plants safe from getting ruined by trespassing marauders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Tertill Weeding Robot equipped with a Wi-Fi radio?
No, it is not. Instead, it connects to its smartphone app, in both iOS and Android phones, using Bluetooth. Through the app, you can monitor the machine and check things like its status, battery life, level of solar voltage, and firmware version.
However, the app does not indicate when the machine is stuck or when the whacking string needs replacement.
What kind of maintenance does a Tertill need?
A Tertill robot is pretty much self-sufficient. It is weatherproof and solar-powered. The only maintenance it would require is replacing the whacker string when it wears down.
Does Tertill work in a flower garden?
A Tertill can work in pretty much any garden, provided the garden has a 4-inch fence around it, adequate spacing between plants, and a relatively flat, smooth surface.
So, to answer the question, a Tertill can work in a flower garden if it meets these requirements.
Final Thoughts
While the Tertill Weeding Robot does not come with a myriad of smart features, it is extremely easy to use and very efficient at controlling and eliminating weeds from your garden. It is also low maintenance as it is largely self-sufficient.
Furthermore, it is weatherproof and can stay out working on your garden throughout the year.
You don’t have to charge it as it is solar-powered, which will save you big bucks on electricity bills. While it is quite expensive, it is worth every penny.