The process of harrowing, if it is thoroughly done, and the on-going inundation of the wet-rice fields turns the mud in terraces into a thick consistency, but the surface of which is usually uneven because the mud accumulates at various places during harrowing. It is necessary to smoothen the surface, that is, to distribute the mud evenly in each plot, because the mud eventually settles down to form the bed into which the rice seedlings are planted and take root. If the surface were left uneven, an uneven bed would result beneath the water level in terraces making the thorough planting of seedlings impossible. Smoothening is done with a plank that is harnessed to the buffalo which is made to drag the plank, or board, around the terrace thus distributing the mud around the terrace. The process is simply called by a karen term, kwa’bleta, which means “to sweep smooth”, or by the Northern Thai term toek naa (“to smoothen the wet-rice field”), or again a combination of karen and Northern Thai as in toe’ chi’. This is also a task that requires the efforts of two men, but it is not unusual for one man to do it because the board does not require much handling as ploughs and harrows do.

Once smoothening is completed, the wet-rice fields are not worked for some time to allow the mud to settle at the bottom of the terraces. This generally coincides with the initial growth period of the rice shoots in nurseries.