Rotovator

[caseylee]

I have been told that it is not the best thing to use a rotavtor on my allotment, can anyone advise if its worth getting one or is digging best

[caseylee]

[betula]

I wanted to rotovate mine but was advised against it as I have Clay soil.Apparently it creates a pan.Also some people think that by chopping up weeds etc you are making the problem worse.My friend had a huge bracken problem.She rotovated the lot.Covered the plot in grass seed,then created beds and it worked a treat.The bracken will never go away but much more manageable.

[caseylee]

I think I am just looking for a easy way cause due to mine and my husbands work patterns we only get down to thae allotment maby once or twice a week so it would save a awful lot of time just rotovating the second plot we got.  I will be able to spend more time down there soon as finally I am going part time yeah so you will catch me there nearly every day then

[betula]

Yes,that will be great to spend more time on the lottie.If you do rotovate and cant get down to often remember to use lots of ground cover or it will be back to stage one in no time. ;D

[tim]

Said before, but I could not have coped in 1 1/2 days a week without one.

[Kea]

A 1/4 of my plot has been rotovated and I have to say i've got less weeds in this bit. The other side which hasn't been rotovated has developed a bind weed problem but it has come from the neighbouring plot. But I was able to cultivate the rotovated side quicker and it's the most productive and under control part of my plot. I also have a heavy clay soil.

[cleo]

I swear by mine makes preparing the soil a doddle. But yes do remove the bindweed and couch first

[powerspade]

I am seriously thinking of getting a rotovator as my back is playing up. Has anyone any recommendations as to manufacturer or what to look for in buying one?

[kt.]

My plot took a full year to clear by hand before I planted any veg. This past couple of years I have seen good fruits from my labour.

We are hoping to get a second plot. Once cleared , then a rotavotor will save oodles of time to allow us to get maximum benefit from each plot. I am hoping to get a rotavotor once the second plot is cleared by hand, purely to save time digging ground.

[bombus]

I am seriously thinking of getting a rotovator as my back is playing up. Has anyone any recommendations as to manufacturer or what to look for in buying one?

The Merry Tiller that I use must be 30 years old, I put a brand new motor on it some 3 years ago. It has done plenty of hard work over the years, and still going strong. If you look around there are attatchments you can buy, on ebay for eg. Hope this is of some help, it will save plenty of backache. ;D

[caseylee]

I think its aldis that have them on special in two weeks time for 49.99, but they are electric and I don't have power supply at the allomtment any ideas on what I can do, I know you can buy a generatot os something, otherwsie back to the spade I go

[Robert_Brenchley]

At that price, they probably wouldn't have the power needed for an allotment.

[George the Pigman]

I got a Mantis about 10 years ago and its still going strong (but don't tell it that otherwise it will probably pack in when next I use it!). I have clay soil (ie an old riverbed) and if you pick the right time it works OK. Obviously  a heavier and more powerful machine will be able to work when the soil is not quite right for a Mantis and will dig deeper (but there aren't many plants that need deep roots!)
I agree that with a new overgrown plot its best to clear by hand initially but rotovation is fine after that. You do have to be careful not to overdo it though as re-rotovating the same area several times can cause a pan to form.

[caseylee]

thats the sma eone I was talking about except its electric

[kt.]

thats the sma eone I was talking about except its electric

Guess you didn't see the electric cable hanging down the right side of the picture then... ::) ::) ;D ;D

[sawfish]

Once all the weeds are under control the rotovators great just for turning over the soil. Just get the earth in a reasonably weed free state first.

[JohnnyLarge]

I have a 30-odd year old 3HP Norlett for my allotment. I paid £40 for it 4 years ago. If your soil is really hard it is best to hand dig it or get someone with a big Howard or something to go over it first and really break the soil up.
My rotovator is fantastic and goes down at least 9" or 10" if I work slowly and steadily and let the machine go at its own pace.
It comes in to its own for planting, where I can just titivate the soil, plant the row, then do the next row. The handle turns through 90 degrees so I can walk at the side of it and not compact the soil I have just covered. I wouldn't be without one.
The bigger and more powerful the better. The electric and Mantis type ones are only for weeding type applications and won't work well on heavy soil.
I have a 3HP weeder for that! ;D

[Plot69]

For my birthday last year my Wife bought me one of these...

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=PLT-3043YE

She also bought me one of these to go with it...

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=AQTT-02

The cultivator isn't any good for heavy duty work but the way I have my plots with no dig raised beds it's absolutely fantastic for  loosening and breaking up the soil in each one prior to planting. I had to dig it all properly first but now it's done the cultivator is great. What I use it for most is rotovating in manure, it's great for that.

The strimmer itself gets a great deal of use as well, both at the lotties, home and for keeping my boat mooring and caravan pitch tidy.

[hippydave]

i use a mantis on the plot for just about everything they have so many attachments to make life so much easier, and its size belies it power it just wont stop and is so light it isnt a bind to use, i also have a large howard 350 that i run over the allotment in the autumn when i spread the manure, but i could more than manage with the mantis and you can get them quite cheap on ebay.

[twinkletoes]

I have a Mantis too and am very satisfied with it.  I use it for going over the carrot bed and parsnip beds as you can get a really good tilth on the soil and get down to about 10".  Also, any couch grass root found is easily extracted by putting the machine into idle and just bending down and picking up the root - same with any large stones. Sooner do this than dig to be honest. 
Twinkletoes