Do we have to dig up old lawn before rotivating to lay new seed or can we just rotivate in ?

I would kill off the grass first with a good weedkiller. Wait for it too die off completlely then rotovate.

Well, not being one for using chemicals, I'd dig up the rough grass and make a turf stack so you can use as loam and then rotivate :-)

i,d stack it for use as loam too...

I've dug a patch recently and put the top soil with grass in a pile. Are you two saying that if i put it in thick bags, I will get loam?

you don,t need to bag it.
just stack it and leave it.

Make a stack of the turves with the grass facing downwards for several years until you need some loam. Put through a course wire sieve and there you go... Make sure to were good solid gloves as you rub through the sieve to remove and weeds or grasses.

I wouldn't turn it in as you are just chopping up the roots and rhizomes which will all grow back. Taking up all the turf is a really long hard job but if you can afford it you can hire a 'turf cutter' that will save you all the back breaking labour! ! ! Good luck with it. :~))

Hi Shirley we have just put in new lawn ,my son rotovated old one we backbreaklngly removed most of the large sods then rotovated again,then by spade dug all over till it nearly resembled fine bread crumbs re-seeded watered well and we now have quite a nice lawn.But i can tell you i`d never do it again Lol was a Bl....y nightmare!!!!!

Guess because we have a light, sandy soil removing all of our lawn (in stages) wasn't a problem