Goodbye to Gophers

Wittman, who runs a non-toxic gopher management service in Santa Cruz, Calif., says that gophers will chew on any plant that has succulent moisture-enriched roots. "A gopher can ruin 10 years of growth on an apple tree or a rose bush in just a matter of hours."

Although there can be several entry holes (figure B) into the gopher's burrow, the problem is actually caused by fewer gophers than most would think. In a typical burrow, you will generally find only one gopher because they are territorial and solitary animals. So one gopher can inhabit and virtually decimate a medium-sized backyard all by itself.

Control Methods

Natural predators. The main diet of the California gopher snake (figure C) is gophers. The only downside with gopher snakes is that, like most snakes, they eat only one meal every four to six weeks. So they are not as effective in reducing a large population.

Underground barriers. Black silk netting (figure E) buried partially underground prevents burrowing rodents like gophers, ground squirrels and voles from moving into a sensitive garden area. Bury the netting six to eight inches underground, just deep enough to stop these burrowing critters from digging underneath. This is a temporary fix, lasting about five years, but it's useful as a defense perimeter for temporary planting beds of bulbs and annuals.

Wire baskets. Place other barriers, such as wire baskets (figure F), around individual plants. They protect the plants' roots, allowing the roots to become established enough to withstand gopher damage. However, keep in mind that you can't protect every plant, so this method may be somewhat impractical for an entire garden. Instead, protect specimen plants and other important plants that are worth the extra effort.

Galvanized wire rolls. For annual beds and lawns that need wider coverage, try heavy-duty galvanized wire. You can buy this wire in rolls and completely wire underneath the garden bed with this. Although this method can involve a tremendous amount of work, it will offer years of gopher protection. To install this wire, dig down four to six inches deep, lay down the wire roll, put a layer of soil over it and then put the sod on top of that. This prevents gophers, moles and other burrowing rodents to penetrate the turf grass's root zone.

Gopher deterrents. Gophers don't like the smell of pine disinfectants or chili powder when placed in their burrows. Reapply after it rains.

Traps. If none of the above methods work, consider using a trap to capture annoying gophers. Wittman recommends to consult with a pest removal professional when employing the trap method. "Because there are very few gophers in a system, it may be that you have one or two gophers, and trapping them yourself or using a commercial trapping system is usually the answer."