Corona DiscCULTIVATOR (LG 3634): Product Review
A solid tool for prepping the soil for planting, weeding or aeration.
Available on Amazon
Buy ItI recently tried Corona’s DiscCULTIVATOR with ComfortGel® handle. The lightweight tool did some heavyweight loosening of our garden soil.
In past years, we’ve typically dug about six to seven inches down with a shovel and gently tuned our soil, which hardens from the combination of dry air, wind that blows off the topsoil and hard water from our well. After turning the ground, we’ve used a battery-powered handheld cultivator (that is no longer holding its charge) to loosen the top layer and mix in the compost we add each year. After that, we level the area with a bow rake.
This year, we used the Corona DiscCULTIVATOR as a replacement for the battery-powered cultivator.
What is the DiscCULTIVATOR?
The DiscCULTIVATOR is basically a 60″ pole with three detachable, rotating steel tines at the end and is intended for use in weeding, cultivating, loosening and turning the top layer of soil.
The tines screw into a metal footplate that you can step on to drive the tines deeper into the ground, if needed. In normal use, the tines will reach about 2 inches below grade so the tool isn’t a replacement for a tiller or anything else that goes deeper than 2 inches.
It has a ComfortGel handle to dampen vibrations and a bent shaft to make it easier on your back, particularly when putting pressure on the cultivator’s head to break up hard clumps.
The three steel tines on the Corona DiscCULTIVATOR
Testing the Cultivator’s Uses
When I headed to the garden with the Corona DiscCULTIVATOR, I expected much of the same routine as in previous years, without the battery power of the tiller. But I was wrong. The DiscCULTIVATOR did nearly all the tasks of several tools put together.
This is not a pretty picture; it’s dry clods of dirt in one of our garden beds.
Breaking Up Clumps & Loosening Soil – With all three tines on, I was able to roll the cultivator back and forth over clods of dirt and break them up. This came in handy not just in my vegetable and flower beds, but also when preparing an area for wildflower seeding.
The tines of this cultivator are tough, but the entire tool is lightweight and ergonomic
Spreading Amendments & Leveling the Garden Bed – After loosening the soil, I added mushroom compost in piles and then spread it with the DiscCULTIVATOR. It did a nice job of mixing the compost into the first few inches of the soil surface.
The tines also helped gather some of the leaf mulch still on the bed from fall. The good part is that the leaves didn’t stick to the tines so the tool didn’t become clogged. In past years of bed prep, the battery-powered cultivator did a nice job but would sometimes clog up from debris or weeds.
Even better, I was able to replace the previous need for a bow rake by “leveling” the dirt with the DiscCultivator. I could make extra passes or change direction to get the bed more even after all the clod busting.
Making Planting Rows or Furrows – By taking off the two outside tines, you can easily create a planting row. If just took one pass with the cultivator to make a nice shallow row for planting cucumber and bean seeds. I also noticed that I could make small “furrows” if necessary. So, a nice bonus.
Considering my skills and the soil this year, these are nice little furrows made with two tines
Cultivating Around Plants – After cucumber seedlings came up in that prepped bed (yay!), I tested the DiscCULTIVATOR’s ability to cultivate around plants and remove small weeds. By removing the center tine, I could run the tool over the seedlings without chopping them to pieces. It was easy to maneuver and really helped loosen the soil, which already is hardening somewhat from the irrigation.
After my cucumbers sprouted, I ran the disc cultivator (with 2 outside tines) around them to loosen the soil and weed starts
Lightweight & Comfortable to Use
Compared to an electric cultivator, the Corona DiscCULTIVATOR is much lighter and the ergonomic design of the curved shaft means less fatigue. It’s also easy to pick up and move or to simply roll to where I want to make the next pass. The ComfortGel handle was comfortable to hold and provided extra cushioning that I welcomed after hours of work in the garden.
The Corona ComfortGel® handle on its DiscCULTIVATOR
The tines were easy to remove and replace, with a coated bolt holding each one in place. It was a little easier to remove one of the outside tines before removing or replacing the center one, since they interlock a bit. But that took so little time, I didn’t mind.
The bolts that hold the tines in place screw off and on easily for quickly changing tasks
Warranty
Corona offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects in workmanship and materials.
Recommendation
The DiscCULTIVATOR from Corona does a good job of loosening the top layer of soil, breaking up clumps, spreading amendments and weeding around plants. For regular bed preparation and weed control, this is a terrific, flexible and ergonomic tool. It’s sturdy but lightweight, has a comfortable handle that absorbs vibration, and the tines come off and on fairly easily to give you multiple widths and tine configurations.
If you’ve got really compact ground that’s never been worked or has a hardpan, this would not be the right tool for you; you’d need to first prepare the soil with a more deeply penetrating tool or use a no-till method of soil preparation (such as using a broadfork).
The DiscCULTIVATOR is similar in many ways to the Garden Weasel Rotary Cultivator but has a bent shaft that makes it easier on the back, especially when putting pressure on the tines to break up hard soil. Other differences include a handle made with vibration-absorbing ComfortGel and the tines are attached to a metal footplate that allows you to step down on the tines to drive them deeper into the ground.
Where to Buy
The DiscCULTIVATOR can be purchased directly from Corona where it’s currently listed on their website for $43.40 plus shipping. It can also be found on Amazon for roughly the same price (with free shipping for Prime members).
A side view of the sturdy Corona DiscCULTIVATOR tines
Last update on 2023-03-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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