The last time I was out detecting, I found evidence(huge plugs) of someone detecting at my favorite place. Now, these plugs were at least a foot in diameter and in two of these plugs, I found a coin that was less than two inches deep. I found it with my propointer and popped it out with my screw driver. I have owned too many id type detectors and it did not take long to figure out what shallow coins looked like and sounded like on the screen. On a shallow coin, the depth reading is very accurate. My point, why are so many people digging these huge plugs for a coin just below the surface. I have watched hundreds of youtube videos and way too many people are digging plugs too deep for a coin barely below the surface. I have a V3i and it is extremely apparent when a coin is shallow. I just watched a guy digging these huge plugs and having to tear half of it apart to find the coin in the roots. I guess the moral of the story is don't dig too deep or big if you don't have to.
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Why Dig A Big Plug
- Thread starter RLOH
- Start date
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
I can think of two reasons off the top of my head, most who do that simply don't know any better, no one showed them the right way. The other is some idiot "pro" made a video telling watchers big plugs are better because they don't brown as fast as small plugs. WRONG
I came across a dozen of these plugs 4 years ago in a small town square and posted them to our club forum. http://www.findmall.com/read.php?78,1715880,1715880#msg-1715880
I came across a dozen of these plugs 4 years ago in a small town square and posted them to our club forum. http://www.findmall.com/read.php?78,1715880,1715880#msg-1715880
doc holiday232
New member
Favorite bumper sticker: PLEASE help Stamp out---People.
still looking 52
Well-known member
Doc, love that bumper sticker! Just like these people texting while driving, how stupid can a person be? Plus this only gives the hobby a bad reputation when people damage the landscape. Bottom line there is no reason to take a large plug period.
This has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. I know one tector who takes his 31" Sampson and he ALWAYS shoved the blade full depth, standing erect for the public's eye to see. Where I live, most all coins/jewelry is just a few inches down max, the majority 1-2". He and I both run V3i machines and have each gained tenure, so I really don't know why he surely still makes it a habit to do full scoops as his MOA.
I have an alternate issue with a newbie I'm helping though. He will take lots of time chiseling and picking at a shallow target with his digger, creating a mess over a simple, very shallow piece of clad. I keep trying to tell him that if his Propointer is clicking but not locked into a solid tone, that the target is no more than 1-2" down, so just go ahead and make a 2" dig...less work and less time for the looky-lous to study you, plus there isn't a blemish left from all the scattered dirt from picking at it with a Lesche.
I'm not about to bring up the screwdriver popping thing for two reasons. One, he's already obviously paranoid about the public, so I don't want to add to that paranoia of his. Secondly, I don't do coin popping myself. I've found way too many shallow silvers and jewelry and don't want to damage it with a probe.
There can be extremes is all I'm saying.
I have an alternate issue with a newbie I'm helping though. He will take lots of time chiseling and picking at a shallow target with his digger, creating a mess over a simple, very shallow piece of clad. I keep trying to tell him that if his Propointer is clicking but not locked into a solid tone, that the target is no more than 1-2" down, so just go ahead and make a 2" dig...less work and less time for the looky-lous to study you, plus there isn't a blemish left from all the scattered dirt from picking at it with a Lesche.
I'm not about to bring up the screwdriver popping thing for two reasons. One, he's already obviously paranoid about the public, so I don't want to add to that paranoia of his. Secondly, I don't do coin popping myself. I've found way too many shallow silvers and jewelry and don't want to damage it with a probe.
There can be extremes is all I'm saying.
doc holiday232
New member
still looking 52 said:
First saw that bumper sticker on the back of a city bus in Vicksburg,Ms. in 1957. At that time the "Please help stamp out"--whatever,was the rage. Being a fan of Dark Humor,the sticker always comes to mind when I see my fellow man needing a little stamping. Sometimes I find myself in that category.
Dick Stout
New member
You are correct....have no idea why all the shovels and nasty looking diggers. Then again I am 75 years old and old school when it comes to detecting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLvboex7sM
Here's a vdeo on how to get those targets out of the ground quickly with no plugs. Digging plugs wastes valuable time to retrieve your targets, kills grass and is a public relations disaster for the metal detecting community. Buy an electronic pin pointer to find out [size=large]EXACTL[/size]Y where the targets is.
Here's a vdeo on how to get those targets out of the ground quickly with no plugs. Digging plugs wastes valuable time to retrieve your targets, kills grass and is a public relations disaster for the metal detecting community. Buy an electronic pin pointer to find out [size=large]EXACTL[/size]Y where the targets is.
HaroldILL.
Active member
People with shovels are lazy and careless. They are mostly Newbee Silver Counters who care about nothing but getting that number what ever silver outta' the ground.If all sites get closed they go back to there golf game as just a fad to them and not a passion. It happened in are area as We lost most public spots.They are gone and it will eventually happen every where.
A landscaper’s point of view for digging up targets
Believe it or not, the technique of “plugging”, we call it sod removal, is not unique to metal detecting. Landscapers use it all the time to get access for underground repairs to sprinkler systems, low voltage wires, etc. In many cases we restore the lawn in one visit. Here’s how.
Preserve the roots, I can’t emphasize this enough, roots are life. The important roots grow vertically, straight down, and 80% of them are within the first three inches.
With that said, it means you cut your plug straight down at 90 degrees to the ground, NEVER at any other angle. You make the plug at least three inches deep.
Use a pin pointer, if your target is shallow you can recover it by carefully splitting the plug from the bottom and work up, remove the item, and restore the plug. If it is deep, continue digging (I use a ground cloth for the removed dirt, it’s faster and makes the target easier to find) remove your item, dump the dirt back into the hole and restore the plug with no damage to the surface.
If you don’t have a (hand held) pin pointer, get one. If you can’t afford one, or don’t want to use one for some other reason, please, find a different hobby. There are many videos out there showing someone waving a clod of dirt over their metal detector’s coil looking for a target. Do you really think that hole can be properly restored? It’s just another “black eye” for metal detecting.
And for the record, properly restored means you look back at the lawn where you just detected and you yourself can’t see your own plugs.
It really is that simple, now let’s address some myths.
Myth: Cutting a plug on three sides with a hinge on the forth side allows the roots to recover faster.
Answer: False. I’ve never seen this supported in any published landscaping resource material (no, metal detector literature does not count). I use a commercial lawn edger that cuts a 3/16” groove along sidewalks, driveways and flower beds, the roots have no problem bridging that gap in a very short time, I can’t imagine it would make a bit of difference to the grass if you hinge your plug or not. Personally I do hinge my plugs, but only because it’s a faster way to restore the hole, no other reason.
Myth: Adding fertilizer, plant material, or water to the plug hole is beneficial.
Answer: False. Never add anything to the hole that you did not remove from it, except in rare cases, where you remove a large object and need to add fill dirt to get the ground back to level. You can get this fill dirt from a nearby flower bed or scrape a bare spot.
Adding fertilizer will cause the grass from your plug to grow at a faster rate and be a different color than the rest of the lawn. The landscaper will not be amused.
Adding grass, leaves or any other fresh plant material can cause a condition known as “nitrogen draft”.
When you add fresh organic materials to soil, you increase the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, creating a condition called nitrogen draft. When nitrogen draft occurs, microorganisms consume all the available nitrogen and other nutrients to decompose the fresh organic material. The microorganisms literally out-compete the plants for available nitrogen, causing plants to turn yellow or purplish and their growth to be stunted.
Adding water will neither help nor harm a healthy lawn. However, if the lawn is stressed, i.e. hot or dry, don’t cut a plug. You can’t carry enough water to make a difference in stressed grass. Remember you are essentially “transplanting” the plug you dig. If the grass is stressed before you dig it, it will probably die. Find someplace else to detect until conditions improve.
Myth: You need a lot of force to restore a plug.
Answer: False. Tapping it with the flat side of a Lesche digger or lightly stepping on it should seat the plug without causing soil compaction, allowing the roots to thrive.
Myth: “The way I’ve always done it works fine”.
Answer: False. Turf grass is a living, breathing plant. It can take abuse and survive, but only up to a point. Exceed that point and it will die. Maybe the grass has survived in spite of your actions rather than because of them. If it really did “work fine” metal detecting wouldn’t be banned in so many places.
It’s fast and easy to cut a good plug and not harm the lawn, I hope this helps to explain how.
Happy hunting
Believe it or not, the technique of “plugging”, we call it sod removal, is not unique to metal detecting. Landscapers use it all the time to get access for underground repairs to sprinkler systems, low voltage wires, etc. In many cases we restore the lawn in one visit. Here’s how.
Preserve the roots, I can’t emphasize this enough, roots are life. The important roots grow vertically, straight down, and 80% of them are within the first three inches.
With that said, it means you cut your plug straight down at 90 degrees to the ground, NEVER at any other angle. You make the plug at least three inches deep.
Use a pin pointer, if your target is shallow you can recover it by carefully splitting the plug from the bottom and work up, remove the item, and restore the plug. If it is deep, continue digging (I use a ground cloth for the removed dirt, it’s faster and makes the target easier to find) remove your item, dump the dirt back into the hole and restore the plug with no damage to the surface.
If you don’t have a (hand held) pin pointer, get one. If you can’t afford one, or don’t want to use one for some other reason, please, find a different hobby. There are many videos out there showing someone waving a clod of dirt over their metal detector’s coil looking for a target. Do you really think that hole can be properly restored? It’s just another “black eye” for metal detecting.
And for the record, properly restored means you look back at the lawn where you just detected and you yourself can’t see your own plugs.
It really is that simple, now let’s address some myths.
Myth: Cutting a plug on three sides with a hinge on the forth side allows the roots to recover faster.
Answer: False. I’ve never seen this supported in any published landscaping resource material (no, metal detector literature does not count). I use a commercial lawn edger that cuts a 3/16” groove along sidewalks, driveways and flower beds, the roots have no problem bridging that gap in a very short time, I can’t imagine it would make a bit of difference to the grass if you hinge your plug or not. Personally I do hinge my plugs, but only because it’s a faster way to restore the hole, no other reason.
Myth: Adding fertilizer, plant material, or water to the plug hole is beneficial.
Answer: False. Never add anything to the hole that you did not remove from it, except in rare cases, where you remove a large object and need to add fill dirt to get the ground back to level. You can get this fill dirt from a nearby flower bed or scrape a bare spot.
Adding fertilizer will cause the grass from your plug to grow at a faster rate and be a different color than the rest of the lawn. The landscaper will not be amused.
Adding grass, leaves or any other fresh plant material can cause a condition known as “nitrogen draft”.
When you add fresh organic materials to soil, you increase the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, creating a condition called nitrogen draft. When nitrogen draft occurs, microorganisms consume all the available nitrogen and other nutrients to decompose the fresh organic material. The microorganisms literally out-compete the plants for available nitrogen, causing plants to turn yellow or purplish and their growth to be stunted.
Adding water will neither help nor harm a healthy lawn. However, if the lawn is stressed, i.e. hot or dry, don’t cut a plug. You can’t carry enough water to make a difference in stressed grass. Remember you are essentially “transplanting” the plug you dig. If the grass is stressed before you dig it, it will probably die. Find someplace else to detect until conditions improve.
Myth: You need a lot of force to restore a plug.
Answer: False. Tapping it with the flat side of a Lesche digger or lightly stepping on it should seat the plug without causing soil compaction, allowing the roots to thrive.
Myth: “The way I’ve always done it works fine”.
Answer: False. Turf grass is a living, breathing plant. It can take abuse and survive, but only up to a point. Exceed that point and it will die. Maybe the grass has survived in spite of your actions rather than because of them. If it really did “work fine” metal detecting wouldn’t be banned in so many places.
It’s fast and easy to cut a good plug and not harm the lawn, I hope this helps to explain how.
Happy hunting