How to use a soil cultivator rotavator 

Hi Roman. I’m glad it’s helpful! Make sure you subscribe for even more guides. Happy gardening! Lee 🥷🌿

How intriguing. I never even worked that out before! Thanks! 🥷🌿

Hey Anthony. Great to hear from you. Yes they can feel a bit like a bucking bronco without proper handling and that drag break. Great tools once you get the knack and if the ground is already soft. No use on compacted ground. Happy tilling!! Lee

You're welcome Peter. Happy Gardening. Lee

@@Gardenninja Cheers. My rental came this morning - was a bit more involved that the one you had - clutches, drive motor arm, spinny bar arm, allsorts! But went well - the results were excellent. Really chuffed.

Phil well slap my wrist! 😜🤘

@@Gardenninja I hope you have your wrist protectors on then.

Of course! I don’t leave the house without them. #wristawareness

@@Gardenninja Sound precaution, all that wrist slapping can cause havoc!

And your ear protectors! Lol

Hi Tina. Definitely not I’m afraid. Ivy can root from cuttings. So if you slice it all up you’ll just get stronger rooted ivy everywhere. Sadly the only way to get rid of it is manually digging it out and disposing of the roots I’m afraid. However it’s great exercise and you’ll feel wonderful once you have a perfectly ivy free flower bed to plant up!! Good luck! Lee

Hi James. You’ll need to remove the grass first and then cultivate. If not it will chew up the ground. Leaving you with a right mess! Happy Gardening. Lee

I’m afraid they’re right. It will cultivate soil but not break up compaction. Have a look at my compacted soil guide here for more help. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5E2E5HmwxpU.html I’m afraid it’s more annual effort but well worth it. Happy gardening. Lee 🥷😂

Hi Adhefty. All you want to do really is break up the top cap of the soil. Over cultivation for lovely fine sandy like soil is actually soil degradation. Which is damaging. Most plants will be fine with that end result. Mother Nature will do the rest. Light touch with all gardening as always! Save your efforts for other parts of the garden! 🥷🌿👌

@@Gardenninja love it love it. big fan of letting mother nature do what she does best. It's a garden on a new build estate with compacted heavy clay, water logging, soil. Same advice would you say?

Hi FT. I’d never advise double digging. It has a really negative affect on soil structure. I’d always recommend single digging if the soils compacted or being converted from turf. Then add organic matter like compost and mulch. That’s the best and easiest way to improve soil. Hope that helps. Lee

@@Gardenninja Thanks for the response, I was considering double digging as this is for a new build house, and I've heard that the soil in new builds is full of rubble and not great. However if single digging is enough that's good, thanks.

Hi Karen. You want them just and so in the ground then as you start the cultivator you can pivot the machine and use the stand to get the desired depth you require. Hope that helps.

Hey David. Great question. Sadly the answer is no. You’re going to have to dig out a good 2-3 feet of soil to get rid of the clay. Then replace. Chances are even then you’ll need a lot of excavation and even then drainage may still be an issue. Depends what’s underneath. The better option although a bit slower is to mulch/dig in as much organic matter as possible. Manure or compost is best. Maybe ask a local equestrian centre if they have any rotted horse manure they can provide you. Layer this up a few inches deep on all your exposed soil as a mulch. Then let the earth worms do their trick in breaking up and loosening the soil. I know it’s a pain but clays actually a brilliant soil type as it’s so rich in nutrients. You just need to help with drainage and aeration for easier planting. I’d recommend using a hollow tine to aerate your soil and brush in some sand. That will help with the clay. You can also top dress you lawn with a light covering of compost which will get taken back into the soil by bacteria and worms. Hope that helps and don’t give up. It’s a long mission but will be well worth it. Happy gardening. Lee

@@Gardenninja Thanks. I'm happy (of sorts) to dig as far as needed, so If I do layer it on top of the remaining clay with compost & soil?

Hi David. Yes I’d add a good few inches after digging of compost or manure. This will help break up the clay and add some aeration. Good luck and happy gardening! Lee

😂🥷🤘

@@Gardenninja subbed 👍

Inquisitive you would need to remove your turf first. Then use the cultivator. It will just bounce on the top of existing turf. Hope that helps. Lee

@@Gardenninja thank you. Any suggestion taking of the top layer of the lawn (grass) before beginning cutivator/rotavator

Guilio McEwan's Space sounds like you’ve been really busy. The best way to get rid of moss is an electric or petrol scarifier. I’ve a video on why and how to use one. It can be done with a hand rake but will take forever! I’d definitely recommend hiring a scarifier. Keel up the good work it will soon look awesome mate!! Happy gardening! Lee

@@Gardenninja thank you I will have look about I will check out your other video cause as a gardener I pretty much only know how to grown grass and cut it lol. Thanks. 😁🌾🌴🌳🌲🌱

Ok done all rotavatored the ground put both soils down with seed between. Watered looking good I just wanted to ask when can I put grass food down. Would it harm the seeds if I put it down as soon as the seeds in. Guilio 😀

Guilio McEwan's Space once you’ve sown your grass seed all you need to do is rake it gentlly into the soil and maybe give a light top dressing of sand or fine compost. You don’t need to feed it. In fact feeding can inhibit germination. The seed has all the nutrients it needs to get started. Feeding too early is at all in the first year just encourages week roots and lazy growth. So be mean, keep it watered until it germinates and then feed the year after. Hope that helps! Lee

@@Gardenninja brilliant Thank you very helpful. Just the waiting game now. When I rotavatored the ground found some large bricks. All good fun though. Thank you for the help it's well appreciated. G

No I'm afraid not. For dense roots you'll either need a digger or to tackle it manually I'm afraid! 🥷🌿

@@Gardenninja Thanks for your reply, looks like I'm going to have some very hard work ahead.

I used a turf cutter. I have a guide on how to use one and it’s far faster than manually removing turf! Happy Gardening! Lee

Garden Ninja Ltd Are they any good on uneven surfaces?

Not too great. It depends on how uneven. It’s better on level turf or you may get patchy results. It won’t level up uneven ground if that’s what you’re trying to achieve! Happy Gardening. Lee

Garden Ninja Ltd Thanks for the reply. I’ve inherited an allotment and the ground is just couch grass and it’s very uneven. Would love to know a hefty machine that could break it all down. Preferably not a JCB.

Hi Tyler, Firstly don't panic. Every problem in gardening can be fixed and the great thing is you can do it in stages! You have two options. A) Remove the turf, use the rotavator to level and even the surface then reseed. Thats a lot of work. Or you have B) Use a scarifier (I have a guide on that too check out my video list) to clean up the existing turf. Then add more fine top toil on the lower parts over the turf until it's all level or at least less of a drop off to make it easier to mow. Then reseed the parts that have been filled. If people have drops in their lawn you can partially cover with fine top soil an inch at a time and the old grass will grow through, meaning you can increase the level over time or add a few inches and reseed over the top. That would be the easiest way to get the lawn level. However, it depends if you want lawn. I hope that helps! Happy Gardening.

They won’t work on compacted or dry clay. You’ll need to loosen it first. They’re more for breaking up soil to a tilth but not for really compacted ground. Happy Gardening. Lee

Yeah cultivation can be really heavy going. Especially if there’s lumps of concrete or other rocks under the surface. Good luck with the rest of your cultivation!!

@@Gardenninja you're an English chap arnt you?

James Edwards yes I am. From the North of England. 😊

Hi Partha. Thanks for getting in touch. You don’t want to use a cultivator on perennial weeds. All you’ll do is chop them up and multiply them. It won’t kill them. It will encourage them!! You always need to weed first then cultivate. Same with grass. You need to remove turf before you cultivate or again you’re just going to multiply your grass! They will regrow from cut rhizomes or roots. Hope that helps and thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy gardening!

Hi Ann, Thanks for the comment. When using a cultivator it will bounce on heavily compacted soil. Especially soil with high clay content. A lot of people think it will break up even the most compacted ground however the soil does need to be relatively loose for a soil cultivator to work without jumping around. ie it can cut through clods of soil but not solid ground. They are powerful machines. I'd advise using a fork first if your ground is really compacted to roughly break it up and then a cultivator to work it to a fine tilth. Hope that helps. All the best. Lee

@@Gardenninja I seem to have worked it out! One has to start the rotovator, then keep it in one point for it to go to the required depth while it is static, so that one makes a hole inthe ground,, then move it to the next hole to be. This is the easiest way to turn the soil. This machine is unlike other machines, strong engine but poor design. The wheel should have been in the back and the rotors should have been at the front for it to work like a cultivator.

Watch this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6blEsi6zSL8.html

@@annbary8853 Glad to hear you've got it sorted Ann, now you can get cracking preparing your soil! Happy Gardening. Lee