Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: MishMash on June 21, 2010, 11:11

Title: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: MishMash on June 21, 2010, 11:11
Sorry, but a quick question as I'm off to pick up a rotovator at lunch.

Can I rotovate over a turfed area? Is this correct way of doing things, or should I dig the turf up first?

I've just taken over a plot and am an absolute novice! Any rotovating tips appreciated!

Many thanks!
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Wild Pony on June 21, 2010, 11:24
No reason why not, but you would get some regrowth of what you've buried. Some glyphos the area first (depends on your views), which would make easier work when rotorvating as the root systems are looser in the ground and not binding the soil. Horses for courses really.
Are the turfs pure grass?, you could roll them and leave free to good home or use them at home, if just weeds then just bury or weed kill the lot.
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: MishMash on June 21, 2010, 11:36
"Are the turfs pure grass?"

Well it's a bit of everything really. I think it was a veg patch once that's gone over to grass, it's very uneven, with pits and holes in the ground. I don't think a roller could flatten it enough.

I was going to try and pull out most of the grass on my first run, the go over again where I've walked. I guess I'll see how I go! I've heard rotovating can still be hard work compared to digging, not sure I'll last long if that's the case!1  8)
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on June 21, 2010, 20:22
Have a read of the Howard book of rotavating in the info section of this site.
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Trillium on June 22, 2010, 15:37
Hoping to save myself some work, I tried rotovating a grass area. It didn't work out well. The tines can't dig in well in grass mass and you get more of a chopping effect. If you did repeated passes you'd eventually hit soil but you'd still need to pull out all the grass bits as they'd simply regrow. So it's better to save your engine by just slicing out the turf first. There are machines for hire that will do this.
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Fen on June 22, 2010, 18:47
I'd certainly spray with glyphosphate first. It's inert once it gets into the soil and not dangerous to man or beast. It will kill all weeds, although a second dose may be necessary. See what you have got when the vegetation dies down. If its really rough you'll have a job with a Merry Tiller or anything smaller. Worth borowing or hiring a bigger machine to break it up first and the use a normal rotovator. Getting all the weeds killed now, while they are still growing, will save loads of work in following years.
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Ma Lowe on June 23, 2010, 08:00
We rotivated our lawn and now have a veg garden. You can see what we did in my diary

 http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=57890.0


It saved us a lot of hard work :happy:
Title: Re: Rotovating on grass?
Post by: Wild Pony on June 23, 2010, 11:14
We use a McCulloch rotorvator, bit of a beastie and I have to tether the duvet sharer to a tree or I'd lose him, coz when that girl chews on soil, she's in there til Australia!!!! We glyphosphate first.I think you can still purchase it from agricultural merchants in 5L bottles but one heck of alot cheaper than buying "Roundup" (the laws and use for sprayers has recently changed), but might still get it under grandads licence. My last lot cost £15/5L whereas Roundup was £30/1L !!!!! Same stuff.