the plot has gone to pot

[roadkill]

Due to my life being very hectic at the moment my allotment has fell into an overgrown jungle and all of my hard work has been for nothing so it looks like im going to have to visit the drawing board again ...

I was thinking of going down there with the strimmer and then rotorvating the whole plot and covering it up until next march with some black membrane

has any one done anything similar as i have read great a lot of negatives to rotorvating a plot ..

The nasties i have on my plot are bind weed , brambles , tich grass and lots of nettles ...

many thanks roadkill

[Lance]

I used a rotavator on a similar plot full of brambles and bindweed last year. All it did was break the ground up a bit. I had to dig the whole lot by hand to get up akk the bramble and nettle roots. I cut all the bindweed roots into bits and they are still showing themselves on a regular basis. I know it is tough but digging is better in the long run. My virgin ground took 4 months to dig at about 5 hours a week. The plot is 45ftx20ft.
I suggest clear it flat with a strimmer then just dig or cover it with a strong membrane and then build raised beds on top, fill with top soil. Raised bed method gets you planting veg quickly and no digging required.

It is worth it!! I am really enjoying my first year with a polytunnel and a stack of veg.

cheers
Lance

[roadkill]

I used a rotavator on a similar plot full of brambles and bindweed last year. All it did was break the ground up a bit. I had to dig the whole lot by hand to get up akk the bramble and nettle roots. I cut all the bindweed roots into bits and they are still showing themselves on a regular basis. I know it is tough but digging is better in the long run. My virgin ground took 4 months to dig at about 5 hours a week. The plot is 45ftx20ft.
I suggest clear it flat with a strimmer then just dig or cover it with a strong membrane and then build raised beds on top, fill with top soil. Raised bed method gets you planting veg quickly and no digging required.

It is worth it!! I am really enjoying my first year with a polytunnel and a stack of veg.

cheers
Lance

did it make it easyer once you had gone over it with the rotorvator?

[carlseawolf]

i've had the same , worked all winter getting most of the plot looking nice and life got abit hectic and the marestail is growing well and can just about see my veg under it,

[Lance]

did it make it easyer once you had gone over it with the rotorvator?

It depends on the soil you have. What I did was to dig the first half by hand and I thought I would make use of a borrowed rotavator for the second half. The rotavated half had to be checked over for dislodged roots. The rotavated bit is still causung me some problems with bindweed regularly re appearing. The section I dug has been trouble free. I have thick clay soil. It is easier once you have gone over it with a rotavator but it doubles the bindweed problem for months to come.
cheers
Lance

[Plotlady]

Hi there Roadkill. When I took over my plot last October it was waist high in every type of weed you can imagine. I strimmed it down to about 2/3 inches then applied Weedall over the whole area and left it for nearly two weeks. I then used an agricultural rotivator over the whole plot. Result? great. I still battle with the weeds just like the next woman/man but at least I was able to get on with the serious matter of planting. Hope all goes well. Julia

[Matt.]

If you had already dug it over and now the weeds are back your hard work will still help you out. The soil will have been loosened from before and you'll find it much easier to dig second time round. I'd certainly try and do it manually to begin with and pull out as many roots a s possible.

If you do rotovate beware that root based weeds - bindweed, horsetail, couch grass etc will flouish in the aftermath and wou could have a much bigger job on your hands. I've certainly found that to be the case with horsetail. With bindweed and grasses you may have a lot more success if you glyphosate it first then rotovate after 3 weeks.

I rotovated my plot in April and prior to that it had been untouched for over a decade. The ground was so tough I would have never dug it all manually. It really helped to get me started quickly but I am now feeling the consequences as my plot is infested with horsetail. It was worth it because I got a full plot planted this year but I won't be rotovating again and would seriously consider using one on a new plot again.

[roadkill]

Hi there Roadkill. When I took over my plot last October it was waist high in every type of weed you can imagine. I strimmed it down to about 2/3 inches then applied Weedall over the whole area and left it for nearly two weeks. I then used an agricultural rotivator over the whole plot. Result? great. I still battle with the weeds just like the next woman/man but at least I was able to get on with the serious matter of planting. Hope all goes well. Julia

yep sounds just like mine is , i have battled with it once but i let it get the better of me

when is the best time to rotorvate ? as im going to strim it at the weekend and give it a good dose of roundup so i will have to leave it for a couple of weeks

will it be ok to rotorvate then or will i have to wait a couple of months for the ground to soften up

[rustylady]

Did you manage to get any crops in before the weeds took over? I've found it better (and more encouraging) to clear an area by digging and then plant or sow something straight away. Then you can actually feel you're getting somewhere. The rest can be strimmed and covered with old carpet until you have time to deal with it. A whole plot is a lot to do at one time, and if you have brambles docks etc rotovating will simply increase them. If you have soft annual weeds you can hand pull them and stick them in the compost bin, and at least if they are big you can see quick results. Good luck.

[jacob marley]

yep sounds just like mine is , i have battled with it once but i let it get the better of me

when is the best time to rotorvate ? as im going to strim it at the weekend and give it a good dose of roundup so i will have to leave it for a couple of weeks

will it be ok to rotorvate then or will i have to wait a couple of months for the ground to soften up

If you strim this weekend then wait for the patch to greenover then spray once it has died down that is time to rotavate jacob

[nick the grief]

would you like to demonstrate on my new plot Jacob

[Nicos]

Well- he's near enough just to pop over and sort you out Nick!!

[Nicos]

...And your plot!!!!!

[roadkill]

well i got some pics of it today

http://newplot.blogspot.com/

not looking good

[Snadger]

well i got some pics of it today

http://newplot.blogspot.com/

not looking good

Just remember the old adage " One years seeding, seven years weeding"

At least strim off the seedheads before the seed becomes viable!