Abstract: A method for cultivating plantable soils, more particularly forest soils, by breaking-up and working-in plants and parts of plants lying upon the soil, for example leaves, needles, twigs and branches. To this end, a plurality of elements, flexible in all directions, tautened by centrifugal force, and secured to a shaft, are caused to rotate by the said shaft, the radius of rotation of the ends of the said elements being greater than the selected distance between the axis of rotation of the shaft and the surface of the ground. In order to be able to mechanically cultivate larger areas of substantially uneven and non-homogeneous forest soils, the horizontal axis of rotation of the shaft is also subjected to an oscillating pivoting motion about a vertical axis, the axis of rotation of the shaft being kept substantially radial to the pivot-axis and being moved in a circle which is parallel to the surface of the ground.