How to: cut a plug in someone's lawn

To add to plug reintroduction to its hole...often the plug will be angled or uneven on the bottom. Taking a couple seconds to reshape the bottom dirt so that it vaguely matches the plug's shape will help with evenness.
 
I tend to cut a neat circle with the shovel pointed quite vertically. I lift and flip out the circle of turf with a fair bit of soil attached ..

I do similar..

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I might add if one is actually cutting a plug I think the Predator tools Raptor cuts the neatest plug. I can remove a plug much easier and neater with a Raptor than I can with any of the Leche type tools.

This actually surprises me. I've seen guys use these, and they generally have to work the tool back and forth so much at the point the blade enters the ground I would have thought it would have been harder to fill the gap.
 
Bill S and his dirt fishing videos on UTUBE cuts some of the cleanest plugs I’ve ever seen. Watching his videos can be helpful in all things metal detecting. He is a Professional.
 
This actually surprises me. I've seen guys use these, and they generally have to work the tool back and forth so much at the point the blade enters the ground I would have thought it would have been harder to fill the gap.

I guess pros and cons to all diggers.
Predator Pros:
Super heavy duty blade. Seriously it would be very difficult to bend or break.
Easier to pop plugs up due to shape.
Fewer cuts due to width.
Plugs seem to hold together better with this digger.
This diggers slight curve makes it easier to remove extra dirt from hole if needed.
Predator Cons:
It does have a thicker blade so not as fine a cut as compared to the more knife like diggers.
No serrations to cut thru roots.
 
Learn to use a rounded off screwdriver. If not deep, you can pop it out with your finger. I also use the slit method. I have a 4 inch old lock back knife I have used for years. Make a slit. Than maybe use the screwdriver to find it. I can pop a coin very fast and I have never used a pin pointer in 45 years of detecting. I don't even know how to turn one on...

KEN:p
 
K2 writes:

"A pinpointer would've helped last night greatly. I dug about 5 pennies with just the AT Pro. I took my time to scan back and forth, moving forward and backward, and then at a 90-degree angle, too. I then cut a full square cut (four sides, one spade-width long, and removed a deep plug with roots fully intact. Problem was, each coin was just below, or in the thickest roots. I never needed to dig it like that. I actually ended up scraping layers of soil off and into the hole with my A.M.Leonard knife (kinda Lesche-like). In the end, I was basically placing turf back in place. However, each time, I left it quite neat, so that was good."

I use a probe with the idea of touching the target item before digging so that I have a better idea of depth and location. Sometimes, I get fooled by a rock or such. Most times though, I will locate the item with the probe. Most times too the item is less than 3" deep in the grass covered areas I hunt. I generally just open the ground a bit with my screwdriver and pop out the item. I carry a Lesche digger but more often than not don't use it.
 
Learn to use a rounded off screwdriver. If not deep, you can pop it out with your finger. I also use the slit method. I have a 4 inch old lock back knife I have used for years. Make a slit. Than maybe use the screwdriver to find it. I can pop a coin very fast and I have never used a pin pointer in 45 years of detecting. I don't even know how to turn one on...



KEN:p



I didn't think about the "rounded-off" part. Make it less like to scratch the target?


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Maybe there is a "how-to" section here but I'd like to know how the experts dig a neat plug if detecting on a finished lawn that needs to be left neat and tidy.

I'm new at this but I tend to cut a neat circle with the shovel pointed quite vertically. I lift and flip out the circle of turf with a fair bit of soil attached, often someone cone-shaped. That seems to leave plenty of soil for the roots to be mostly undisturbed - at least left in a way that ensures healthy growth after being put in place.

However, it's the subesquent digging around, deeper, that tends to leave a situation where the plug doesn't lay flat anymore b/c of the loosened soil that's been put back in the hole.

Just curious about tips and tricks.

Here's a blog article I wrote to try and help demonstrate how to cut a plug. I use the rounded method to cutting a plug, but I leave the top side attached as I "pop the plug" to open up the hole. I generally use a lesche digger (affiliate link) for most excavations as well. I hope this helps!
 
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In Reno they make you follow a procedure to dig in parks. Horseshoe plug and 8” depth. Using a catching cloth for soil spoils. The reason they implemented this was their tractor mowers were sucking up plugs while mowing and leaving the flap attached they don’t have that issue.
 
This has been great info. I dug my first park yesterday and had an audience of some park staff that came to visit. They watched as I cut the horseshoe and used my drop cloth. They were impressed at how little a trace it left and I removed a Mt Dew Bottle cap to boot. Thanks for the pro tips.


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This has been great info. I dug my first park yesterday and had an audience of some park staff that came to visit. They watched as I cut the horseshoe and used my drop cloth. They were impressed at how little a trace it left and I removed a Mt Dew Bottle cap to boot. Thanks for the pro tips.


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Thanks for being a good steward to the hobby! :goodjob:
 
My suggestions.....

On a well manicured lawn......

Only detect it early spring or late fall.
Never dig in heat or dry weather
Use a small coil for accurate pinpointing
Use a detector with great target ID
I use a Sampson digger. Handheld diggers can not a plug cleaner than I can
Fold the plug back.
Put your dirt on something
Use a deep pinpointer so guessing is not an issue
 
anyone ever use a plug cutter ?

when I worked a golf course, we moved the holes each morning. using a plug cutter the hole would be moved around to suitable locations. we infrequently would place them as directed by the golf pro. the tees would also be moved back and forth to match the relative location of the hole as would the marker be moved up and down on the flag.

I knew I placed them well when the boss would scream out his truck window "fix the god damn hole on number X" ... that means the golf pro screamed at him first. made my day.
 

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Don't overthink it. Dig your own property first. shouldn't take more than few hole to pick it up.

as far as digging tools, I've used Ames, Lesche, fixed blade Ka-Bar and folding knives. for fields Nd woods, I use an Army issue entrenching tool.

Try a few different tools and techniques till you find a combination you're comfortable with.
 
My suggestions.....


I use a Sampson digger. Handheld diggers can not a plug cleaner than I can

A plug from a hand tool can be much improved if the digger makes sure they aren't "turning the circle" too fast and/or moving the blade in and out too much. The worst is doing both at the same time. That is, lifting the blade nearly all the way out of the ground as you quickly make your way around the target. That doesn't completely cut the walls because it creates a pattern like this: VVVVVVVVVV

The result are plugs that end up only being half as deep as the length of the blade and fall apart.

Instead, the blade should be moved in a sawing motion faster up and down than it is turning around the target. Also, not coming out of the ground more than half of the blade (if you are going for a full-blade depth plug). This will get a clean, complete cut around the walls of the plug.
 
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I use a small shovel that is about 2' long and has a 3" wide blade on it. works great. I modify mine a little to put a serrated edge on it to cut through roots and such

as far as the hole I do like a lot here say. I carry a small golf towel with me and when I am ready to dig I lay the towel down and all the dirt goes on the towel.
I normally cut a circle out and pull just the grass off it and sit it aside then go to digging the hole itself. once im done I dump all the dirt it from the towel and the grass goes on top. cant even tell I was there the majority of the time.

practice in your yard where you know its yours and you can get it down pretty good that once you go somewhere else its just second nature.
 
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