Hilling, earthing up or ridging is the technique in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and horticulture of heaping

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

up around the base of a plant. It can be done by hand (usually using a hoe), or with powered machinery, typically a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

attachment. Hilling buries the normally above-ground part of the plant, promoting desired growth. This may encourage the development of additional tubers (as with potatoes), force the plant to grow longer stems ( leeks), or for some crops ( chicory, leeks, asparagus etc.) this blanching technique keeps the stems or shoots pale and tender, or influences their taste. Hilling helps to smother weeds. It may also be used to stabilize the stems of crops which are easily disturbed by wind.

Examples

A common application of hilling is for potatoes. The tubers grow just below the surface, and can produce

chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...

and solanine if exposed to light (green potatoes). Solanine is toxic in large doses, and can result in nausea, headache, and in rare cases,

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. By hilling one or more times during the growing season – effectively, burying the potatoes in an additional few inches of soil – yield is improved, and the harvest remains edible. In vineyards, at the beginning of the winter period: * reduces the risk of damage by frost. Indeed, a heat gradient is formed by the thermal inertia of the earth. It is warmer inside the mound of soil. * facilitates the flow of water (which presence is important because of precipitation during winter). The evacuation can be done via grooves. * destroys weeds.

References

{{reflist

External links

How To Grow Potatoes : How to Hill Potatoes

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Timing of herbicide application and potato hilling
American Journal of Potato Research Agricultural terminology Horticulture Agricultural practices