To rotavate or not?

[jennym]

I don't think you can beat a rotavator for doing large areas of heavy soil, the weed problems get overcome - eventually they just give up.
I now don't have to use it on many areas of my plot, but it has been invaluable.
I also have a long draw fork as shown on the link, didn't know what it was called as I got given it, but it's very useful indeed for breaking up small areas and heavy raking.

[jennym]

[john_miller]

I think this is one of the main reasons given NOT to rotovate. Also it damages the soil structure I think.

Yes it does,Moggle. Additionally, rotavating incorporates air into the soil (a rotovated bed is always higher than an untouched one) which will speed the decompsition of organic matter. This will release nutrients into the soil more quickly, potentially making them unavailable to crops and increasing groundwater pollution, and can reduce both good drainage, during wet periods, and the moisture retention capacity of the soil during dry periods.

[monkey puzzle]

Not sure I follow the logic.  Why is it detrimental to the soil to release nutrients more quickly and why will it increase groundwater pollution?

Depending on the soil type and the frequency of rotovating it may well impede drainage (rotovating to a set depth encourages a hardpan) and encourage erosion on lighter soils.

That said, with a large neglected area to be cultivated, rotovators are great.

[Robert_Brenchley]

You may well get a lot of nutrients being released, then leached out of the soil, at a time when the crops don't need them. Then they're unavailable when they do. Additionally, the extra oxygen churned into the soil burns up humus, which doesn't help the soil structure.

[Trixiebelle]

My father-in-law (who I share my lotties with) PROUDLY announced last that he'd bought a rotivator. We had to (just about) cut a red ribbon last week to 'launch' it.

Me ... I've had my eye on the spark-plug. How do you sabotage a spark-plug??? Any ideas welcome!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Do you really want to be that nasty? Shame on you! That sort of sabotage should be reserved for enemies.

[Trixiebelle]

I won't DESTROY the spark-plug ... just hide it somewhere! Is that better?

[Melbourne12]

My father-in-law (who I share my lotties with) PROUDLY announced last that he'd bought a rotivator. We had to (just about) cut a red ribbon last week to 'launch' it.

Me ... I've had my eye on the spark-plug. How do you sabotage a spark-plug??? Any ideas welcome!

From my misspent youth, I seem to remember that if you take a soft pencil, and draw a nice line on the ceramic insulator of the spark plug from top to bottom (ie from the metal bit at the top to the metal bit that screws into the hole), then the machine won't start.

Doesn't damage the plug, but puzzles mightily the poor chap who's trying to start the engine.   ;D

[marjrie]

Like the Chiilington 6159C/4P as found at the very bottom of this page?





Has anyone got any idea of where you can buy these?
[/quote]

Sorry to be thick but where at the bottom of the p[age, I can't see anything ?

[grawrc]

Like the Chiilington 6159C/4P as found at the very bottom of this page?


If you click on this which is blue it is a link to the Chillington website. Scroll down to the bottom of that page and you will find what is being talked about. :)

[Melbourne12]

Like the Chiilington 6159C/4P as found at the very bottom of this page?


Has anyone got any idea of where you can buy these?

I'm not sure whether this helps much, but Chillington used to be the export arm of Elwell Tools, which was one of the great toolmakers of Victorian times.  My late father-in-law worked for Elwell until they were bought out by Spear & Jackson (I think around the mid-70s).  The Chillington name is still used on wheelbarrows sold by a separate company in the UK, but I suspect that Chillington Tools only sell outside the UK.

Edit: No, I'm wrong.  See http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/erc25a.html

[grawrc]

Hey!! Thanks for doing the surfing. ;D ;D

[amphibian]

Like the Chiilington 6159C/4P as found at the very bottom of this page?


Has anyone got any idea of where you can buy these?

I'm not sure whether this helps much, but Chillington used to be the export arm of Elwell Tools, which was one of the great toolmakers of Victorian times.  My late father-in-law worked for Elwell until they were bought out by Spear & Jackson (I think around the mid-70s).  The Chillington name is still used on wheelbarrows sold by a separate company in the UK, but I suspect that Chillington Tools only sell outside the UK.

Edit: No, I'm wrong.  See http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/erc25a.html

If only they did the four pronged fork.

[Merry Tiller]

As I said earlier, rotavating & cultivating the soil on my plots has done nothing but improve it's structure, don't forget, there is more than one kind of rotavator which can be fitted with more than one kind of tine and can be used by more than one kind of operator, if you know what you're doing it works superbly, just ask the huge worm population living on my plots

This will release nutrients into the soil more quickly, potentially making them unavailable to crops and increasing groundwater pollution, and can reduce both good drainage, during wet periods, and the moisture retention capacity of the soil during dry periods.

Sorry but doesn't this just contradict itself, it releases pollutants into the groundwater and yet it reduces drainage???????