I purchased this rototiller from QVC this Spring and I really like it! It works best for tilling in new compost, fertilizer, etc. but also if you have rows of Iris 12" to 15" apart for weeding. It doesn't have the power to dig up sod, but I would buy it again for $71.00.
Sha
D., you can see where your beauties are planted. Thank you again!
That is so cool.. I love it , we ought the attatchement for teh weedeater. While it works well its gas powered and heavy at times. Its een great for the new beds with all teh cly around here but as I add to the soil and get it improved this would be wonderful..
Your Iris beds make me green with envy by the way.. lol
Beautiful beds. Tool looks easy to handle.
How did you remove the sold in your bed?
Well, husker11, I finally have a template for how to plant my iris. Your iris garden looks SOOO well tended, spaced just the right distance apart, and all debris cleaned out! I'm inspired! Thank you (don't need the tool, however.) Anne King
My husband thought that we could hire a nursery man with a sod cutter to come in and do this for we needed to sod another area. In comes this 'green' behind the ears young man and he cut down so shallow that we couldn't use 1/3 of the sod and I was left to basically dug it up with a shovel. It was a good idea...I should have paid more attention. It is very easy to handle and I like the electric over gas power. This was the before picture.
S
I was hoping you had a better idea....LOL
I rented one and went around my whole house. The thing I forgot was I had to have it back in a certain time period and all that grass needed to be rolled up and disposed of before I took it back in case I missed a spot......DH came to help and brought the tractor over for me to throw the sod in (he helped....LOL). The machine wasn't hard to use just heavy and a pain to unload out of the truck. I was shot by the time I had it all done. I would like to do it again except I don't want to do it. We live in a small city so you have to go to another city to rent it......
How do you keep the weeds and grass from growing in it?
I have found that if I keep at it the first year, each year following there will less. I've also heard talk about Preen and how great it works.
Not big on chemicals. Other probelm is my mower person is not so good about not blowing clippings into the flower bed.......I have used preen, don't like chemicals but.........
You will have beautiful flowers in a couple of years. I need to move mine out in the sun more. The trees have grown up and starting to shade more than I like.
Hye, Happgarden, have you tried using newspaper? I till up my garden, then hoe it all over to one side, put down newspaper, then the same on the other side. I use 4-5 layers. It is a great way to recycle the newspapers and the earthworms love to eat it, and that helps my heavy clay. It only lasts 2-3 years, but it cuts down on the "underneath" weeds substantially. As far as the "top" weeds, I use Preen as well when I plant, but after that, it is just good old-fashioned pulling. But the newspapers keep the deep-rooted ones from coming up anyway, so pulling the ones that are there is easier (as long as you get them early!) For the beds I have laid out in rows, I put newspaper down on either side of the plants and weight it down with mulch. Then I only have to deal with the weeds between the plants. (I heard today that there are between 10-100 weed seeds per cubic foot on average in the US! -- groan!)
A natural product that works like preen is corn gluten meal. A natural fertilizer and pre-emergent...9-0-0.....You can get it at feed stores. This year I am putting it down as I pull up the weeds and rake in compost and alfalfa pellets, it takes care of the weed seed that are left behind.
YES! We got that QVC rototiller too and it is absolute wonderful!!
Our community has Bermuda as grass so that newspaper method wont work over here.
But have found that black landscape fabric to be good keeping weeds to a minimum.
We also use Preen.
and sharondippity - I got 50bls bag of alfalfa pellets - made that tea to discover the stench is too much for my summer use! LOL
But what is this other use?? as a preemptive pre-emergent de-weeder???
. . . with corn gluten meal and pre-emergent 9 - 0 - 0 ??
(guess it is obvious I dont know WHAT I am talking about!)
think Im trying to say your preparation can prevent weeds . . .
all sound good to me but I cant find that elusive stuff called compost.
(sorry we cannot lug any manure) thought the alfalfa and corn could be compost???
- much info needed!
This message was edited Aug 28, 2009 4:22 PM
Dig out the existing weeds, corn GLUTEN meal use as a pre-emergent , weed seeds not yet germinated (lying dormant in the soil) won't come up. Spread with a hand cranked fertilizer spreader
Round-up grass killer or digging out bermuda is the only cure I know of, a big problem here as well
THEN don't make the tea from the alfalfa, just mix the pellets into the soil along with compost if you have it or without if you don't
you might be able to buy bagged compost from the big box stores if you don't make your own
I wonder if QVC still is carrying the tiller, is it electric?
Isn't corn gluten a substitue for preen and much more reasonable price?
yes.....I paid $25 for 50 lb bag at the feed store
Where did you get your plant markers......????
I don't know where they got their markers/labels but you can order some from Paw Paw's Everlasting Labels and they are wonderful people to work with. It's a family owned and operated business. Just Google them on the web. I use their rose markers for my irises, they are a little taller and such. I do have to pull the wires about a little at the bottom to keep the plate from sliding down. I personally love them and hate them in the gardens. I call them my little cemetery markers or tombstones. That's what they remind me of at night in the moon light. LOL
Happy Gardening, Marian
Be careful what type of alfalfa pellets you buy. I bought some without knowing there is a difference and it about killed my irises. Later my iris friends said, "Didn't we tell you NOT to buy the kind for rabbits?"
I haven't tried corn gluten
Pat, I've wondered about that also. I asked DH to go to Runnings or Mennards and he brought home a 50 lb bag of alfalfa 'cubes'. Are cubes pellets? I didn't know. I have been using them (I didn't want to hurt his feelings) for making 'tea' because I didn't like the looks of the 'hay'. I went on google and there is a recipe for making the tea plus adding a couple other ingredients like 'fish oil, etc. I decided to wait until next Spring to really experiment. BUT...if I get the biggest blooms ever, I'll let you know.
is that QVC tiller by any chance electric?
my biggest problem is getting gas motors started - it's such a problem, I've routinely taken back tools to HD and Lowes if they wont start for me. DH has the same problem - we're both short and someone told us we're not pulling the cords out fast enough and far enough.
That's why I love it! Hook it up with a 100 ft. garage utility cord and it's easy after that!
