Brown spots after cutting a plug

[NCHL]

I ran across a thread on another forum which mentioned that brown spots will occur if you cut a plug in sod instead of cutting and folding it back like we commonly do. I've been thinking about a plug-cutter type of gadget to use in those super sensitive areas like someone's lawn or even in the park to keep the authorities off my back.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

HH,
HL

[Buster]

I use a Gator diggin tool. It cuts the grass some. You can cut a flap area at the top of the grass and peel it back. When you are done fill the hole and pull the flap back. I have also heard some speak of using a screw driver to get there finds out. I have not tried this, but I'm sure there are plenty who have and they will tell about that. Thing is, the more you practice digging up your finds, the better the ground will look. I know I must have left some big nasty spots when I first started this hobby. I would like to say after all these years my hole digging has gotten better..Happy Hunting...Buster....

[NCHL]

Thanks for the comeback, Buster. Yep, I've gotten the "cut the ole flap" down pretty well but somewhere I saw a video of a guy using a plug-cutter and whe he dropped the plug back into the hole, I swear, you couldn't even tell he'd been there.....

HH,
HL

[JCWhite]

Another thing that worked for me during our 2007 dry spell was to carry a milk jug of water and wet it after putting my plug back. JC

[EBCIII]

This past summer a true plug or flap was hard to do. It was so dry the ground would just crumble. It really made digging in yards a real worry.

I hope this next spring and summer is better, Beale.

[EPC Guy]

There is a post on this site from Indiana Smith where he shows a custom plug cutter that he invented...made from a caulking gun...give it a look...

[rip]

I usualy cut a flap,but that isent allways possible.Usualy only very dry conditions will kill the grass.On my last hunt it was so wet that every hole i dug imediatly filled with water !

[portraitartist]

Even in normal conditions, regardless of what you do or how well, there will always be some grass that dies and becomes brown... but making a flap is much better than cutting a plug - one, because it does leave some grass roots intact to continue growing, and two, the dug area will be much harder to disturb once it's filled back in... I know that for a fact - I used to dig big, deep plugs at this school I hunted, and kids would sometimes follow me around... well, I went back the day after hunting there and found almost every plug I had dug pulled out! It made me sick... so when I do have to dig (I currently use a screwdriver, as Buster mentioned), I make as small a flap as possible...

[MinelabMan]

If I'm hunting on nice grounds, I usually just cut a flap, which as Rip said, isn't always possible, when it isn't I cut a small plug about 6" deep, that's usually enough to get the roots. When I'm done, I always step on it. Not perfect, but I rarely hunt manicured lawns.

[Lt1stone]

Would a little fertilizer help? I know they come in those small sticks for potted plants, or would it burn the grass?