Rotivate Yes or No

[Gazfoz]

I have been given the opportunity by my next plot neighbour to use the rotivator at his disposal.
I have just dug out two beds by spade and taken out the perennials and bindweed and couch to the best of my backs ability although i am sure i haven't got all of it.
The old boys are saying no but I will be only able to grow on a fraction of my land if I dig it out by hand this year.
I am aware of the chopped roots problem.

[Gazfoz]

[caroline7758]

Ah, that old chestnut. Think you've covered the options youtself, so you just have to decide!

[Fork]

Yes you have the answer yourself.

If you rotovate you will cause more weeds,ie the root problem you already mentioned.

Im against making too much work for myself so my answer would be dont rotovate.

[Trevor_D]

Ditto!

[Gazfoz]

Any pro rotivators out there?
There must be, my allotment has loads of them!

[Fork]

I rotovate.......but this time of year and only after I have winter dug my manure in at the end of last year,and of course when any offending weeds have been removed  ;D

[Dadnlad]

I rotovate.......but this time of year and only after I have winter dug my manure in at the end of last year,and of course when any offending weeds have been removed  ;D

:) - same as
We rotovate with our Honda 4stroke, but have had the weeds out and turned muck in beforehand ;D

[Gazfoz]

Well, lots of grins from the rotivators.
Thanks for that.

[bupster]

My next door neighbours just took over a plot that had been kept ok, but left to get very overgrown last year, so some perennials and lots of annuals. They had it cleared and rotovated then spent the last few weeks digging it over. I went up yesterday and there were new clumps of dandelion and couch all over the place. Though they've been digging like mad, they're too new I think to have been able to spot the rotovated little pieces of root, and now that they've got the plot planted, they won't be able to rotovate again, or use weedkiller, so I suspect they've got a tough season ahead of them trying to keep even halfway on top of the weeds. After a season of annual weeds roughly cleared as well the ground must be full of weed seeds.

I suspect that the people (including some of my other neighbours) who rotovate have had their plots for years and aren't averse to the application of healthy doses of weedkiller before they started. I'm organic, and I take that to mean no chemicals, not just chemicals until it gets a bit easier then no nasties. It means I still haven't all my plot under production, but I'm not trying to feed a family of 14 in a famine, so who cares?

Having said all that, each to their own...

[Melbourne12]

We have a rotavator, and it was very useful when we first took over our plot.  We use it less and less nowadays, though.  Faced with a piece of unkempt ground, what we found by trial and error to be most effective was:

• Get rid of brambles by cutting and digging
• Spray thoroughly with glyphosate (Roundup) OR use a flamegun
• Let the weeds die back for a couple of weeks
• Remove the dead thatch with an azada or similar
• Now you can rotavate very successfully

Edit: If you're worried about chopped up bindweed etc roots, after you've prepared the ground, leave it another couple of weeks and spray or flame the emerging weed seedlings.

[shirlton]

We had our plot sprayed and rotovated when we first took it on but we still had to dig it in the finish. I don't think there are any short cuts. After the first year you should be able to rotovate if you have got all the deep rooted perrenials out. Like the others we winter dig and then just turn the soil over in the spring to make it easier to plant the spuds. I use a dibber so the soil has to  be penetrable

[Mr Smith]

I've just dug and rotovated  new ground in the last couple of weeks pretty much twitch free this time, without the rotovator I would of been struggling to get it ready for some spuds :)

[MPG]

Its all new to me lol, i have made loads of mistakes in the last few wks, maybe not just me but weather not helped, i now have 2 half plots have been concentrating on clearing and digging 1st one, i have no rotivator so its been digging all the way, then down in the mud pulling as much weed as i can, then i dig again and again, still not done the whole half plot but not far off, the man on plot next to me has lovely soil but he been there for 20+ yrs, i probably make him have a good giggle at my attempt, im enjoying myself, not trying to rush things and as i said making mistakes.
i don't think i would want a rotivator now the weeds will be bad enough this year with digging and getting as much out by hand. but each to there own, its your own little piece of magic if you like, do what makes you feel happy. mpg

[vespaman]

i have sprayed mine twice with rroundup and have left it for 4 weeks its quite dead now,but as i have a few thing to do to the plot i.e shed/water barrels/fence etc, i have decided to clear the dead weeds,by hand and when im read get it rotoed by plot owner next to me as a favour for giving him pallets and perspex,i have also decided to cover it once its rotovated with black plastic for a few months then i should be ready to look after it better.

i.e i have a year to get it ready no need to rush.

[tim]

I can only go back to square one. We could not have coped without one. It's in the 2nd photo.

Never looked back.

[blisters]

We've just had one of the cheapo electric rotavators from Lidl and it is great for getting a good tilth on decent ground.

However, I wouldn't use it to prepare a new bed from scratch as it just makes too much work in the long run.

If it was me, I would rough dig to get as many perenial weeds out as possible, then I would rotavate to get a decent tilth.  I also use it to work in any organic matter I have to hand.

[heyho]

I'm going to give a politicians answer here - there's scope to do both but I suppose it depends waht tyupe of plot your are inheriting and maybe also the size of it.

I took over a 40ft square plot this year which had not been touched for years. Decided to hire a decent rotavator (first problem - it was nearly too big to fit in my 4x4) and spent a whole day going over and over it until it was pretty well fine soil. So plus factor number one, after a few days raking up all the rubbish on the surface before I rotavated the actual rotavation left me with a nicely dug over plot and some inspiration to continue.

BUT it would be niaive of me to say 'well that's that, lets get planting'. What I am doing now is focusing on small patches and give it a good turning over with a fork which is a lot easier since it has been rotavated. It also allows me to get rid of a lot of the perennial weeds that have been cut up by rotatvating (a down side to it I feel).

So my advice - rotavate AND dig

[shirlton]

Doesn't look to me as though you are getting out of this one eh! get bloomin digging lol

[flowerofshona2007]

From my point of view...
eave yourself a little more to dig by hand and rotavate the rest, that way you can get more in this year, if you put your potatoes and roots into the bit you rotavate it will get dug over as you harvest your crops and you can slowly clear the weeds.
Why lose out on all the food you can produce for yourself ???
Yes you will chop up couch ect but in my experience once the soil is losened you can dig it over much easier and to be honest you will be batteling weeds for many years to come, we have bad mairs tail and i know there is no way we will get rid of it so you have to learn to live with the fact you will be weeding it out :) its just a fact of gardening.
Once you have rotavated it go through it all and pick out as much weed and roots as you can, have a real good rake over !!
Apart from the fact you will grow more this year the shear fact the plot is clear will improve how you feel and you will lose the feeling of 'im never going to get this cleared' which can become disheartening.
:)

[Gazfoz]

From my point of view...
eave yourself a little more to dig by hand and rotavate the rest, that way you can get more in this year, if you put your potatoes and roots into the bit you rotavate it will get dug over as you harvest your crops and you can slowly clear the weeds.
Why lose out on all the food you can produce for yourself ???
Yes you will chop up couch ect but in my experience once the soil is losened you can dig it over much easier and to be honest you will be batteling weeds for many years to come, we have bad mairs tail and i know there is no way we will get rid of it so you have to learn to live with the fact you will be weeding it out :) its just a fact of gardening.
Once you have rotavated it go through it all and pick out as much weed and roots as you can, have a real good rake over !!
Apart from the fact you will grow more this year the shear fact the plot is clear will improve how you feel and you will lose the feeling of 'im never going to get this cleared' which can become disheartening.
:)


That is exactly how I feel and exactly what I have done.

Thanks for all your imput  :) :) ;D