Mantis Tiller

[hilary]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any experience of a Mantis Tiller - my friend has been offered a petrol one and is not sure how good they are on clay soil and how 'man ' they are for an allotment.
Can anyone help with any information.
Thanks
Hilary in snowy cold Wiltshire!

[Chantal]

Hi Hilary

I've had a petrol Mantis for some years and it's great for some things but can be quite hard work.

Do not get it confused with a rotovator as it's not up to that kind of work. You need to clear the ground and then go over it with the Mantis which breaks the soil down into a fine tilth. It's fabulous for taking out a trench for potatoes and then going down between the rows to earth them up. It's great for going over an area for a seed bed but as I say, only over previously cultivated ground. It's also narrow enough to use between beds instead of hoeing.

I find mine easy to use, but as you walk backwards and pull it towards you, it can be quite hard on the shoulders after a while.

I have no idea how it would perform on clay as we have good loam soil, but I would think it capable of breaking it up unless it was too claggy. My Mantis doesn't perform too well when the soil sticks to the tines, it's better when the soil is moist but not wet.

I hope this helps a little.

[Tigger]

I love my Mantis but if you search this site, you will find those who do and those who don't. It all depends on what you want it to do. I
suggest you have an explore and then ask a few specific questions.

[hilary]

Thanks Chantal and Tigger - will have a hunt around on the site.
Hilary

[John]

Just to add to what Chantal and Tigger have said - the Mantis has a 2-stroke engine (though later ones I think are 4-stroke) which can be a bit of a drawback. 2-stroke engines need a special petrol/oil mixture to run on, are not so easy to start and are noisier, smellier than 4-strokes. I'd suggest your friend gives the this machine a good trial run to see if they can get on with it.
These mini-tillers (mine is a Honda) are great for producing a good tilth from well cultivated soil and save a lot of time and effort but as Chantal says they are NOT rotovators and won't turn over soil in the same way as a heavier machine designed for digging.
Lots of stuff somewhere in the archives on this one.

John

[Ian F]

Our Allotment Society has a two-stroke Mantis, and we garden on heavy clay soil. I agree with the comments that have already been made. We also have a rotavator, and the two complement each other.The Mantis is at it's best on previously dug soils, so for example I winter dig, then use the Mantis in the spring to break the soil down to a fine tilth. It saves a lot of time and effort.

In respect of the clay soil, the main problem is if the soil has not been improved in some way, or cultivated for some time. On newly cultivated/unimproved clay soil the Mantis struggles, and does not break the lumps up. Also if it is dry the clay tends to stay in balls.

Having said all that, If I was offered one I would snap their hand off. In my experience 1t's a good, versatile piece of kit.

[gowerbass come gardener]

while on the subject of rotavators when would be the bet time to rotavate?

[oldherbaceous]

Morning g.c.g, the ideal conditions for rotavating are, when it's dry enough for the soil not to stick to boots or machine.

I know this is not always practical, but a lot of damage gets done to the soil structure if rotavated when wet. Especially if your soil is on the heavy side, you end up getting a pan, (a polished layer of soil where the bottom of the blade rubs when spinning) and this can have detrimental effects regarding the movement of moisture both upwards and downwards, and also for root growth.

[hilary]

Thanks all,
Will pass this on and have made a note of the point about panning with rotavators if you use them too early - a good point since some folks already rotavating up our allotments but said they had difficulty as too wet! Must say covering with black plastic was a good move last autumn.
Unfortunately I see that the broad beans seem to have rotted off - time to plant some more.....
Hilary

[gowerbass come gardener]

thank you OH,i take it i could leave it till around march?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear g.c.g, the weather will dictate, but that should be fine.
If you rotavate to early and then we get a lot of rain, the soil goes like a lot of pudding.

[gowerbass come gardener]

once again thank you OH

it is only my second year at growing and the first at rotavating has i dug my plot over with a fork last year due to the amount of weeds

[Compo]

One thing we don't know is how much these beasties cost, there marketing is clever and they don't give a price, anyone know the price?

CoMpO

[Chantal]

I think mine was around £300 but that was a couple of years ago.

[snooky]

Evening CoMpO,
Their website,www.mantis-uk.co.uk quotes £339-00 for the 4-stroke model with free? tools,and available for four payments with no interest.