Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: redhat on February 04, 2007, 11:37

Title: rotovator - pros/cons
Post by: redhat on February 04, 2007, 11:37

As I have a temperamental back I am thinking of hiring a rotovator to turn in ALOT of horse manure on my LARGE allotment (ex Sutton Seeds land in Reading - nice friable/sandy soil). Can I just throw the manure on top and go over it with the rotovator? Apart from spreading weeds (which I shall rake off -or should I burn them off?) will the ease outway the negatives (ie damage soil structure?) or should I risk the back. Thanks. :?:

Title: rotovator - pros/cons
Post by: muntjac on February 04, 2007, 11:44

throw it on  rotavate it in ,dont jar the back tho with the rotavator, the argument about damaging soil structure is dodo to me  id  think about it ,if the farmers in the world dug over every bit by hand they would have a bad back as well now they use machines and the soil is still there its fed now by some chemicals and the waste from harvest is turned in when they plough...  :roll:  most of all enjoy the dram when ya get it all done  :wink:

Title: rotovator - pros/cons
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 04, 2007, 18:35

I agree with muntjack get the equipment in!!! you will get loads more work done, and the ground can only benifit from being worked.

Title: rotovator - pros/cons
Post by: shaun on February 04, 2007, 20:05

i think all this about rotavators spreading weeds is a myth

Title: rotovator - pros/cons
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 05, 2007, 16:58

You could do worse than getting one like apywell on this site. its lite, so easy on the back, my 6 year old grandson can use it not well but hey its got to be easy for him. every now and then it climbs out of the ground and he has to chase it across the vegy patch :lol:  but he loves it. here somewhere i have the Howard book on rotovating and used correctly a rotovator can kill the weeds not spread them.