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What kind of plugs do some of you dig in parks and schools?
- Thread starter Dave-IL
- Start date
I've dug thousands of plugs in the turf. The most efficient, cleanest, turf saving way for my types of ground I typically hunt at is to make a hinged door plug.
I use a lesche digger and cut a semi-circle plug (about 180 degrees, or slightly more depending on the type of turf), then lift the cut side up (like a hinged door). To keep the plug from dropping back in the hole, I use a long probe (screw driver will work) to pin it. I then place all the dirt I'm going to take out of the hole onto a piece of rubber truck tire inner tube that I cut into a square(a towel will work well also, but I prefer the water repellent properties of the rubber). Now, depending on the type of soil and its moisture content, I may or may not be able to get all the dirt I removed back into the plug in order to make my plugged (hinged) grass remain as level as possible with the original turf, which is a very important step. The reason it's important is that if it's sticking up a little bit, it has a chance of being sucked up into the commercial lawnmowers (common at most parks I hunt), leaving a very unsightly dirt hole in the turf. So typically ,I'll place 90-95% of the dirt back in the plug before tamping it down with my foot to make it flush. The remaining dirt I simply spread out next to a nearby tree, or slowly release it (like watering) out of my rubber mat as I continue to hunt until it is all gone. I remember just a few weeks ago, I saw a really dry, turf-less, dry spot (about 18" x 12") in this one meadow I was detecting....it was an eye sore...not sure how it got there, but I kept dumping my extra plug dirt in this spot as I hunted around it......within one week, on my return trip back to this meadow, new, young grass was growing right from that dried up area now that there was fresh dirt there to retain moisture and create fertilization. Made me feel great!!
It may sound like a lot of extra work, but it's really not. My tools are like an extension of my arm.....you get very efficient with the plugging process....been doing it now for over 25 years. I've made thousands of 5-9" plugs in the turf, and trying to keep the turf looking like it was untouched is my highest priority. I've seen/witnessed far too many plugs where it looked like the highest priority of the digger was the treasure in the hole, ignoring any awareness/concern of the turf.
Good Luck!!
CAPTN SE
Dan
I use a lesche digger and cut a semi-circle plug (about 180 degrees, or slightly more depending on the type of turf), then lift the cut side up (like a hinged door). To keep the plug from dropping back in the hole, I use a long probe (screw driver will work) to pin it. I then place all the dirt I'm going to take out of the hole onto a piece of rubber truck tire inner tube that I cut into a square(a towel will work well also, but I prefer the water repellent properties of the rubber). Now, depending on the type of soil and its moisture content, I may or may not be able to get all the dirt I removed back into the plug in order to make my plugged (hinged) grass remain as level as possible with the original turf, which is a very important step. The reason it's important is that if it's sticking up a little bit, it has a chance of being sucked up into the commercial lawnmowers (common at most parks I hunt), leaving a very unsightly dirt hole in the turf. So typically ,I'll place 90-95% of the dirt back in the plug before tamping it down with my foot to make it flush. The remaining dirt I simply spread out next to a nearby tree, or slowly release it (like watering) out of my rubber mat as I continue to hunt until it is all gone. I remember just a few weeks ago, I saw a really dry, turf-less, dry spot (about 18" x 12") in this one meadow I was detecting....it was an eye sore...not sure how it got there, but I kept dumping my extra plug dirt in this spot as I hunted around it......within one week, on my return trip back to this meadow, new, young grass was growing right from that dried up area now that there was fresh dirt there to retain moisture and create fertilization. Made me feel great!!
It may sound like a lot of extra work, but it's really not. My tools are like an extension of my arm.....you get very efficient with the plugging process....been doing it now for over 25 years. I've made thousands of 5-9" plugs in the turf, and trying to keep the turf looking like it was untouched is my highest priority. I've seen/witnessed far too many plugs where it looked like the highest priority of the digger was the treasure in the hole, ignoring any awareness/concern of the turf.
Good Luck!!
CAPTN SE
Dan
I almost never cut a hinged plug - the parks I hunt in don't have good turf. They're shady and the ground is mostly "weeds". I will just cut a round plug about 4-5 inches in diameter, and three inches deep, place it carefully on the drop cloth, then dig further as needed, placing the dirt on the cloth. If you try to cut a hinged plug it will just fall apart when you try to bend it back. The California parks I see on Capn_SE's videos have nice thick turf grass which makes the hinged plugs work better.
dewcon4414
Well-known member
Mine depends on the area. I always us a 8 inch butcher knife to cut my plug or hing.... smooth as silk even in hard grand. Some will cut a LARGER plug if its a deep target and some do this so they can really get deep the first cut so they are below the roots of the grass for less damage. Larger plugs sometimes are heavier and the big mowers cant pull them up. In most cases mine are much like Capt SE's.... small and clean. After i put the dirt back in and stomp the plug tight i always brush the area with my gloved hand. You cant tell ive been there. Any way you do it remember the saying about foot prints on the beach... leave as little damage as possible and PLEASE fill the darn hole i get tired of hearing people complain about us. We all know no one complains about mover damage, divits from golfers, animals and moles, or kids digging... but let us leave one hole and we catch crap.
Dew
Dew
"Leave as little damage as possible and PLEASE fill the darn hole i get tired of hearing people complain about us. We all know no one complains about mover damage, divits from golfers, animals and moles, or kids digging... but let us leave one hole and we catch crap."
dewcon makes a great point here. The grounds keeper at my local park would love to see "No metal detecting allowed" signs, even though he has no say in the matter. The truth is that the squirrels do far more damage than I do. I also use a knife to cut a semi-circle flap. Any excess dirt goes onto a rubber matt then back in the hole. I always pound it in with my fist or my foot if the ground is hard but I try to stay out of the park in really dry conditions because, unless you water it, the grass where you dig will usually die from stress if the ground is that dry.
Steve in PA
dewcon makes a great point here. The grounds keeper at my local park would love to see "No metal detecting allowed" signs, even though he has no say in the matter. The truth is that the squirrels do far more damage than I do. I also use a knife to cut a semi-circle flap. Any excess dirt goes onto a rubber matt then back in the hole. I always pound it in with my fist or my foot if the ground is hard but I try to stay out of the park in really dry conditions because, unless you water it, the grass where you dig will usually die from stress if the ground is that dry.
Steve in PA
I only cut a plug if I can not get at the target by probing carefully with my pocket knife. Some use a pick like an ice pick to probe with but if I can not reach the object with a 3" blade then I will have to cut a plug anyway. By probing with a knife or pick, I find that I can retrieve 80% of the shallow objects with my finger and the blade without leaving any kind of noticeable hole. When cutting a plug, I use the hinge door method as described here. By hunting early mornings, the irrigation in my parks has usually left the soil very workable.
DoughBoyDoug
New member
I use a small sharp knife and cut an incision at school grounds. I do mostly the same things at parks but will dig more of a plug there.I always do my best to leave no evidence of being there. That is the most important thing.