[neil1967]

Just started with an allotment and I am currently hand digging the plot as it has lots of Dock and a bit of bind weed in it, but once I've removed most of these I was looking to get a Rotavator/Tiller to speed up incorporating manure and for future digging and to use at home has the soil there has not been worked for approx 15 years and is like concrete and very pale.
Just wanted to seek advice on a mantis tiller before spending £400 on one. Are they worth the money? Will it be any good on the allotment. Do you have any personal thoughts on better alternatives.
Thanks in advance for your replies.

Neil

[Gwiz]

the mantis is a very good machine, quite a few of the people on here have them.
I own the small ryobi two stroke machine. does the same job, bit cheaper, but not so many attachemts for it.
there is also the small honda fg110 machine availiable.
None of these are going to do much to soil that is like concrete though.
You might be better off hiring something a lot bigger to start with, and getting a mantis/honda/ryobi to maintain the plot once it's been turned over.
be a pity to bust a new machine as soon as you've paid for it wouldn't it?
and believe me, as someone who works in the garden machinery buisness, we KNOW when a machine's been doing something it's not supposed to do

[neil1967]

Thanks for the reply.
Had a look at the Honda slightly heavier machine and the attachments seem a bit dearer.
Just ordered the Mantis with lawn care kit (£399) direct from Mantis. What swung it in the end was the 365 day test and retun if not happy policy which means as long as i don't break it i won't be stuck with it if i find i don't like it
 
Neil

[shaun]

you wont be sending it back in 12 months neil it will be your bezzy mate for many a year  

[richyrich7]

 I love my little red machine anybody got the potato furrower attachment ? and do you need to widen the row spacing's

[neil1967]

Thats what i'd be hoping Shaun it's just that little bit of reassurance thats nice to hold in the back of my mind.
I did look at the furrower attachment but i thought that if the Mantis was going to take most of the back work out of gardening i could afford a little bit of exhertion every now and again digging furrows.

Neil

[richyrich7]

When I spoke to mantis last year they seemed pretty confident that the mantis ( 2stroke version ) would and could break up a new allotment plot with "several" passes, I've not tried mine yet on uncultivated ground, but on ground dug beginning of last year it was amazing, turned my clay into fluff in seconds, can't wait to try it on my green manure

[neil1967]

Well according to Mantis website i should have it delivered in 5 to 10 days so just got to stop myself trying it on the ground that i haven't dug yet has i think i've got enough docks on the lottie as it is.  :?

What do you think of using it on a patch that has no docks or bind weed but does have a moderate amount of couch? or will that spread as well?

Will def try the dethatcher at home on 'the lawn' expect to have a couple of (dozen :shock: ) decent sized bags of hanging basket moss and a bare patch of soil instead of my green bouncy carpet.

Neil

[richyrich7]

Well re the couch grass, it's a fact rotovating chops it up and spreads it BUT  continual rotovating over a period of time kills it, I think it's supposed to be done every 2-3 weeks. Bear in mind also weeds growing on cultivated ground are easier to pull up, and you could always rake any vegetation, roots etc off after rotorvating, I shall be trying this method myself this year, saves hours of back breaking work or repeated spraying IMHO.

One thing I have found is that the mantis gets tangled up in long undergrowth but then they all do.

[neil1967]

Thanks Richy, looks like i'll be doing the same to a section of the plot that hasn't been worked  (so i've been informed) for a couple of seasons.

The last occupant cut down the brambles and Raspberries and covered the ground, it's been a labour of love the last month trying to dig it over but as it is more compacted it's hard going and i think my efforts are going to be better used on the part that they grew on last year.

Although this is covered in a lot of couch and brambles, as you said, it is a lot easier to remove them as it's recently cultivated, just a b*gger that i'm having to pick the spuds (not really edible condition :roll: ) out that they left in as i turn it over.

Neil

[richyrich7]

Well used mine today, really happy with the results    here's a couple of pics to show you what I achieved in about an hour

1st pic shows my plots how they would have looked before I started, looking across 2 plots, 1 cultivated with green manure growing 1 not. the uncultivated bit had a fork stuck in it and the soil levered up, but not dug.


After


Would have liked to go over again for a deeper pass but the ground was becoming to claggy as the frost thawed.

[neil1967]

:shock: Only an hour.
2 hours on my lottie today and only achieved a 10ft trench and a bit of chipping moved.
Hope Mantis pull their finger out and get mine to me quick.

Neil

[shaun]

frozen solid here   we have had 5-6 nights of realy hard frosts,maybe next week for me.

[richyrich7]

frozen solid here   we have had 5-6 nights of realy hard frosts,maybe next week for me.

too hard here aswell today I was down there just gone nine but frozen solid could hardly get the fork in  :!:  nice to be out in the sunshine tho'