To rotivate or not to rotivate............

[newkidontheblock]

Right guys,

Spent huge chunks of my weekend up the allotment everything hurts now, it's even painful typeing

One of the other guys gave me some runner beans and their now in trays before they go into the ground.

One conumdrum I've come up against is, do I rotvate it or not. Some say do as the soil is better and some say no as it just cuts the weeds up and they grow back with even more ferocity. Help please.

I have some before and during photos which I'll post later if I can, I'm going there after work today to do some more clearing.

So do I rotovate or not?

[Pottypotter]

If you have couch grass do not rotivate.

[OverWyreGrower]

Have posted on your other thread but will repost here....

We rotovated, even with horrid weeds! Our soil was very compacted and dense as its been at least 15 years since anything was grown there, and the rotovator has helped with this.

We used a turf stripper first then a heavy duty rotavator. We have a field full of couch grass

Of course, I've spent hours and hours weeding the couch grass out, and have used RoundUp on the bits we're not planting in this year.

All back breaking, but worth it!

The bits that I have comprehensively weeded have stayed couch-grass free, which is very pleasing!

It's your choice really. If you can afford the time and so on to pick out every bit of root etc, then go for it!

[Flummery]

Bindweed and horsetails are also no-nos as far as chopping roots,

[Matt.]

I'd definitly rotovate if the ground hasn't been used for a while. I took on a plot last week that was little more than a field and in a day I cleared most of it. I know people say it causes more weeds but it makes it infinitely easier to work soil afterwards. I used the machine as a single pass everywhere which dug off the top inch or so. I then spent ages piling this and clearing so I had ground that looked like it had been mown way too short! I then spent the rest of the day rotovating - going over and over, again and again. Each pass you get a bit deeper and the soil gets finer and crumblier. Overall I did best part of 200m2 and there is no way I could even consider diggng that by hand. Now I can plant all my vegetables this year and I don't have to do just a small range as I don't ahve the land.

[nick the grief]

I know they always advise not to but my Old plot was 300sq yds of docks!! The site ploughed it for me & then I went over it like Matt with a rotavator and yes all the bits did regrow but they had a lot smaller root system and I could remove these a lot easier.

The more established ones got a blast of round up from a sprayer with an old funnel attached to the end to make a hood so it only covered about 6" circle. The were left and rotavated in at the end of the year.

The main trouble with old none dug plots is the dormant seeds you will get a flush of seelings like nobodys business when you cultivate. These you just Hoe off & then sow or sow in cells/pots & transplant out.

Either way it will take you a year or so but it will get there in the end.

[Paulottie]

Nick I am only echoing you here but I'm taking on a second plot for a vineyard and fruit garden ('RU MAD' said Mrs P) The fellow also sold me a small rotivator. I did the first the hard way and with mypex but I have been told in plain terms that I am not taking the time to dig this plot out by hand! so this is partly for my benefit as I only really grasped this recently and it goes against the grain a bit. So, I need to write it down...

If you are going to use Glyphosate then it doesn't matter about chopping roots up as resprouts have not got a big root system attached, and although more pleantiful, are easier to kill from the fresh growth a few weeks later. You then need to leave it at least a further six weeks after spraying new growth before either covering or rotavating again.

[beefy]

In my humble opinion - why would you want to kill yourself twice digging and weeding?
Get a strimmer or a heavy duty lawnmower and clear the growth from your plot.Alternatively spray it off with Roundup leave it to die for 14 -18 days .
Get in with the rotavator get the ground broken up .
Run a rake over the top and gather the worst of the rubbish off it.
Then get your crops planted .
Then as the weeds come up as they will not have deep roots they will be easier to get out and you can spend your time weeding.