Gophers can ruin a garden fast. They dig tunnels and eat plant roots. Knowing how to identify gopher mounds is step one. Gopher mounds look like fan shapes or horseshoe shapes made of dirt. The hole where the dirt came from is often off to the side of the mound, not right in the middle. This helps tell them apart from molehills, which are usually cone-shaped with the hole in the center. If you see these fan-shaped dirt piles, you likely have gophers. This guide will show you how to get gophers out and stop them from coming back.
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Discovering the Gopher Problem
Gophers are small rodents that live underground. They spend most of their lives digging. They make long tunnels called burrows. These tunnels are their homes and their food routes. Gophers eat plant roots, bulbs, and sometimes even low-hanging stems and leaves.
A gopher problem becomes clear when you see signs of their work.
Signs Gophers Are in Your Garden
- Gopher Mounds: As mentioned, these are the most common sign. Look for the fan shape or horseshoe shape of dirt. The dirt plug sealing the tunnel entrance is usually part of the mound’s edge.
- Dirt Plugs: They push dirt plugs into tunnel openings. This seals the burrow system.
- Wilting Plants: Plants might suddenly droop and die even if you water them. This happens because gophers ate their roots.
- Missing Plants or Bulbs: You might find plants or bulbs simply gone, pulled down into the ground.
- Sunken Areas: Sometimes the ground above a tunnel might sink. This makes walking in your yard tricky.
These signs mean gophers are using your garden as their diner. You need to act quickly to save your plants.
Stopping Gophers Before They Start
The best way to handle gophers is to not let them in your garden in the first place. Preventing gopher damage in yards takes work, but it saves you trouble later. It is easier than trying to get rid of them once they are settled.
Build Underground Walls
Gophers come from under the ground. So, stopping them needs barriers underground.
Using Gopher Wire Mesh
One good way to protect garden plants from gophers is to use wire mesh. This mesh should be strong. Look for mesh made of galvanized steel. A mesh size of 1/2 inch or smaller works best. Gophers cannot chew through metal.
- For Raised Beds: Line the bottom and sides of your raised garden beds with mesh. Make sure the mesh goes up the sides a bit, above the soil level. This makes a metal box underground that gophers cannot get into.
- For New Plantings: When planting trees or shrubs, dig a large hole. Line the hole’s bottom and sides with mesh. Shape the mesh like a basket or cage. Put the plant inside this mesh cage. Then fill the hole with dirt. This cage protects the plant’s roots as they grow.
- For Entire Garden Areas: If you are putting in a new garden area, you can lay mesh across the whole space. Dig down about 2-3 feet. Put the mesh down. Overlap the edges by several inches. Then put the soil back on top. This creates a large, protected area. This is a lot of work but is very effective.
Creating Trench Barriers
Another way is to dig a deep trench around your garden area. The trench should be at least 2-3 feet deep and about 6 inches wide. Fill this trench with something gophers do not like to dig through.
- Gravel: Coarse gravel or small rocks work well. Fill the trench to the top with gravel. Gophers find it hard to tunnel through loose rock.
- Hardware Cloth or Mesh: You can also line the trench with the same gopher wire mesh. Make a mesh wall in the trench. The top edge of the mesh should stick up a few inches above the ground.
Trench barriers work well around the edges of areas you want to keep safe.
Making Your Yard Less Inviting
Gophers come looking for food and shelter. If your yard does not have what they want, they might move on.
- Keep the Lawn Short: Gophers like to work in areas where they feel hidden. A short lawn gives them less cover.
- Remove Food Sources: If you have plants they love, like certain bulbs or root vegetables, try planting them in pots or raised beds with mesh bottoms.
- Be Careful with Mulch: Thick layers of mulch can give gophers cover. Use mulch thinly or choose types they might not like, though this is less proven.
These steps help make your yard less of a perfect home for gophers.
Trying Gopher Repellent Methods
Many people want to use things that just make gophers leave, not hurt them. There are many gopher repellent methods people try. These methods often focus on smells or sounds that gophers dislike.
Natural Ways to Deter Gophers
You can use things from nature or common household items to make gophers unhappy. These are often called natural ways to deter gophers.
Smells Gophers Hate
Gophers have a strong sense of smell. Certain smells might bother them.
- Castor Oil: This is a popular choice. You can buy liquid castor oil products made for gardens. You mix it with water and sometimes soap. Pour this mix into active gopher tunnels. The smell is said to make gophers leave the area.
- How to Use: Find active tunnels (fresh mounds). Poke a hole in the top of the tunnel near the mound. Pour the castor oil mix into the hole. You might need to do this several times.
- Plants: Some plants are said to repel gophers. These include:
- Gopher Purge (Euphorbia lathyris): This plant contains a milky sap. Some say planting it can keep gophers away. Be careful: This plant is toxic if eaten. Wear gloves when handling it.
- Castor Bean Plant (Ricinus communis): Like castor oil, this plant is believed to repel gophers. Extreme caution: The seeds of the castor bean plant are very poisonous to people and pets. It is often not recommended for home gardens, especially if you have children or pets.
- Garlic and Onions: Planting these among your other plants might help. The strong smell is thought to keep gophers away.
- Other Strong Smells: People also try things like mothballs (use with caution, they are chemicals), used cat litter (if you have a cat), or rags soaked in smelly liquids like fish emulsion. Place these smelly items into the tunnel system.
Using smelly repellents might work for a short time or make gophers move to a different part of your yard. They are often more effective when used to push gophers out of an area after other methods have been used.
Making Homemade Gopher Repellent
You can mix up your own repellents using simple things. These are homemade gopher repellent options.
- Castor Oil Mix:
- 1 cup Castor Oil
- 1 cup Dish Soap
- 1 gallon Water
Mix the castor oil and soap first. Then add water. This makes a strong liquid. To use it, mix 2 tablespoons of this liquid with 1 gallon of water. Pour this weaker mix into gopher tunnels. The soap helps the oil mix with water and soak into the soil.
- Spicy Pepper Spray (use with caution): Some people mix hot pepper flakes or hot sauce with water and spray it near tunnels. The idea is the spice bothers the gophers’ noses or mouths. This is less likely to work as gophers are underground.
Sound and Vibration Repellents
Gophers are sensitive to ground vibrations and loud noises. Some products use this idea.
- Sonic Spikes: These are stakes you put in the ground. They make a beeping sound or vibration at set times. The vibrations travel through the soil. The hope is that the constant disturbance makes gophers leave.
- Pinwheels or Windmills: Some gardeners put these in their yards. When the wind blows, they spin and cause vibrations in the ground through their stake. This is a low-cost option.
Effectiveness Note: Many garden experts say that sound and vibration repellents do not work well long-term. Gophers might just dig around the noise or get used to it. They are not the most reliable method.
Repellents, whether store-bought or homemade, have mixed results. They might push gophers out of a small area temporarily. They rarely solve a big gopher problem on their own.
Removing Gophers Safely
Sometimes, repellents are not enough. You need to actively remove the gophers. The most common and often most effective ways involve trapping or, in some cases, exclusion or fumigation (though fumigation can be risky and is not always legal). Safe gopher removal means choosing methods that are effective but also careful.
Using Gopher Traps
Trapping is often seen as the most reliable way to get rid of gophers. There are different types of gopher traps. The key is finding active tunnels and placing the traps correctly.
Finding Active Tunnels
Do not just put a trap in any old hole. You need to find tunnels the gopher is using now.
1. Find a fresh mound.
2. Poke around the edge of the mound with a probe (like a metal rod or stick) to find the main tunnel plug.
3. Dig back from the plug to find the main tunnel. Gopher tunnels are usually 6-12 inches deep.
4. Once you find the main tunnel (it will be a clear, round opening), clear the loose dirt away.
Types of Gopher Traps
- Body-gripping traps: These traps kill the gopher quickly when it triggers them. They are placed directly in the main tunnel.
- Examples: Macabee traps, Box traps, Cinch traps, Black Hole traps.
- How to Use: Dig open a section of the main tunnel. Place two traps, one facing each way, into the tunnel. This catches the gopher whether it comes from one side or the other. Cover the hole you made with dirt or a board to keep light out. Gophers like to plug holes they find. They will come to fix the tunnel and get caught.
- Pros: Often very effective. Can catch gophers quickly.
- Cons: Requires digging to place the trap. Can be dangerous if not handled carefully. You have to deal with dead animals.
- Live Traps: These traps catch the gopher without killing it. The idea is to then move the gopher somewhere else.
- Examples: Various cage or box traps designed for rodents.
- How to Use: Place the trap near a tunnel entrance or in an open tunnel. Bait it (though gophers primarily eat roots, some suggest lettuce or peanut butter, but bait is often less important than trap placement for gophers).
- Pros: More humane option if the gopher survives being moved.
- Cons: Gophers are very tied to their territory. Moving them far away is often needed, which can be stressful for the animal and might not be allowed in some areas (check local laws). The trap must be checked often to prevent the animal from suffering or dying from stress or heat. Finding a safe, legal release site can be hard. They are often less effective than kill traps for gophers.
Table: Comparing Gopher Trap Types
| Trap Type | How it Works | Placement Location | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body-gripping | Kills gopher quickly | Inside active tunnel | Highly effective, fast | Requires digging, dangerous if misused, results in dead animal |
| Live Trap | Catches gopher alive | Near tunnel entrance/in tunnel | More humane (if moved) | Less effective, needs frequent checks, moving gophers can be difficult/illegal/stressful |
Trap Safety: Always wear gloves when handling traps. Gophers can bite. Also, wearing gloves helps keep your human smell off the trap, which some people believe makes gophers avoid them. Follow the instructions that come with the trap carefully. Keep traps away from children and pets.
Checking and Resetting Traps
Check your traps often, at least twice a day. If a trap has caught a gopher, remove it carefully. Reset the trap in the same spot or a new active tunnel. If a trap has not caught anything after a day or two, the tunnel might not be active, or the gopher might be avoiding the trap. Try moving the trap to a different location with fresh gopher signs.
Other Removal Methods
- Flooding: You can try flooding gopher tunnels with water. This might force the gopher out. Be ready to catch it with a shovel or net if it appears. Caution: This uses a lot of water and can damage soil structure. It is often not very effective as gophers can block off sections of tunnels.
- Fumigation: Some products release gas into tunnels to kill gophers. Caution: These products can be dangerous to pets, children, and other wildlife. Some are restricted or illegal in certain areas. They are often less effective than trapping because gophers can quickly seal off tunnels. Always read and follow label instructions strictly.
Crafting the Best Gopher Control Strategies
To really solve a gopher problem, you usually need to use more than one method. The best gopher control strategies combine different approaches.
A Multi-Step Plan
- Find the Problem: Look for fresh mounds and other signs. Figure out where the gophers are most active. (How to identify gopher mounds)
- Prevent New Problems: If starting a new garden bed or planting valuable plants, use gopher wire mesh barriers. (Gopher wire mesh, Protect garden plants from gophers, Preventing gopher damage in yards)
- Choose Your Removal Method: Trapping is often the most direct way. Decide if you will use kill traps or try live traps. For safe gopher removal, learn how to use your chosen trap type correctly. (Gopher traps, Safe gopher removal)
- Apply Repellents (Optional but helpful): After removing a gopher, you can use repellents in the area to make it less appealing for other gophers. You can also use them in areas you want to protect before gophers arrive, though this is less reliable. Try gopher repellent methods, perhaps starting with natural ways to deter gophers or homemade gopher repellent.
- Monitor Your Garden: Keep checking for new mounds. Gophers might come back, or new ones might move in. Deal with new activity right away.
Combining Methods Effectively
- Use mesh barriers on high-value areas (vegetable beds, around young trees).
- Use traps in active tunnels to get rid of the current gophers.
- After removing gophers, use repellents (like castor oil soak) in the tunnels you opened to make the area smell bad to others.
- Keep your yard tidy to reduce hiding places.
This layered approach gives you a better chance of success than relying on just one thing.
Maintaining a Gopher-Free Garden
Getting rid of gophers is great, but keeping them away is the ongoing task.
Regular Checks
Walk around your yard and garden often. Look for new mounds. The sooner you spot a new gopher, the easier it is to get rid of it. A single gopher can make many mounds quickly.
Dealing with Neighbors (Diplomatically)
If your neighbors have gophers, they might move into your yard. Talk to your neighbors. Maybe you can work together on control efforts. If gophers are a big problem in your whole neighborhood, a community approach might be needed.
Future Plant Choices
Think about what you plant. Gophers love some plants more than others (like bulbs, carrots, and other root vegetables). If gophers are a constant issue, you might plant things they do not like as much, or focus on growing favorites in protected raised beds.
Conclusion: Taking Action Against Gophers
Dealing with gophers can be frustrating. They work underground, hidden from view, and can destroy plants seemingly overnight. But you do not have to let them win. By learning to spot their signs, using barriers to protect key areas, and choosing effective removal methods like trapping, you can protect your garden.
Start with prevention like mesh barriers for new plantings or beds. When you see fresh mounds, act fast. Find the active tunnels and use traps. You can try repellents, especially natural or homemade ones, to make areas less welcoming after removal. Keeping watch is key. With consistent effort and the right approach, you can keep gophers out of your garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor. The goal is a layered defense using the best gopher control strategies for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Are gopher repellents effective?
A: Gopher repellents, especially sonic ones, often have mixed results. Smell-based repellents like castor oil might work for a short time or push gophers to a different spot, but they rarely solve a major problem alone. Physical barriers and trapping are generally seen as more reliable.
Q: Is flooding gopher tunnels a good idea?
A: Flooding can sometimes force a gopher out, but it uses a lot of water and might not work if the gopher can block off parts of the tunnel system. It can also harm your soil. It’s not the most efficient method.
Q: How deep do gophers tunnel?
A: Gopher tunnels are usually 6 to 12 inches below the surface in feeding areas. Their deeper dens can be several feet down. Prevention barriers usually need to go at least 2-3 feet deep.
Q: Can I just fill in the gopher mounds?
A: Filling in mounds doesn’t get rid of the gopher. They will just dig new tunnels and push up more dirt. You have to remove the gopher or block their access to truly solve the problem.
Q: Are gophers dangerous to people or pets?
A: Gophers usually avoid people. They can bite if cornered or handled. Their tunnels can create trip hazards. Some control methods (like certain poisons or gopher purge plants) can be dangerous to pets if they eat them or come into contact with them. Traps also need careful handling to avoid injury.
Q: What is the difference between a gopher and a mole?
A: They are both digging animals but are different. Gophers make fan-shaped or horseshoe-shaped mounds with a side plug. They eat plants (roots, bulbs). Moles make cone-shaped mounds with a central plug and raised ridges where they tunnel just under the surface. Moles eat insects and worms, not plants.