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1. Getting the ground ready for growing
Give your plants a head start by giving them the ground they need.
For great growth, you need to look after the plants' roots, which means preparing the ground well before sowing or planting.
Important!
The first thing you need to deal with is any weed problem. If the garden is bare, wait for weeds to grow to find out what's lurking. Then you can decide how to tackle them.
Perennial weeds are the main problem because these grow back time and time again, even though you've cut the leaves off with a hoe or burnt them off with a flame. You can try digging them out, but all it takes is one tiny piece of root to remain in the soil and the weed will grow again. Please read our guide - Control weeds - quick guide to the basics, which includes a section on chemical solutions (ie herbicides) on page 4. Completely overgrown areas - weed control.
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Comments
1 Keith Calmiano 17 Apr 2009 17.41.40
2 Val 17 Apr 2009 20.31.03
There's more about preparing ground for lawns in our feature 'Create & care for lawns - the basics'.
However, after you've killed off/dug up any perennial weeds, yes, you could use a cultivator to dig up the area if you don't fancy forking through the ground. Remember you're not planting potatoes, just stirring up the surface, so don't set the cultivator to work too deeply, which would make it very difficult to tread and level successfully, and probably create large clods too if you have heavy soil.
There are two types of cultivator - those that have drive wheels and those that don't. The latter draw themselves forward as the tines rotate, and you control the forward speed by holding the handles firmly and attempting to walk slowly (but don't stand still otherwise the tines will dig down and down). So choice depends on the state of your back, and also on the size of the plot. The wheel-driven machines are for the wide open spaces and are used to cultivate commercial greenhouses and outside plots.
Good luck.



My son has recently bought a new house in Bracknell. The back garden has been cleared but weeds have now grown back. I am helping him to design a new garden. He wants a lawn.
Can you tell me what I will need to hire to dig the soil before levelling it and laying turf.
Is it a cultivator that I need and can you please advise me which is the type I should ask for at the hire shop.