GET YOUR GARDEN READY FOR SPRING PLANTING WITH A CULTIVATOR OR TILLER FROM THE GREEN REAPER

Cultivators and tillers save the gardener precious time and back-breaking labour. Whether turning over and preparing the soil for planting or mixing in compost, manure and fertilisers, investigating in a cultivator or tiller will get the job done quickly and eliminate the need for traditional digging.

We offer an extensive selection of cultivators and tillers. So whether you're looking for something lightweight and manoeuvrable to tackle the smaller or more elaborately-designed garden, or something considerably more robust to really 'rip it up and start again', you can rest assured that we have the cultivator or tiller to meet your needs.

The Ardisam Badger 6.5hp Front Tine Rototiller is only front-tine rototiller on the market that maintains easy, operational control and smooth, comfortable digging, even in uncultivated soil. So whether you're cultivating soft soil or cutting through tough turf or hard soil, count on the robust and reliable performance of the Ardisam Badger.The rototiller is gear driven, has a three-way adjustable tilling width (11, 16, and 21 inches) and will till to a depth of 11 inches.Exclusive cast iron tail mount assembly and Isovibe™ pivoting drag-state system absorbs machine vibration and maintains optimal digging level for smooth, comfortable handling.

Features include:

• Sturdy 1" solid steel tine shaft for long-life and rugged performance
• Front-tine all gear drive assembly
• Front-tine design offers preferred visibility – see your work area better and till precisely the area you want
• Tall 12" diameter wheels prevent tines from digging too deep and getting buried in soil
• Handlebar folds down for easy storage and transport to multiple locations
• Bold red finish – durable weatherproof powdercoat finish
• All steel construction
• High alloy brass gears
• Belt engagement clutch
  

Of course, it goes without saying that we only sell cultivators and tillers from the most reliable and respected manufacturers, such as Mantis, Ardisam, AL-KO, Husqvarna and Rally. And with prices starting from less than £90, we've also got cultivators and tillers to suit all budgets.

If you're not sure which of our wide variety of top-quality cultivators and tillers is most suited to your particular gardening requirements, call us on 0844 478 0123 and one of our expert team members will be only too pleased to advise you.

MAKE MORE OF YOUR GARDEN WITH AN AL-KO CULTIVATOR

The Green Reaper realises that a garden is much more than just a lawn and, in order to help you fulfill its potential, AL-KO have produced a comprehensive range of cultivators to transform gardens and allotments into superb growing plots for both flowers and vegetables.

With four models in the range, there is a machine to suite every garden's needs, from the electric hand-held GPH250 for small kitchen gardens up to the flagship MH5060 petrol model which digs heavy soil in larger flower beds and allotments.

GPH Series

The GHP250 is primarily a hand-held electric tiller, very lightweight yet powerful and perfect for turning light soil. A unique feature of the GPH is its ability to turn soil in between flowers and crops due to its compact size. This also allows for easy removal of weeds.

MH Series

The MH Series cultivators are powered by Briggs & Stratton engines and feature high quality heavy duty tines. There are three MH models, the MH350 which is suitable for kitchen gardens and smaller areas, the MH5001 which is suitable for medium to large areas including allotments, and finally the MH5060 which is better suited to larger gardens and allotments due to its large 75cm working width.

With AL-KO cultivators, preparing the ground for growing crops has never been easier.

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Maintaining Healthy Soil

It's important to maintain healthy soil in order to grow plants and regular cultivation is vital. It allows air to get into the soil which enables it to get warmer quicker during the growing season which speeds up the growth of your plants. It makes weeding a lot easier and has other useful purposes too. For example, the birds can get at the insects easier and it makes for better soil drainage. It also helps with the nutrients which are vital to the healthy growth of your plants.

Rotovator v Cultivator?

They are both very similar instruments in that they're designed to till the soil. However, a rotovator tends to be used for jobs that require deeper digging and its blades are more powerful helping you to turn over deeper areas of grass and soil. Cultivator blades are lighter and they are usually used in the preparation of plant and flower beds.

Advantages and Disadvantages

For most keen gardeners, the labour involved in digging, hoe-ing and forking is one of the fundamental aspects of why they took up gardening in the first place. Using these power-driven instruments for the basics of soil preparation takes away the pleasure some gardeners find in preparing the soil by hand.

Many gardens are not that large and some gardeners view rotovators as trying to crack a peanut with a large heavy mallet. They are quite expensive too so, unless you have an extremely large garden and the soil is in very bad condition, the traditional spade, fork and hoe are usually adequate. They can also be very noisy and difficult to handle but are good on large areas of soil that are mostly weed free.

One of the main disadvantages of using a rotovator is that if there are lots of perennial weeds in the soil such as nettles, dandelions and the like, a powerful rotovator will simply dig them all up but in doing so, it will shatter the roots into hundreds of tiny pieces which will then be scattered all over the area so you may end up with more weeds than you started with once all the shredded pieces have taken root.

Cultivators tend to dig more lightly and are ideal for tilling areas around trees and shrubs as well as planting furrows for things like onions, carrots, potatoes etc. They can also double up as a useful hedge trimmer and if you have a bad back, they can be a godsend as they are much less labour intensive than having to do the job manually. Removing weeds or working with fertiliser is also made easier using a cultivator.

The best advice would be to consider the size of the area you need to cultivate. If your garden is the size of a small field and the soil is basically free of weeds then a rotovator is the ideal tool although they can be very expensive so it may be worth looking at hiring one or getting someone in to do the job for you. However, for smaller areas and lighter digging a cultivator is less intrusive, more multi-functional and less likely to spread weeds around.

That said, you may still prefer to get the spade, fork and hoe out even if it takes a bit more time and involves a bit of good honest graft and sweat.

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