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Have never used a roller to prepare. Good old fashioned 'foot shuffle' consolidates better and leaves enough loose tilth to rake with a lanscaping rake.
I am with you on that one Colin, except for very big lawns obviously. Your foot is also an ideal tool to level out any small dips and hollows ona lawn after rotavating. Great bit of kit!!
I'm like Colin. Don't use a roller or a wacker!!!. Foot shuuffle pressing down on heels is all you need. Remember that most lawns are only for foot traffic so a man tramping the soil down is perfect. Also leaves plenty of room for root development as the turf takes hold. I use a lute all the time though. Absolutely brilliant tool for moving soil from high spots into low spots and getiing a great flat surface. Quicker and easier than a rake to get great finish prior to turfing. Mainly start with landscape rake, tread down and them move on to lute.
Yes I thought that would be the scheme. Seem expensive what what essentially looks like a broom handle with a few metal bars on it, but you get what you pay for I guess! Interesting regarding the roller, I always thought it was a nescessity, although I never use a wacker as I thought it would compact the soil too tight and the roots may not take hold as well.
When we did turfing we used to rotovate the soil to a fine tilth, level, then tread it down.
Only cricket pitches use a roller.
what did you use to level? A lute?
I have a lute but I don't find them that useful for turfing/seeding prep. The biggest use for me is for top dressing lawns.
I too rotovate then rake then tred down and rake again.
i am a fan of a lute and the gardeners shuffle clears small stones ect
Same. Lute is a great tool to have as an option after doing the 'Chelsea' shuffle. Nicely creates a level filth.
As said, the foot shuffle is the way to do it. Never use a roller. A very good and time saving alternative to the foot shuffle is to use the ride on mower. I use my 4x4 Stiga 740.
This system works best when using top soil to build up the ground. I used to do a lot of new graves and old graves which sink and so need to be built up and levelled.
It works like this. Level the soil perfectly with the rake, then drive the mower over the ground so that the wheels cover every inch – apply a further layer of top soil and level – ride over it all again – repeat this again. Finally tickle the level again with the rake.
This saves much time and pain in the heels.
It should then look like this -
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