Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents that spend almost their entire lives beneath the soil surface, indicated by their characteristic fan-shaped dirt mounds. These herbivores cause extensive damage to gardens and lawns by consuming roots and pulling vegetation into their tunnels. A single gopher can create an elaborate tunnel system that may extend up to 800 feet. Managing this destructive behavior often involves non-lethal strategies focused on creating an inhospitable environment. The most effective methods target the gopher’s highly sensitive senses to convince them to relocate.
Utilizing Odors and Tastes for Repulsion
Gophers rely heavily on their sense of smell to navigate their dark tunnels, making strong, unfamiliar odors highly effective deterrents. The standard aversion technique is the application of commercial repellents formulated with castor oil. Castor oil does not harm the animal but irritates their digestive system and contaminates underground food sources, encouraging them to move elsewhere. These products are typically sold as granules or liquids that must be watered into the soil to penetrate deep into the gopher’s active runways.
Proper application involves treating the affected area in stages, working toward an exit point to gently herd the gopher out of the yard. This methodical approach prevents the animal from simply tunneling wildly to avoid the repellent. Commercial liquid sprays often use castor oil formulated with emulsifiers like dish soap to help it mix with water and soak deeper into the soil. The goal is to make the entire environment taste and smell unappealing, prompting the gopher to seek a new location.
Homeowners can utilize certain strong-smelling plants as perimeter barriers to discourage new gophers from establishing burrows. Plants such as gopher purge, peppermint, lavender, and garlic emit scents the rodents find overwhelming or unpleasant. The gopher’s acute sense of smell, which guides them to roots, is disrupted by these strong aromas. While planting these species creates a localized shield, they are generally less effective than direct application of concentrated repellents into the tunnel systems. Consistent reapplication is often necessary, particularly after heavy rain, to maintain the irritating scent underground.
Creating Physical Discomfort and Disturbances
Gophers are also highly sensitive to vibrations and ground disturbances, a sensitivity exploited by sonic and vibrational repelling devices. These small stakes emit pulsing sounds or vibrations into the soil every few seconds, intending to create an intolerable environment for the rodents. The devices often claim large coverage areas, but their effectiveness is limited by soil density and the presence of obstructions like tree roots or foundations. While some users report initial success, gophers frequently adapt to the consistent frequency, leading to a diminished long-term deterrent effect.
Another method involves the direct application of water to flood a gopher’s tunnel system. Flooding can force the gopher to abandon its burrow or flee to the surface, where it becomes vulnerable to predation. This technique is most effective in areas with flood irrigation, but it requires substantial water volume and may not succeed if the burrow system is extensive or well-drained. Full saturation of the entire network is often challenging for a homeowner due to the size of the tunnel system.
Long-term disturbance can be achieved through soil amendments that make digging painful or difficult for the gopher’s claws. Placing sharp, crushed rock or coarse gravel, often exceeding one inch in diameter, around buried utility lines or in planting holes can deter tunneling in localized areas. This material physically impedes the gopher’s powerful digging action, encouraging them to seek softer soil elsewhere. This physical barrier is generally used to protect specific, high-value plants rather than an entire lawn.
Structural Methods for Area Exclusion
The most reliable and permanent method for protecting specific areas involves the use of physical exclusion barriers. This technique utilizes galvanized steel hardware cloth or wire mesh, which gophers cannot chew through, to block access to plant roots. For area protection, the mesh should have openings no larger than 3/4 inch, a size small enough to exclude both mature and juvenile gophers. This mesh must be buried either horizontally beneath a lawn or vertically around the perimeter of a garden bed.
When protecting entire garden beds, the wire must be installed vertically to a depth of at least 18 to 24 inches to prevent gophers from tunneling beneath it. For individual, high-value plants, pre-formed barriers known as gopher baskets are placed around the root ball before planting. The 3/4-inch mesh size is chosen because it allows plant roots to grow normally without becoming constricted. Once properly installed, these structural barriers offer many years of protection against gopher intrusion.