Tiller/rotovator advice

[acideraser]

Hi I almost finished levelling garden and need to prepare soil for turn.
Soil is mostly normal topsoil with some stones and clay patches with a little top soil on top and on some places it's quite hard as have been working around levelling, moving wheel barrow etc., there is also one patch with old grass not removed as I expect tiller to turn it over.

Trying to decide which tiller to use not sure if the light duty one would be enough to break hardened patches, currently choosing between light duty and medium duty:

https://www.nationaltoolhireshops.c...y-petrol-ground-tiller-power-digger-for-hire/
and
https://www.nationaltoolhireshops.co.uk/product/medium-duty-petrol-cultivator-rotavator-for-hire/

Advice would be highly appreciated,
cheers

 

[Burnerman]

Initially for your ground preparation I'd go for the medium duty machine......the light one is for compacted, previously tilled soil usually without stones - I believe it is only a 5hp motor.
The larger machine will make much easier work of your job.
John

 

[acideraser]

yes it's 5hp motor.
Thanks very much for response, will get the medium one

cheers,
Val

 

[r896neo]

yes you want the rotovater. The tiller has no wheels and so uses its blades to propel itself this makes it horrible to use. It also has very little guts compared to that 7.5hp rotovater which has driven geared wheels and a reverse. All round a much easier to use machine

 

[acideraser]

Thank you guys, all clear. Just thought since I am already posting here and asking for advice may as well post a photo of the garden - maybe i don't need to cultivate for turf at all (there is always a hope to work less )

here we go:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Epe7ZM][/URL]

Not sure it it's clear enough but you may be able to see the lighter patch in the centre which is hard ...

 

[r896neo]

Turf will grow on almost anything but I would definately rotovate it. It will dramatically improve the health and quality of your lawn for years to come. Lawns can be fed with fertilizer, weeds killed, scarifyed and all manor of treatments once laid but you can never improve the soil condition the same way good loosen up of the soil will do.

Take the opportunity to add some grit and rotovate it in and use the excess to spread over the surface for final levelling. Its much easier to screed sand flat than soil.

If you do rotovate it must be on a dry day It is unbearably messes and difficult in the wet (and less effective)

 

[acideraser]

Thanks r896neo, sorry for silly questions though...

I was going to order topsoil to put on top after rotovating for final levelling - should I get sharp sand from builders shop instead?

Soil is partially clay though mostly covered with original garden topsoil.
Also if rotovating on a dry day (hopefully in a week or so) should I water soil before rotovating in current weather?

Thanks again,
Val

 

[lostinthelight]

Thanks r896neo, sorry for silly questions though...

I was going to order topsoil to put on top after rotovating for final levelling - should should I water soil before rotovating in current weather?

Thanks again,
Val

Thanks r896neo, sorry for silly questions though...

I was going to order topsoil to put on top after rotovating for final levelling - should I get sharp sand from builders shop instead?

Soil is partially clay though mostly covered with original garden topsoil.
Also if rotovating on a dry day (hopefully in a week or so) should I water soil before rotovating in current weather?

Thanks again,
Val

I have been cultivating soil since 1959 and never had to water the soil, not even in 1976 when I took part of a field and turned it into garden with a 5 hp front tine cultivator.

 

[r896neo]

As above it will be much easier when dry as possible.

Sharp sand is good for final levelling. Ideally a nice covering of an inch.

 

[acideraser]

Thanks very much for your advices on rotavator and using sharp sand for final levelling. C8 was a easy to handle once I figured how to use it.
Have now covered 2/3 with sharp sand which covers all hollows and need 1 more back to cover the rest and hopefully can turf it this week-end.



Couple of questions though:

1. there are some lose stones which get picked by the plank which I use to level the sand and they leave deep lines in the sand do I need to make sure there no such lines and surface is perfectly flat and even or they are fine as long as there are no hollows and bumps on the surface?

2. how long will it take one person to turf such area (approx 170m2) as trying to figure if I will be able to do it in a day or better to order turf in parts?

thanks again for your input

cheers,
Val

 

[r896neo]

Dont worry about a few stones. You should do it comfortably in a day, prob about 4/5 hours on your own assuming delivery is not miles away from laying. You need to heel in or roll the area well before final screeding/levelling

 

[acideraser]

ok thanks for quick response.
kids played football there yesterday and I believe are going to carry on today and mess up my levelling today again - they should have heeled area well but I will walk around again to make sure....

was planning to get a roller for weekend to roll on fresh turf or should I just use chipboard / scaffold boards to press each roll after laying ...?

 

[lostinthelight]

If they are playing football on it now, good luck with keeping them off it for 6 weeks once its laid
Don't forget to start every other row with a part roll so the joint are staggered with no four corners together.
If the ground is poor the turf will have a better start if some general purpose fertilizer like growmore is raked into the soil first .
Just boards, we have laid thousands of meters of turf and just work of scaffolding boards, essential if you need to carry the turf over whats been laid. Its a good idea to wear flat sole shoes and never kneel on it
litl

 

[acideraser]

Thanks very much for the advice.
Not sure how poor the soil is but it has stones in some stony patches but most of it is same garden soil which was a lawn before we started the extension.

would growmore work if i rake it in the sharp sand where it covers soil - it's up to 1 inch of sand

 

[lostinthelight]

Better there than nowhere
litl