Get Rid of Gophers
If Popeye the sailor man is real, his nemesis wouldn't be Brutus, but a gopher. Popeye would obviously need to protect all his spinach from these plant-eating pests. Gophers could easily transform his spinach garden into a barren wasteland. If Popeye's spinach can really provide a surge of energy, then Popeye would have more headaches trying to get rid of the more powerful gophers.
Kidding aside, gophers are burrowing rodents that enjoy digging up moist soil, and there is no better example of moist soil than a well-cared for garden or plantation. This is where gophers become a menace for many farmers and tenders who grow vegetables on their property. They are also known to tear into and destroy well-manicured lawns and golf courses.
Gophers are well-represented in many classic cartoons (like "Popeye" or "Goofy Gophers"). They create dens beneath the garden soil and start pulling above-ground plants into their burrows. These rodents are active all year round, night and day. They do not hibernate, which is why their mission is to store a lot of food for the winter months.
During winter, they hide underground and consume all their accumulated food. Farmers, of course, grow crops in summer or spring to harvest them before wintertime. It's devastating for all that hard work to just end up in a gopher tunnel.
What's worse, they are fierce defenders of their established territory. Gophers are known to bite whenever they are provoked and cornered. A common misconception is that there is more than one gopher in a single garden. In fact, male gophers are so territorial that it's very unusual to have more than one gopher residing in a yard. Studies indicate that one gopher can create 70 mounds per month in a particular area.
Many people are unsure whether they're dealing with a gopher or a mole. One technique is to study the mound on the soil. If the mound resembles a fan shape, it's certainly a gopher. If you see small clusters of dirt hills, then you're dealing with a mole. If there is dirt piling up around your lawn or garden, chances are, a gopher is already residing there.
There are many ways to eliminate gophers or drive them away. The method you follow will depend on how aggressive the gopher is and perhaps, your personal sensitivity towards small mammals.
Gopher Fencing
Gopher fencing is a method with limited practicality because there are some pocket gophers that can dig as deep as six feet. However, gopher fences provide a degree of protection by preventing the rodents from easily penetrating a particular area.
Gopher fences are a great idea for valuable plots that house ornamental shrubs and trees. Since gophers are innate burrowers, setting up this fence is far from ordinary. To install a gopher fence, follow these instructions.
# Dig a two-foot deep trench around your plot's perimeter.
# Start lining the trench by burying a 1 to ½ inch chicken wire, mesh or galvanized hardware cloth. The hardware cloth must at least 18 inches beneath the ground.
# Here's the tricky part: bend the bottom of the fence outwards at a horizontal 90-degree angle. The apron of wire is bent outwards so that it would face a digging gopher. Make sure that the bent "bottom" wire is at least six feet.
# Be sure that the fence is at least two feet away from plants to avoid root injury.
# For newly-planted seedlings, you can buy cylindrical plastic "Vexar" mesh tubes and place them over entire plants. Be sure to include the bare roots.
# Your fence should reach at least a foot above ground, or else the gopher can easily climb over your fence.
# Dig a two-foot deep trench around your plot's perimeter.
# Start lining the trench by burying a 1 to ½ inch chicken wire, mesh or galvanized hardware cloth. The hardware cloth must at least 18 inches beneath the ground.
# Here's the tricky part: bend the bottom of the fence outwards at a horizontal 90-degree angle. The apron of wire is bent outwards so that it would face a digging gopher. Make sure that the bent "bottom" wire is at least six feet.
# Be sure that the fence is at least two feet away from plants to avoid root injury.
# For newly-planted seedlings, you can buy cylindrical plastic "Vexar" mesh tubes and place them over entire plants. Be sure to include the bare roots.
# Your fence should reach at least a foot above ground, or else the gopher can easily climb over your fence.
Flood and Whack!
