MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Want to re-seed a lawn that has overgrown for a quite a few years, all the brambles and nettles have been strimmer but the surface is too lumpy to leave as is.. so plan to rotovate it & pick out the roots as we go.
Any advice I should heed? Do I need the bigger [url= http://www.hirecentres.com/product/special-offer-the-best-rotovator-in-the-world-at-the-best-price-9hp-hydraulic.html ]8/13Hp unit[/url] or will a [url= http://www.hirecentres.com/product/special-offer-price-rotovatorcultivator----5hp-mid-tine.html ]5Hp unit[/url] like this do the job?
Am a little lost on what to do about the rotovator as we have no outside storage and most hire companies website suggest that they drop by 12 and collect along the same lines, not exactly the best situation, not that I think anyone is likely to be watching waiting to steal it, but even so opportunists can get lucky..
and finally, which hire companies have you got on with and which have been complete gits?
If it's really weedy DO NOT ROTIVATE - you'll just help the weeds multiply really quickly in nicely airated soil. Weed killer on the lot, let it die and then rotivate or dig by hand picking out the weed roots as you go.
not really really weedy, but do plan to pick through the soil as we go, really don't have time/inclination to dig it by hand. Done that before on another huge garden, very satifying result, just very time consuming - that and my back was a lot younger & healthier at the time.
Fair enough - but a decent dose of glyphosate (Roundup) now before you rotovate will mean you're pulling out dead roots for fun off the surface, rather than spreading live ones around. It's gonna save a whole heap of time when the lawn is established, trying to kill established weeds within the lawn.
(N.B. - I feel you're back pain, having recently spent a week doing the same thing in our garden......)
2nd BB advice, Couch grass (if you have it) is a nightmare if you rotavate the roots.
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5hp should be fine, unless you have dry rock hard clay to work with & in that case it going to be hard work whatever rotavator you go for 😉
Where are you based?
If anywhere near Worcester, I have a 5hp rotavator you can borrow for the weekend?
A Tiller might be a bit on the light side to use, unless you dig it up before hand.
hmmm cheers for the offer Ski (would be worried about breaking it), actually up the road in stourbridge but found Hire it do 8Hp unit for £30 which should fit into my estate, so not end of the world expensive.
The gound is mainly grass with some nettles and brambles in places, might throw some round-up down first though, and again afterward (grass doesn't need to be sown just yet)
(grass doesn't need to be sown just yet)
Mid Sept is the sowing season (still some heat in the ground for germination and watering will be, er, not a problem!), or agin late April, but may need to water it then. I think your best bet is Roundup now and dig/level, Roundup again early spring, final prep and Sow Late Spring next year.
no worries Z1ppy, how big a space is it you have to do?
I think I would be tempted to do as BB says and roundup it now, leave it two weeks to let roundup do its stuff, then see what you are left with level wise.