You Can Get Rid Of Gophers
October 31, 2009 by Michelle Rudge
Filed under Gardening
If you’ve ever had to get rid of gophers from your lawn or garden, then you’ll know just how frustrating a process it is. If you are now faced with the problem of gophers, why don’t you find out from someone who has tried all the tricks, which is the one that actually works.
Educating yourself about the habits and behaviors of these annoying pests is the first step in getting rid of them for good. Find out why it is that they are burrowing under your lawn (and causing you so many headaches!) and you’ll then be able to find what get rid of them for good.
As a gopher digs under the surface of your lawn there are a few damaging effects that they are having on more than just the visual landscape. Firstly, the piles of dirt that they push out of their tunnels, are fresh soil for weeds to take root, and the vegetation under the piles of dirt is damaged. When burrowing, the gophers pull up roots and expose them. Rocks can also be exposed which pose harm to any garden machinery being used.
You can try one of the many products or methods for getting rid of gophers: * Trapping – this seems to be the most common method talked about. There is however, a bit of a knack to getting this right and it may take a bit of practice before you have success. Not good for the squeamish among us that hate having to deal with the trapped animals! * Exclusion – this can be impractical especially if you have a large area to contain. But this method can work well if you have ornamental trees or gardens, or young plants that you want to protect. They can be fenced of with small mesh fencing or plastic netting. (Moles are not herbivores, so they’re not going to eat your trees, shrubs or flowers; however, their digging does expose roots, upset the soil around them, and allows fresh tilled soil for weed infestation) * Flooding or Gassing – this method is often unsuccessful due to the moles ability to close off tunnels and retreat to a safe area of the burrows. * Poison pellets – are easy to use but there is a risk of the moles coming topside to die and then being eaten by household or other animals. * Repellents – there are synthetic predator odors that can be bought and I have also heard of using soiled kitty litter.
Whatever method you use to get rid of gophers, you need something that is going to be effective and hopefully fool-proof. I’ve had my fair share of frustration with gophers ruining my garden, and have written all about it in a blog.

