Diggin up the park?

The key is filling in the holes when you are done. Thus, nobody should see the 7" deep holes.

Seriously though, You cut a horseshoe shaped cut in the turf. Cut it kind of deep if you can and make it adequate to dig a little under. Open the turf like a flap and carefully lay it over on the side. Do not separate it. It should remain connected on the open end of the horseshoe shape. Now, take a towel or something and lay it down on the grass. Dig your dirt out and put it on the towel so that you don't loose dirt into the surrounding grass.

It would also help to have a pinpointer. That is a small hand held detecter ie., Whites Bullseye II. I have the Bulleseye II and what I do is hold a coin or other metal object in my hand. I then hold the Bullseye (substitute whatever pinpointer you have here), about an inch or two away and adjust the sensitivity so that it beeps or vibrates. That should be adequate for pinpointing in a hole. Now, before you start digging, wave the pinpointer over the underside of the flap that you cut. Also wave it over the top of the flap. If you find something, remove it and check with your detector again to see that there isn't something else there. Now, if you haven't found everything there is to be found, dig a hole and place the dirt on the towel. Keep using your pinpointer to check the sides and top of your hole, as well as the dirt that you remove and put on your towel. It also helps to have a tool like a Lesche Predator. That is a hybrid kind of tool that looks like a knife but has a curve in it like a trowel. It is what you will use to cut your horseshoe shaped plug in the turf. It has a serration on the edge to cut through roots and an edge for cutting and the curve for scooping and digging holes. Keep digging your hole till you find the object, or feel that you are doing more harm or whatever for what it is worth.

When finished, dump your towel full of dirt into the hole and clean up the area. Fold the turf that you cut back over the hole and press down well with your foot to tamp it all back into place and re-establish good root contact with the dirt. If you can, take a large bottle of water with you and sprinkle a little over the grass when you are done. I have had a thought that It might help also to sprinkle some Cayanne Pepper over the area where you dug, when you are done.

Might sound a little odd but there can be problems with animals like dogs and squirrels digging up areas that detectors have dug. Pulling up that grass that we cut through and dug under. Seems they can smell the fresh dug soil and their instinct tells them to dig there, themselves, to see what we might have burried. Part of their forraging for food. They don't know that we are takers and not stashers, they think we burried a big bone or nut. By sprinkling the pepper, it might deter them from going near there.

In the end, there should be no sign that you ever dug there.
 

Thanks for the good info. I still feel like there are 1000 pairs of eyes on me as I dig in the ground.
 

wmas has it exactly right, on several levels. Check out this link on a skunk re digging all of my holes!

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,16073.0.html

...and, there are 1000 eyes on you, so make it a good show. Be sure to do what wmas suggests and people will soon see that your goal is to have a little fun and protect the park. Maybe even take it a step further and take along a trash bag to pick up trash as you walk around, people will see that too!

Of course there's always one guy that can ruin it for you... I had a guy yell at me saying that the park wouldn't want me leaving holes all over the place. I told him I had called the parks department, explained my method, and they said it was fine. Plus, I don't leave holes. I offered to show the man how I dug my holes so he could see it first hand and he wanted nothing to do with it, just wanted to yell more. He said he was going to call the park service and I politely told him to do so and even gave him the number ;D I did maybe make one mistake and that was to give the guy my name. Since he had no interest in seeing how I did things he probably called down there and said so and so is down here digging big holes all over the place and wrecking the entire park... which of course couldn't be further from the truth. Hopefully that didn't happen.

Good luck

Dudes
 

Dan, What wmas said is correct. You will have 1000 eyes on you wether you're digging, or just walking around with that funny "stick" in your hand. It's always best to use this method when the ground is wet. Even this method will leave yellow spots after a few days if the ground is dry. The main thing to remember is replace the sod as good as possible and always remove the trash. If people are curious, spend a couple of minutes showing them what you are doing, and how you can retrieve the target without destroying the turf. I have done this, and sometimes the people ask if you would like to hunt their property.
 

I feel confident that I can dig a hole and refill it so it does not look much different than when I started. I too cut a flap in the sole and fold it back. Sometimes the grass is dry so it may not holdtogether well. I then place a denim 2X2 Ft. cloth on the ground beside the hole and dig placing the dirt on the cloth. This allows me to spread out the dirt a little and recheck as I go. I also use a pinpointer for the hole and the dirt on the cloth. Make sure the area you place the cloth does not have a signal under it , it will drive you crazy until you figure it out. After retrieving the target place the loose dirt in the hole, the cloth makes this easy just pour it off the cloth back in the hole, then replace the flap of grass. The cloth allows you to get all the dirt back in the hole if you are carefull. I don,t water or anything else, but I probably should. Step on the spot to seat the grass. I have not had a complaint yet.

I have noticed that sometimes the hole will be over full and other times it may not fill at all. I think this has a lot to do with the soil, moisture, and moon phase. Any thoughts on this?

Ed Donovan
 

The water after plug replacement is a good idea as well as the pepper sauce as well. If your detecting a well manacured lawn, be careful during dry conditions because the plug will die or go a lighter green. But if you use the water technique, that might help. I'll have to give it a try.

GL & HH,

Dugholes
 

Don't worry, Dan. If done correctly, a 7" deep hole will just look like a disturbed patch of grass, and in my neck of the desert, the park is just one big patch of disturbed grass. Happy Hunting!
 

When I dig a bad looking hole it is usually because I did not get all the dirt back in the hole. The denim cloth I use is the key to getting all the dirt back in the hole.

Ed Donovan
 

dudes2112 said:
Could you mix the pepper into the water to save a step?

Dudes
Click to expand...


You might be able to. I don't know how Cayanne pepper powder would mix with water though. You might be able to take some peppers at the grocery store, Ie., Cayanne(long thin red) and Jalapenos. Cut them up and steep or simmer them in some water on the stove.

That might give the water that same property of repellant or deterant. However, watch that you don't spreay it into the wind. You might find yourself rolling on the ground screaming if it gets on your hands or face. Get it on your hands and then touch your face and Youch!!!

Also, don't pinch with your fingers and sprinkle. Then, you might touch your forhead and perspiration might carry it into your eyes. Touch your nose or eyes and you will be in bigtime discomfort. I would suggest having a sprinkle or regular shaker bottle and just sprinkle it over the area. Keeping your face away.


I am not completely sure it would work but might be something to try if you are having trouble with animals digging your holes up.
 

Only had trouble with a re-digging animal one time so it seems like it would be much easier to have the powder on hand. If the pepper was in the water, Dudes (aka Gilligan) would find a way to get it in his eyes!!

Dudes
 

Hey AF.... you mean that you have grass in New Mexico?!?!?! ;) Over here in AZ I just kick the sand back into the hole! Let the wind blow for five or ten minutes and BINGO no more hole!! ;D

(If I were to put water on it, it would only make mud!)
 

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