Pocket gophers are powerful subterranean pests that can rapidly devastate a garden by feeding on plant roots and pulling entire plants down into their tunnels. Since these rodents spend almost their entire lives underground, the most effective strategies involve either physical exclusion or active removal. This guide provides practical methods to safeguard your landscape, focusing on reliable, long-term solutions and efficient removal techniques.
Physical Barriers to Protect Garden Beds
The most dependable long-term defense against pocket gophers involves creating physical barriers that prevent them from accessing your plants. This exclusion strategy uses durable materials that the rodents cannot chew through or dig past.
For protecting entire garden beds, especially raised beds, installing a layer of galvanized hardware cloth on the bottom is an excellent preventative measure. The mesh size should be no larger than 1/2-inch to block gophers from passing through. This size still allows adequate drainage and root growth. The hardware cloth should be securely fastened to the bottom of the raised bed frame before adding soil.
For in-ground gardens or individual plants like trees and shrubs, underground perimeter fencing is necessary. The barrier material should be 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth, which resists corrosion and chewing. This fencing must extend at least two feet deep into the soil to be effective. Bend the bottom six inches of the wire outward at a 90-degree angle, creating an L-shape that discourages gophers from digging directly down alongside the barrier.
When planting new trees or perennial flowers, use individual gopher baskets or cages to protect the root ball. These baskets, typically made from galvanized wire mesh, encase the roots to shield them from immediate feeding damage. While they protect the young plant, roots can eventually grow beyond the cage, making them vulnerable to gopher activity later.
Trapping and Active Gopher Removal
When gophers have established a burrow system, active removal through trapping is the most effective control method. Trapping can be successful year-round, but it is most productive in the spring and fall when gophers are highly active.
Success begins with correctly identifying an active main tunnel, the primary thoroughfare of the burrow system. Locate this tunnel by probing the ground 12 to 18 inches away from a fresh, fan-shaped gopher mound. The probe will easily drop when it penetrates the main runway, which is typically six to twelve inches beneath the surface.
Once the main tunnel is found, excavate the area just enough to expose the runway in both directions. Traps like the Macabee or Cinch styles are effective, and two traps should be set facing opposite directions in the tunnel to catch the gopher. The gopher’s natural instinct is to seal any breach, which helps lure it directly into the trap.
Attach a wire or chain to the trap and secure it to a stake above ground to make retrieval easier. This also prevents a caught gopher from pulling the trap deeper into the tunnel. Check the traps twice daily; if a gopher is not caught within 48 hours, move the traps to a different, active location. Always wear gloves when handling traps and caught animals, as gophers can carry parasites.
Deterrents and Unpleasant Environments
Methods that rely on making the environment undesirable for gophers are less reliable than barriers or trapping, but they can supplement other control efforts. Repellents that target the gopher’s sense of smell and taste are the most common non-lethal options.
Liquid or granular repellents containing castor oil are commercially available. They work by permeating the soil, making the area smell and taste unpleasant to gophers. Applying these products directly into the tunnels and around mounds can encourage the rodents to relocate. Consistent reapplication is required, especially after rain or heavy watering, to maintain effectiveness.
The effectiveness of sonic or vibration devices, which emit high-frequency sounds into the ground, has mixed results in practice and research trials. While the vibrations are intended to mimic a predator or an earthquake, gophers may become accustomed to the noise over time, diminishing the long-term benefit. These devices may offer temporary relief but are not a standalone solution.
A non-chemical approach involves planting species that gophers naturally avoid, often due to strong odors or milky sap. Daffodils, lavender, and rosemary are frequently cited as gopher-resistant plants, though no plant is completely immune. Incorporating these plants into your landscape can create a less appealing food source.