Every gardener knows how challenging it is to eliminate weeds. Regardless of the number of times you weed, the stubborn plants always come back to invade your garden.
And although you can opt for methods like uprooting the weeds to slow down their growth, the entire process is manual and tiresome.
But what if you could weed your garden without being present and leave it neat continuously?
That is what the Tertill garden weeding robot promises, and you should try it.
The Tertill weeding robot is a robot that is designed to eliminate unwanted plants from your vegetable garden. It is an automated cultivator that eliminates weeds from your garden without physical input.
With this robotic labourer in place, you’ll save time and energy.
Interestingly, you do not have to remove Tertill from your garden in bad weather since it is weather-resistant. The weed-pulling robot will keep patrolling your garden and cut down unwanted plants.
How the Tertill weeding robot works
The Tertill weeding robot is an automatic cultivator that stays in your garden from Spring through Fall, eliminating weeds.
It has front sensors to identify weeds and plants and a solar panel that powers it, meaning you do not have to charge it.
The robotic weeder has wheels that churn on the top layer of the soil and help it move from one corner to the other.
So, when you place it in your garden, it uses height to differentiate plants from weeds. If the plant is tall and touches the front sensors, the robot will turn away to avoid cutting it.
But if the plant is short and passes under its body, Tertill will churn up the top layer of the soil and kill the weeds.
Furthermore, the cultivator will use a string hammer to cut down any per-emergent or sprouting weeds.
The Tertil solar-powered weeding robot spends between one and two hours cutting down weeds daily.
Note that it does not move around the garden for the entire hour. Instead, it works in intervals of between two and five minutes.
After five minutes, the machine will go to charging mode. Then, it will power up once fully charged and continue whacking weeds. The cycle will continue until the garden is clear of any emerging weeds.
As we recommend in this Tertill weeding robot review, your garden must meet specific conditions for the weeding robot to work well. We’ll explain them in detail below.
How to use the Tertill weeding robot
Since it works automatically, the Tertill weed garden robot requires some specific conditions to work well. Here is how to set it up to allow it to eliminate unwanted plants from your garden.
1. Create a border
The first step is to create a border around your garden. You can use fencing, wood, or stones. A barrier prevents the robot from going beyond its designated area.
Ensure the border is at least 4 inches high since the machine is 4.5 inches tall. If it hits the fence, it will return to the garden and continue cultivating.
2. Weed out the garden
You should weed out the garden first.
That will help remove plants taller than two inches because the robot will not cut them.
3. Smoothen the surface
The robot requires a smooth and flat surface to manoeuvre easily from one corner to another.
Therefore, ensure the slope within your garden is seven degrees or less, and remove any rocky areas that may impede the machine’s movement.
4. Space the plants and rows
It is advisable to space plants and rows one foot apart to allow the machine to move in between them.
5. Protect small plants
While the Tertill weeding robot will not cut plants at least two inches tall, you may have short plants.
For this reason, the weeding robot comes with metal guards that will help you protect small or desired seedlings that are not tall enough for the cultivator to detect.
Once the machine hits the guards, it gets repelled and turns away.
6. Release the robot
Once you meet all conditions, release the robot to start working by pressing the start button twice.
The robot will move around the garden and cover an area of up to 200 square feet.
What are the features of the Tertill weeding robot?
The Tertill weeding robot has several features, including:
- Capacitive sensors – The robot has capacitive sensors that offer various functions, including detecting nearby objects, differentiating weeds from plants, and cutting down any plants shorter than two inches.
- Solar panel – The 4.3-by-5.3-inch (HW) solar panel on the machine helps to power it up and store energy in a battery.
- Treaded wheels – The robot has 3-inch treaded wheels that use four-wheel drive to move the machine around the garden.
- Nylon string – The machine has a nylon string that uses a spinning whacker mechanism to cut down unwanted plants.
- Bluetooth technology – The Tertill weeding robot uses Bluetooth technology to connect to an Android and iOS app.
- Mobile app – The mobile app allows you to check the status of the Tertill robot, including battery life, firmware version, temperature, solar voltage level, and whether the machine is currently running or charging.
The Tertill weeding robot also uses materials that are resistant to bad weather. Therefore, once you place it in your garden, it will cut down the weeds, whether in Fall or Spring.
What are the pros and cons of the Tertill weeding robot?
The Tertill weeding robot has several pros and cons:
Pros
- It is easy to use.
- It is effective in cutting down weeds unattended.
- Helps till the soil.
- Runs on solar power, preventing you from charging it.
- It is weatherproof.
- Can differentiate between good plants and weeds.
- It helps to save time.
- It has a low ongoing and maintenance cost.
The robot also works continuously, thus preventing pre-emergent weeds.
Cons
- It does not work on sloped or cottage gardens.
- Does not offer height adjustment for weeds taller than two inches.
- It only covers a small area.
The robot has an app with only a few features, like creating schedules and receiving alerts when the robot stops working or the string requires replacement.
How much does the Tertill weeding robot cost?
The Tertill weeding robot costs $299.00 from its official store. The amount includes ten plant and metal guards, ten replacement whacker strings, and a laminated garden planner.
Furthermore, the manufacturer offers a 60-day risk-free trial. If it does not work well within 60 days, you can return it and get 100% of your purchase price.
Is the Tertill weeding robot worth it?
The Tertill weeding robot isn’t perfect. But it is worth purchasing for those with small backyard gardens who don’t have enough time to maintain them.
The best part is that it runs fully on solar energy. In addition, its sideway wheels will not get stuck in a flat garden, even if the surface has wet dirt or soil.
Finally, the robot is kid-friendly; anybody can use it to till their garden or eliminate weeds.
Carla is a student pursuing a B.S in Agricultural Systems Technology. With a passion for landscaping for over 4 years, Carla loves plants. She has previously contributed to several other sites in the space before joining InsightWeeds.