Topic: Using a rotavator on very wet soil possibly in the rain

[Crystalmoon]

Hi everyone I have never used a rotavator before & have hired one for the Easter weekend. Typical of Bank Holiday weekends here in Kent it looks like it will rain for part of every day from Friday through to Monday....sigh! This may be the stupidest question ever but is it ok to rotavate very wet clay soil? I have walking boards to put down after rotavating so hopefully won't compact the soil too much after breaking it up. Any advice welcome. xjane

[Crystalmoon]

Sorry I just wanted to add that I plan to rotavate in well rotted manure to areas where I will be growing directly in the allotment soil. I am hoping that getting the manure down to lower levels will somewhat make up for the soil damage I will do by rotavating. I will  only rotavate this one time so I can get things set up as quickly as possible. Apart from a fruit area, squash area & potatoes most of my growing will be done in raised beds so I will mix in compost etc with the allotment soil when I make the beds.
Thanks

[Jayb]

I use a rotavator and find the ground can't be too wet or it just won't give a nice finish, but my jobbie is probably no where as powerful as a commercial one. Is there anyway you can cover some of your plot to stop it getting a soaking until you get a chance to work it, might make all the difference. Just a thought, if there is any remaining straw in the manure it might get tangled up in the rotavator? I'm sure someone with more experience will be along shortly.

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Jayb I've got the whole plot covered in black membrane at the moment to weaken the weeds so hopefully that will reduce water logging a bit. I suppose it's a try & see situation as I've hired the machine & can't afford to rehire if I am unable to use it next weekend. Thanks for the advice re the straw I wouldn't have thought of that. It did look like quite a beast of a machine. After rotavating I will only be planting out fruit canes like raspberries initially so most of the plot will be covered up again with membrane until I can make my raised beds one at a time. My spuds are Charlottes so don't have to go in yet.
xJane   

[galina]

Crystalmoon, I don't know how physically strong you are, but rotovating is heavy work, especially on soil that has not been coarsely dug before.  It might be a very good idea to have help here, especially as you are looking at a job of several hours.  And to get it on and off a car most likely you need help anyway.

Maybe the type of rotovator you hired is better behaved, but I find that unless the tines can slide easily into the soil (which is not the case on compacted clay soil and which is the reason I pre-dig), the machine has a mind of its own and is about as hard to control as a St Bernhard dog that does not want to go where you say.  You have to push it into the soil or it will do a bucking bronco impression on top of the clay.  But maybe your machine is powerful enough to deal with the soil, I hope it is.  Please start in the middle of the plot, just in case it takes a little while to get control of the thing, you don't want it churning up next-doors plants.

The work is physically demanding and hard on hands, back, arms and shoulders.  Also please wear very sturdy shoes for the job.  If the machine needs firm control, you really don't want to slide out of wellies.  I would also take a fork, just in case it makes more sense on the day to do a very coarse dig beforehand. 

I don't want to paint too dark a picture for you and maybe the machine you hired is powerful enough to make it easy, just be aware that it looks so much easier than it is, especially on undug, wet and heavy clay.   

The best of luck 

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Galina thanks for the advice it wouldn't have occurred to me to start in the middle of the plot. My husband will be doing the rotavating to begin with & I will only have a go if he feels I can manage the weight of the machine etc....I've got a feeling he won't let me near it lol.
I'm very grateful to him for offering to help me set up the allotment as he does a physically demanding job all week...he should be strong enough to control the machine....at least I hope so. We have the machine from Friday until Tuesday so we can pace ourselves.
I think I will probably be on weeding & rake duty & pouring the manure onto the soil for him to work in.
I will suggest to my husband that we pre dig if the machine really misbehaves, thanks for that tip.
Steel toe capped boots it is then, another handy tip.
Many thanks xjane

[Uncle_Filthster]

I can only comment from my experience using a mantis but a wet clay soil does make them more prone to getting covered in claggy soil that reduces their efficiency. It's no big deal though, just stop the machine once in a while and have a clear out of all the collected bit of crud, which is something youd be doing anyway.  If you keep the ground covered right up until you are about to rotavate it'll help.
Re. bucking machines, I've found that just changing the angle of the machine can help it bite in, or even just a couple of spadefuls dug to help it and then just keep nibbling away at that edge rather than try to use it like you were hoovering the carpet.  You'll soon get the hang of it 

[Pescador]

A rotavator may well cause a smear at the depth of the tines, a bit like a plough-pan, but caused by smearing not the compaction of a plough. I wouldn't worry too much about it for this year, as it sounds as if the depth you're going to achieve could be quite variable due to the beast bucking and fighting.
Smearing and panning are generally a problem when the operation is repeated at the same depth for a couple of years or more.
Just be aware if you have drainage problems, that you might need to deep dig/cultivate in the future.
I hope you've got plenty of manure to make it worth the effort, I'd be looking at a 2cm depth of manure as a minimum.
Good luck and enjoy the rewards.

[ancellsfarmer]

Going to suggest you cancel the booking, No, postpone the booking until conditions of
both soil and climate improve. You will simply ruin the structure of your soil, leaving it consolidated and less likely to dry. You stand a good chance of rolling up all your clay like a snowball with the poor rotovator trapped in the middle!
Spread the manure on the top and wait.
It may be too late for this season but you could have cultivated at seasons end (October-November to advantage

[Crystalmoon]

Hello Pescador the soil levels are very uneven on my new plot so I think you are right doing it this one time shouldn't cause a smear as the depths will be varied. I do have a mountain of well rotted manure to use so hopefully that will make it worth the effort/risks to soil structure.

Hello Ancellsfarmer unfortunately I only recently got my plot so I missed out on the months I should have been preparing the soil. I was at my plot yesterday evening & the soil seems surprisingly dry....think it must be to do with the weed suppressant membrane I put down even though it is permeable. If we have very heavy rain & the soil gets claggy before I collect the rotavator I will take your advice & not use it. Looking at the forecast today I think I will get most of Friday rain free, fingers crossed. Even if I just get to rotavate the area I plan to plant my raspberry canes that would be good enough as I really do need to get them in as soon as possible.

Thank you everyone for your help
Jane   

[Crystalmoon]

Hello Uncle thank you for your very helpful advice. x Jane

[ancellsfarmer]

Take out a spit. Select a handful of soil from approx 2/3rds of depth. Attempt to mould a ball as if using plastercine. If you can, soil is too wet for rotavating. if it justs crumbles, then you should be OK.

[Crystalmoon]

Thank you for that great tip ancellsfarmer

[squeezyjohn]

I think if the plot is anything like mine is at the moment it will be perfect for digging and rotavating today ... but having seen the weather forecast for the next 7 days or so I think it will be almost impossible to dig for weeks now.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Positive things you could try would be to exchange the black membrane for a plastic cover.  That should keep the ground dry underneath it so that when you come to dig/rotavate later it will not need to dry out the way it will if the rain gets in.

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Squeezyjohn I've been down to my plot & today would be perfect as the soil is definitely dry enough to rotavate....gutted I can't collect the machine until tomorrow morning. We are due heavy rain all night....sigh. Should have known better than to hire it for a Bank Holiday weekend, was bound to rain 
Oh well it will be a learning experience if nothing else...I am willing the rain to wait until Friday night so I can at least use the machine for one day. I've got it until Tuesday but forecast is rain, rain, more rain!
Jane

[Hector]

Thinking of you and hoping it stays dry...it's sunny here n N Wales ( sits down in shock) and digging like a demon....so hope rotavator is good for you today

[Pescador]

What is your location, Crystalmoon, as most of UK has had a fairly dry week with rain due to come in tonight and then stay for most of the weekend? Hope you were able to crack on with it today, it's been fantastic here in East Midlands, now time to batten down hatches!!

[Crystalmoon]

Hi everyone, good news, despite torrential rain on Thursday night the membrane I had covered my plot with kept the soil workable so yesterday in beautiful sunshine we were able to rotavate the whole plot. The future raspberry bed is clear of weeds roots & all & manure has been worked into the soil, these were my main objectives for hiring the beast of a machine in the first place. It was really powerful. It didn't give a fine finish like a tiller would have but it has given a well dug finish so I am very pleased. It is a shame that we now have rain forecast for the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend & beyond, with very high winds as I really want to crack on now & get the raspberries & gooseberries planted, make 13 raised beds etc etc. I will have to be a bit patient lol. Thank you all for your advice & wise words. xJane

[squeezyjohn]

That's great news!  Well done on beating the elements ... it's a constant battle!

[galina]

That's great news!  Well done on beating the elements ... it's a constant battle!

Like squeezyjohn said!    Really pleased for you that you both got the job done you wanted and on a dry day too and that the hire machine worked out fine.  Hope that there will be enough dry time to get the fruit bushes planted.  If nature assists watering them in so much the better!   

Wish you a good start with the beds too.  You can always have plants standing by in trays that will grow in the meantime and can be planted out later when the beds are in.  Nice deep trays (repurposed from supermarket packaging for example) will grow many things that can be transplanted at a later date, like lettuce, leeks, brassica, peas, beetroot and soon beans and courgette/squash.  It's really only veg like carrots, parsnips and other roots that are not happy with transplanting and you still have plenty of time to get these sown.  Maybe you can rig up a cold frame or a cloche for the seedling trays or keep them at home.

Happy growing!