Re: small tiller/cultivator

Theresa,
I have had a Mantis tiller for a little over 15 years. I think they are wonderful. The only difficulty in using it is for someone who is used to other tillers. My BIL could not seem to get the hang of it even though he has used all kinds of machines. The reason? The Mantis is used while walking backwards so you don't walk all over what you just tilled.
Other than that, I think it works great, but you must understand that a 20 pound tiller has its limitations. It would likely bounce around on the dead grass. When I've killed off grass and want to turn it under I either pay the guy with the monster tiller to give it a quick turn for $20 before I go in with the Mantis or I go around with a shovel spading the area up so the Mantis has something to grab.
The best thing the Mantis does is amending soil. It's good for tilling about 8 inches down; deeper, I do a sort of double-dig method. Then I throw in amendments and natural fertilizers and blend in. It has a terrific edging attachment that does a beautiful job. I also have the dethatching tines which do a great job but I no longer need them since I have so little lawn and what there is has shown no recurrence of thatch in many years.
I can't say how the Mantis compares to other brands but I have enjoyed it for many years. Unfortunately, mine is a left hand pull and I haven't been able to pull with my left arm for the past 3 years, so I'm not sure when I'll get to use it again. 

Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Theresa W" <tchessie1@sbcglobal.net> 
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 12:28 PM
Subject: [CHAT] small tiller/cultivator
Does anyone own one of those small tiller/cultivators? If so, do you like it and which brand. The one I always hear about are the Mantis- but I have know idea if they do much of anything or not. 

Theresa

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