Cute and fluffy, or a real pest? When it comes to gophers, we are going to have to go with the latter. Because they burrow, gophers can make a real mess of your garden. As rodents, they also like to chew through things, including plants, furniture, and even electrical wires! Not good! Want to know how to keep gophers out of your garden? We’ve got lots of tips.
In this article, you will learn how to keep gophers out of your garden.
How to Keep Gophers Out of Your Garden
Gophers are a common problem for homeowners. If you have a garden, it is important to know how to keep gophers out of your garden so that they do not destroy all your hard work.
Here’s how to keep gophers out of your garden.
1. Dish the Dirt
Listen, nobody said this was going to be pretty. When we say “dish the dirt,” the “dirt” we are talking about is either cat or dog poop.
Nice.
Placing a little poop from either a dog or a cat into a gopher tunnel can be quite effective in getting them to disappear.
Why?
Gophers have a well-developed sense of smell, and both dogs and cats are perceived as predators.
Gophers decide that it smells like trouble and head elsewhere.
2. Use Anti Gopher Smells
Speaking of smells, maybe dropping animal feces isn’t your idea of a pleasant garden environment?
We get it.
Well, try some of these on for size. Gophers don’t like strong smells. Here are some things you could try sprinkling in or around their burrows: –
- Fishbones
- Castor oil
- Coffee grounds
- Washing powder
- Hot sauce
- Eucalyptus or menthol oils
3. Anti-Gopher Plants
Gophers don’t like certain plants. In particular, castor beans and daffodils. These aren’t expensive, are easy to plant, and as an additional plus, will make your garden look great.
4. Noise
Gophers tend to be timid creatures, and they aren’t the biggest fans of noise. Constant noise soon gets annoying to them, making them move out of the neighborhood.
Try wrapping a small and cheap radio in a plastic bag and pushing it into their burrow. Play some Justin Bieber to make it even more unappealing.
5. Vibration
Vibration means one thing to a gopher.
Big animals up above.
Gophers don’t like larger animals.
You can leverage this inherited phobia by producing it artificially. You can buy wind or solar-powered vibrating stakes that produce a constant vibration, frightening gophers away. They are fairly unintrusive and cheap to buy.
6. Gopher Traps
Traps work by allowing the gopher to emerge from its burrow but stop it from re-entering and scurrying to safety. They can be quite effective but often take a little time to install.
Also, gophers are pretty smart, especially if they can smell people, reducing the chances of success.
If you do bag yourself a gopher, be sure to release it in an area well away from your home.
7. Fertilizer
Yep, we are back on poop.
Sewage-based fertilizers wash down into the soil and make the burrow underneath less appealing to gophers.
While this solution works well, it isn’t pet, or child-friendly, so use caution.
8. Gopher Detonators
Alright, it is time to get serious. We aren’t talking simply gopher removal; we are talking destruction.
Gopher burrow blasters may sound a little sci-fi. In fact, it is injecting an ignited mix of propane and oxygen into their burrow, creating a fiery explosion.
While it is lethal to gophers, you may need to buy a few, and blowing holes in your lawn might be a little extreme.
9. Gas Attacks
Gopher tunnels form a network that can be quickly and easily flooded with gas.
Where do I get the gas?
It’s easy. Use your car exhaust.
With the other end in the gopher burrow, a hosepipe placed in the exhaust should gas the gophers in about 15 minutes. The gas is carbon monoxide, which also happens to be lethal to humans, so do this with care and not while other pets are around.
10. Gopher Poison
Poisons can be super effective, but we suggest steering clear of this method unless you really know what you are doing.
Why?
What’s poison to a gopher can also be poisonous to other animals, such as your pet. If they aren’t fussy eaters and discover a dead gopher, they may become poisoned too.
Rat poisons will work effectively, too, and can be bought over the counter.
11. Flood the Tunnels
Gophers aren’t the best swimmers, especially when confined to their burrows. Here’s a good solution to get rid of gophers.
Simply flood their tunnels using a garden hose. A 30-minute drenching should do the trick, but be aware, some gophers may try and flee. Are you prepared to deal with a gopher out in the open?
12. Want Some Candy?
Soft gums and candies are harmful to gophers. Juicy fruit flavors work particularly well. Just drop a few pieces in the gophers’ holes and see if it works.
13. Predators
Why do all the hard work when others will do it for you?
If you have an endemic problem, it could be worth investing in a dog or cat, who’ll quite happily spend the day trying to kill gophers. Terriers were bred to kill rodents, so it is in their nature to try and do so.
Consider installing an owl box in your garden. This may attract one of nature’s best gopher killing machines.
How Do You Get Rid of Gophers Once and For All?
Is the above a little too much effort, or do you need to upscale slightly?
Here is a solution that will rid you of gophers in your garden permanently.
Hire a professional pest control service.
Facility Pest Control, a California-based pest control service has extensive experience in dealing with gophers and other rodents. We offer free quotes and will quickly and easily deal with your gopher problem. Not only will they be removed, but they won’t return either.
While some of the above methods are really effective, they can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. Why not save yourself the time and the effort and contact Facility Pest Control Today. Your gopher problems will be over in the shortest possible time.
Simi Valley Pest Control
