Opinions- Dormant Brown Grass Being Better To Dig Plugs In? & Your Tips To Keep From Killing Grass...

[Critterhunter]

One thing I wonder about the dead grass this time of year. It's not really dead but dormant. I wonder if perhaps it might actually be better for the grass to dig plugs in it when it's in it's dormant stage, because I've found plugs when the grass was nice and green that were brown and obviously dead. Perhaps by digging those plugs when the grass is dormant it might give them better survival chances? Giving the dirt time to heal around the roots.

One of the things I do to limit damage to grass is dig the plug deep enough to be well past the roots, so that you are keeping dirt attached to the bottom of the roots, as the enemy of roots is air. That's also why I stomp good and hard on the plug when done. It might flatten the grass but it will pop back up in a day or two, and that stomping insures less air exposure to the roots. I also dig my plugs with one side still attached to the surrounding grass, so that the root system still is connected to the surrounding grass. Final tip is to sharpen your digger. Less tearing while cutting the plug means less drama to the roots. Of course use a screwdriver to pop the shallower stuff whenever you can. Supertuning the Pro Pointer is handy for finding those shallow ones and sticking the screwdriver right under them at an angle to pop out.

I'd like to hear any others opinions on dormant grass perhaps being better to dig plugs in? And any tips for keeping the grass from dying.

 

[Ed in SoDak]

I always wondered why some detectorist that happens to also have a manicured lawn hasn't done some tests off in a corner somewhere, just to be able to observe what happens to the lawn after a coin is dug by the various common methods.

With dozens of abandoned mines and other places to hunt, I simply avoid the issue by digging where it doesn't matter. Our soil is too rocky to be neat most anywhere we hunt. I fill my holes best I can and move on and it's no worse than a wandering cow might do.

But when we removed a zillion dandelions from my mom's yard or our own, we just roughly pluck 'em out and toss 'em, leaving whatever hole it makes and there's no real evidence of all those excavations. I guess having dandelions is a sign that our yards aren't manicured, so maybe that's not a valid comparison.

I'd kinda guess with dormant grass that the root system is the living part and severing too much of it would probably slow recovery. But if the root's not actively growing until it receives adequate moisture, maybe it would be like dividing up a plot of iris bulbs in the fall. They're not hurt much if they're dormant when they're dug up.

Other plants, like tomatoes for example, do best when being transplanted if they're well-watered prior to doing the dirty deed.

-Ed

 

[Dude]

I've cut plugs in my yard when the grass is green and without fail the grass will turn brown to some extent. Hinged plugs recover faster and with the least amount of browning.

This year I tried another experiment and that was how well would the grass recover during this drought we're having. About a month ago I cut a few plugs in my yard, none where hinged because the ground was rock hard. This week we have had 2" of rain and a little cooler weather and the lawn is recovering and the plugs are somewhat noticeable. The grass was in such bad shape that the plugs don't catch your attention unless your looking for them. That's a plus.

I got down on my hands and knees and looked closely at the grass and the brown grass doesn't turn green but rather new shoots are coming up green, so a cut plug, cuts off the root system. As long as someone doesn't make a mess of it, I don't think it would be a whole lot different than when conditions are good.

Hope it helps

 

[jabbo]

with this hobby every summer these days. Thanks to the guys who use a screwdriver when searching for shallow gold rings to minimize damage. When the grass is brown and dry the screwdriver method may do the least damage. Maybe 50% or more searching in parks is done for jewelry, that has to be a lot of digging. I made a few pulltab pullers that I use when searching for rings down to 4 or 5 inches deep. It is about equal to using a screwdriver but the hooked end makes it easier to get the target out of the ground with little or no damage to the grass, and many times no mark of any kind is visible where the target was pulled out. Stuff pulls up out of the grround real easy. These days I search mostly weedy places for old coins but when I do go back to parks for rings I will be using the puller that was made from the paddle drill. In the pic is a puller I made a few years ago from a knife blade, the notches were cut with a Dremel. Also shown is a 3/4" paddle drill like the one I used for the puller, with the screwdriver handle attached. The screw in the middle of the handle is lined up with the hook for orientation. Pullers like these, or any other design, are quite amazing in the amount of targets that can be retrieved in one hour. Great for pulltabs, rings and all kinds of junk. A Dremel is needed to make these.

 

[GunnarMN]

critter is right pack it back down , dig straght deep plugs i also pluck grass and put in the bottom of the hole as a firtilizer should bring a salt shaker with epsome salt as grass likes this as well

 

[plidn1]

I use a Hori Hoir, which is a professional gardener's Digger for transplanting and I keep it sharp.
I make sure that I dig deep enough to clear the roots and large enough that there is a substantial amount of grass / plug to replace with a minimum amount of destruction. I carry a 10" plastic gold pan to put the dirt I remove from the hole into, so that all of it will be replaced when I am done. I use my digger to pack the dirt down before replacing the plug.
The few times I have been approached by park or school officials, they were more interested in me not leaving holes then anything else.
I don't dig if the ground is very dry. And I don't dig in a lawn that has sandy ground.
As long as the ground is moist or wet, the plugs generally rebound in a day or so. If the park service is diligent in watering, there is very little damage to the lawn. A little common sense goes a long way. You don't have to be destructive to enjoy this hobby. Just careful.
I have tried to back step my hunt at times after moving on, and found that I could not find my plugs.

 

[BH_Landstar_]

The trick is to cut a plug with a deep cut straight down the full 360 degrees (4" or more in depth, any less and the grass dies) so you take out lots of soil with the roots in-tacked in the soil (plug), this then does not kill the grass, if you cut the roots off (the top 3 inches) the grass will die and turn brown.

I've never had a plug turn brown doing it this way.

 

[matthias]

Looking forward to your video CW. HH. Matt

 

[plidn1]

That a large knife or hand digger raggs out the grass and causes a destructive mess to the well kept lawns, the key is a sharp downward thrust all with just one motion,i am working on the video with the parks department head to show you guys what is happening here.It is time to do what is right,not to do what we know is not right.The parks department and surrounding communities know we are digging,there is no reason to hide with a large knife any longer,for this is nothing but antiquated thinking.We need to move fast with this,because if we keep ragging out these parks with these hand diggers we are done.CW:

It would seem, according to you, all the professional horticulturists in every nursery, park, or public garden in the country, are maintaining their profession all wrong with improper tools.
I am so glad I am on the west coast.

 

[plidn1]

Well kept parks in the United States,will not let me dig unless i have the proper digging tool at the city parks,and has agreed to be in a video,to show that knifes and large type hand diggers are not welcome here!.He is even putting the mayor of the city in the video in it.I can not wait to post this video here to put a stop to certain bullies here that stalk individuals,thinking they know it all,well they don't know crap!.I will be back to show how a proper plug is dug in my city!
CW

Here is the greatest Idea I have heard yet.
Let's get all the state, county, and city officials involved in a video, bringing attention to all us park diggers with shovels, and put it on the world wide web.
That will really help our hobby to progress.

 

[matthias]

(rolls eyes)...

 

[DougF]

I would agree with Critterhunter that if the ground is so dry that the grass has gone dormant, you are not doing any further damage by digging a plug, assuming the plug doesn't crumble on you. Once the plug is replaced and stomped down good, it will green up as soon as there is a good rain, just like the rest of the ground. Parks around here (Maryland) don't water the grass, and for the most part the grass is not manicured, actually it's more a mix of weeds and grass. Parks also specify that MDers use only hand diggers, shovels are prohibited. As far as hinged plugs, In this area it does no good, since the grasses in the parks are not turf-type grasses, that is, they don't spread by subsurface runners. If you have grasses that are spreading types like zoysia or bermudagrass, the hinge method might help.

 

[Ism]

Heres my take on the whole issue of green vs burned out dormant grass.

If you dig a plug (sometimes a good plug will die) in green grass it turns brown after a couple days.
If you dig a plug in burned out grass, it doesn't look any different a few days later. Maybe after it rains it stays brown for longer but who cares, it will return to normal in due time.
Besides if no plugs were dug, the grass will be patchy brown for weeks anyhow.

What should be a concern is the plugs that are dug in hard dry earth look like crap because they can't be re-seated like a moist plug.
They stick up a bit and leave an ugly seam around the edge. Many times they crumble as you pry them out leaving puzzle pieces to replace in the hole...looks like crap also.

 

[Critterhunter]

That's also a good reason to leave on side of the plug attached as a hinge, as the plug falls back into place in proper orientation and is less prone to showing edges. Some say you can't hinge a deep plug but I found it rather easy after a few attempts. It's an art like anything else and you get better at it with practice. Rarely will I not hinge a plug anymore. I think it just makes less chance of the grass dying because roots are still attached to the surrounding grass for that reason alone, let alone the proper orientation when flipped back into the ground.

Besides the mentioned technique to dig a plug much deeper than the bottom of the roots to insure dirt is left over them and so less chance the grass dies (air is the enemy of roots...It's not the grass that is drying out but the roots from air, which in turn kills the grass), I also tend to cut my plugs say almost as big around as the diameter of a coffee can. For years I thought you should cut the smallest diameter plug possible, until I realized that a wider plug keeps more roots in the center protected from damage, and so you are less likely to have one big brown spot a week later. Think of it as transporting a plant to your garden. Most plants should be removed from pots with as much surrounding dirt still attached to the roots as possible. The less dirt you keep around the roots the less chance the plant will die from transport. Besides, I believe a somewhat wider plug is less easy to spot then a small/round one say the size of a pop or perhaps soup can. I think also that by cutting a wider plug the grass on the plug has more roots going to the center of the plug to sustain them, where as a smaller plug's grass roots near the edge of the plug might have roots going towards the center of the plug but in fact end up dead ending at the other side of the plug where they've been cut there as well. See the logic here? That's what I'm starting to believe anyway.

 

[ralph]

really like looks of the paddlebit tool,think i'll make one an try it.

 

[Steve O]

I dig plugs in the shape of a U, with the sides longer so it's easier to flip and stay put. My shovel has only a slight curve to it. After retrieving the target I put the loose dirt (if any) back, tamp it with the end of the shovel (d or t handle), flip back the plug and tamp it again with the end of the shovel starting with the edges first, then to the middle, brush it with with my fingers to kind of blend it in and stand the grass back up. Like critter said ya have to get the air out or the roots will dry out.
Digging in this dry ground can be a problem, some areas the plug will stay intact, other areas the only part that stays together is the dirt around the grass roots and the rest crumbles apart. Make the right call to dig that area, you can always come back when the ground has moisture in it.

 

[DirtAngler]

As stated, the problem with digging dormant grass is that there is a very good chance the ground is so dry any effort at a plug will crumble, then the grass roots are exposed and the grass will die. If you have had rain so that the ground isn't too dry for a plug to stay together, it probably isn't going to do any more to the dormant grass than digging a plug at any other time.

 

[Critterhunter]

One other tip is of course to sharpen the edge of your digger. Not just for better plugs and less root damage, but also because it makes breaking through the grass to much easier. It's like night and day. I try to remember to sharpen mine at least every spring if not more often.

 

[Dude]

Besides the mentioned technique to dig a plug much deeper than the bottom of the roots to insure dirt is left over them and so less chance the grass dies (air is the enemy of roots...It's not the grass that is drying out but the roots from air, which in turn kills the grass), .

If air is the enemy of grass roots than why do they make lawn aerators and plug aerators? I use my aerator every spring and haven't killed my grass yet.

From own experiments in my yard digging plugs in drought conditions, it does kill off the grass because the root structure is destroyed, but then again it looks no different from the rest of the yard and recovers at almost the same rate because new stolons and rhizomes grow outward into the cut plug.

 

[Steve O]

Roots do need some oxygen. The plugs also let water and nutrients down deeper. Airating also helps lessen soil compaction and makes nooks a pockets for the roots to spread.