Are gophers driving you mad?
Gophers are making me crazy!!!!
How is your garden? I hope you have been enjoying a lovely summer. Pardon my absence. I've been on a bit of a hiatus. I have returned, only to find that a few new gophers have too! Uhg!!!! Believe it or not, we did eliminate all of the gophers this past spring, but it sure doesn't take long before one, two or three returns. Man, they are tenacious! And yes, the photo above is from my garden. My battle with them is back on. Are you battling gophers too?
The mating season for gophers, aka pocket gophers, starts in March when they are looking for love. Once they have successfully secured their mate, the female can have up to 5 litters of 2 to 8 pups throughout the spring and summer months. Geez Louise! Yep! And depending on where you live, if the winter is mild, they can be active year round. Yeowza!!!! That's a lot of gophers!
So here is what's going on within the 'gopher culture': Gophers are solitary dwellers. The bull lives in his burrow which is surrounded by a radius of other burrowing systems inhabited by his 'harem' of female gophers, each female in her own burrow. Once they mate, she will stay fairly inactive until the pups are about 6 weeks of age, when they are pushed from mom's den and off to find a burrow of their own. This is typically the only time you might see a gopher above ground. Once they are in their new home, they get to work, eating whatever plant roots and vegetables they can find. I have literally watched a full sized artichoke plant get pulled into the ground by a gopher! LOL!
So here are a few tips for how to manage these critters:
1) Exclusion:
Always, I mean always, put your plants into gopher baskets. If you have raised beds, line your raised beds with gopher wire or 1/2" hardware cloth. The extra cost of gopher baskets and gopher cloth will save you money and frustration in the long run. One thing to note is that gopher wire is different than poultry wire, though they look very similar. Gopher wire will have 1/2" to 3/4" holes and poultry wire has 1" holes.
2) Repel:
Repellents made with castor oil are very effective with keeping gophers, moles, and voles away from your garden beds. Please read the label and apply according to the label's instructions. It is important to apply as recommended. Keep in mind that you will need to reapply the repellent as needed, as suggested on the label. There are many brands on the market, make sure castor oil is the active ingredient. I prefer to use the liquid form that comes in a bottle with hose end applicator. The liquid castor oil products are less expensive and than the granular product, though both are equally effective.
3) Elimination:
Working with traps will reduce the gopher populations significantly. This is also the best management strategy if you are comfortable with trapping. One trick to success is persistence. It is important to monitor for activity daily, to see how the gopher is moving throughout your garden. The first step is to find an active tunnel, place the trap deep into the tunnel, then monitor for activity. If the gopher buries your trap, this means this is an active tunnel, which is a good thing. Simply dig out your trap, clean the space, set and place trap back into the tunnel. Continue with these steps. Once the gopher is trapped, release it into the tunnel and bury. If you have pets that may dig it up out of curiosity, then you may need to bury it deeper, even place a weighted object on top of the area if necessary.
There are a couple of different styles of traps on the market. I work with the Macabee style and Black Tunnel style traps with ease. Some traps are a bit tricky to set so find traps that are easy and comfortable for you to use.
For more information on gopher management, visit the UCIPM website, and find informational videos on the UCIPM YouTube channel. Here is a video on how to find an active tunnel and here is a video on how to set a MacAbee trap.
I know that gophers can be a persistent problem, and that it is important to take action when you see activity. Do not give up hope. You can do this! You can absolutely manage your gopher problem with the suggestions I have shared without blowing your property up as Carl Spackler did, Bill Murray's character in the movie Caddyshack. It takes patience, persistence and a bit of tolerance. And if you are at your wits end, take a break to watch the movie Caddyshack. A bit of comic relief is always welcome.
I hope this is helpful : )
Enjoy your day and happy gardening!
~Suzanne