RYOBI EXPAND-IT Cultivator Review

Alex reviews the cultivator attachment for his Ryobi Expand-It 40v tool and shows how he uses it to prep his soil for planting grass seed.
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8-Quart Organic Seed Starter - amzn.to/37iAHQm
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Find us on IG too: / soilmatesga

[@markkroger1378]

Thank you for sharing - am in the process of planting grass seed myself and this was very helpful.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Mark Kroger Great! It really worked well and I have grass in my backyard where I couldn’t get it to grow for years. The main part I showed in my front yard came in thicker than I’ve ever had it.

[@All4Grogg]

Cultivators have their place, maintaining a tilled surface. Starting from scratch it is well worth RENTING a commercial tiller. Caps on the renting part, Home Depot/Lowes and many local businesses maintain a rental section and for home owners/DIY, they are fantastic resource for getting a powerful specialized tool. I just looked for reference, $70 for 4 hours, to rent a burly $2800 machine that would have the job in the video done and cultivator ready in about 10 minutes.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Thanks for the tip! My neighbor just rented a big tiller from HD before laying sod. It was perfect for his needs. This little cultivator did great for over seeding my small areas. I’ve rented an aerator from HD before and it was well worth it.

[@nathanknapp4476]

The only problem is that people like to carry this back in the woods or to a remote places. Your not carrying a big tiller unless you're the strongest man in the world

[@lilithblackwater309]

Great video! Especially the part showing the difference on the forward and backward passes helped me a lot. Just got this tool. Thanks so much for the hands on instructions.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

You’re welcome! Good luck

[@yhlanded]

Cool I planned on using it for the same purpose. Ironically in GA as well haha. Thanks for the review!

[@greensteve9307]

Great review! I wasn't sure if it would do what I wanted, but you answered that and much more!

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Great, glad we helped.

[@mattdarbro4830]

Just bought the same attachment along with the Ryobi 30cc 4 cycle trimmer today - great torque for this attachment by the way. I've got a house in Central Texas with the typical hard clay and gravel dirt. I've tilled about 500 sq ft and the tiller has done an impressive job and appears to be very durable. but like the host of this video said it is very light. You have to take your time and work backwards for it to till to any depth. What I really like about it is the maneuverability. I'm prepping for Xeriscape around my house and septic. The areas are too big for my rear tin, so with this option it's very easy to work around sprinkler heads, foundation, and sub-t septic pluming. One note though: To the engineer that designed a plastic wing nut to hold the weight and axial stressed handle in place...really? If you buy it, before you leave the store go to the hardware section. Get an equivalent size bolt with a self locking nut or steel replacement wing nut. This will save yourself from another road trip dogging COVID raging drivers to get it. ;)

[@JaredC63]

You are spot on about the plastic wing nut on the handle. I have almost every Expand-It attachment at this point and that wing nut has been an issue on every single one. Very cheap and shitty design by Ryobi as far as those handles go

[@machiox9951]

I have this tiller/cultivator with the gas powered motor and it works really well. If you stay in one spot, you'll dig your way to China. I honestly didn't have any issues with it even in hard dry dirt. 👍

[@JaredC63]

What sized gas motor are you using? I have a 4 cycle 30 cc ryobi weed eater so I'm hoping it's going to have enough power to get through hard ground

[@themoodyonejb]

GA here also, this ground here is so hard. I bought this the Ryobi and the yard attachments, and started turning a little yesterday, I did wet thebyard yesterday and it helped.. It just rained last night and this morning into afternoon here, so hopefully it's a little softer since I'm about to get out here for a few and try again. So far, I'm happy with my new tool. It's the perfect t weight to give my scrawny arms a workout. Lol

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

We needed this rain. Looks like we’ll get more tomorrow if the ground isn’t soft enough for you yet. I like this size too. Those big ones will beat you up!

[@cocosanchez7927]

Very good video, thanks. Subscribed 😊

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Thank you!

[@MikawayanCalifornia]

Ilove that easay to use not making loud noise

[@Jim12291958]

Thank you for the informative and video detailed review. Good job sir.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

You’re welcome Jim. Thanks for watching

[@webeducation]

Nice review. Just picked one up. Might be able to add 1 or 2 10lb weight lifting plates around the pole for added weight. Then use plumbing clamps to prevent the weight from going down to far.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

That's a great idea. It needs something extra on really dry dirt/soil.

[@nathanknapp4476]

Just bought one. Great tool for my mico no plow food plot seed just break up the surface . Beats using a metal rake for the hole thing. I still use the rake but no for digging.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Good luck with it!

[@judyl.761]

I wonder if you could use that on established grass before you throw some overseeding.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

I think if you run it lightly over, it could be good, but I wouldn't want to mess up the grass that's already growing. I usually do fine just spreading the seed and watering it in if the lawn is established.

[@fckdusty]

Great video! How’d the grass turn out?? I looked but didn’t see a follow up video- I’m invested 😂

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Thanks Dustin! The grass came in nicely, but the weeds returned too. I ended up not creating a follow-up and I've sold the house and moved since then. If I had stayed there and treated it with a weed killer, it probably would have looked good.

[@CC-qt6sf]

Any update on this project? Did the grass grow? How does it look now (Spring 2020)?

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Yes, the grass came in great, even better than expected. Sorry I missed your comment earlier.

[@eflex247]

Please post updated video with results. Thanks

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Will do!

[@FourDollaRacing]

Thumbs up for knowing how to pronounce Ryobi!

[@RD-zw5yd]

does it take out the rhizomes of bermuda grass?

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

It doesn’t get too deep like a real tiller would, so I’d guess it would only take out shallow rhizomes at best. I didn’t have any Bermuda in the areas I was working it.

[@CoffeeCowsNCurls]

Very nice rvw... it worked well for doing what you were looking for... not sure it would be good for prepping g for a garden from what I gather.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Exactly - It's not a beast of a machine and I can't imagine it would break up much of the soil going deeper without more weight on it. If it was a bed that had been worked over and mulched already and just needed a simple turning/mixing, it'd probably be good.

[@roadstar499]

the brushless version would tear that dirt up..

[@Wallriss]

That's what I'm hoping!

[@joebustos6413]

Slower with the action. It will do the work, but go slower to get a better silt.

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Joe Bustos That’s what I learned eventually. I came in with no knowledge and it showed 😄. My grass came up good, so it worked, but I could’ve been much more efficient for sure.

[@jamesbartley6727]

tines on backwards

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

I almost put them on backwards, but this way is how the instruction showed it

[@allanwaterhouse540]

No caso

[@9049955715]

Whats price?

[@SoilMatesofGeorgia]

Bhagawan Yadav The base that came with a string trimmer was $139 and the cultivator attachment was $119. These are prices at Home Depot (I think Ryobi is a HD brand).

[@gussferretti9665]

$130 with taxes but worth every penny

[@FullStrengthBeer]

Just hire a Lawn Scarifier/Dethatcher