gophers

[annastasia76]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread but this is a similar problem. How do you protect the crops from gophers, these pains will actually go after the plants, I've watched them. I have tried drowning them, I don't want to poison them because then my dog can get into it or get at the poisoned gopher. but before I can actually drown or poison or trap them I would have to get access to the tunnel first and that's hard to find because they back the dirt up to close the hole by quite a bit so I can dig and dig and not find it (same with the dog but she has succeeded in catching and killing at least 2)

This year for my larger crops like zucchini and melons I am going to make a sort of pot shape out of chicken wire or something similar and bury it in the ground and plant the plant within it. that way it can't get at the roots. Last year they kept pulling my cantaloupe leaves and branches under the ground so that will have to be trailed up a fence or the rocks. They never touched the tomatoes even though I saw multiple holes. everything else that they disturbed was from eating the roots and not touching the leaves or stems.

[gooberfarmer]

What I would do is turn on my hose, and stick it into the pile of dirt and fish around until I found the hole. This seemed to work for me. I tried it at the end of last year, so I won't know the results for a little while. Hope that helps.

[annastasia76]

I've tried that and have never found the hole that way, I know where they are active though because those are the areas where the dog is constantly digging, yesterday she started digging in my lettuce and that was the first time she has ever disturbed one of my plants, usually she manages to dig a hole but not disturb the plants, this time she got one. not that I care about the lettuce, I tried one and didn't like it so I won't be eating it.

[gooberfarmer]

I guess my only advice would be keep trying. I went to dig potatoes and found that all of them were gone. I was slightly angry to say the least. My wife said I looked like a crazy man out there. So maybe the key is to get angry!!!!

[jal_ut]

I make little wind driven gadgets and make the prop a little out of balance so it vibrates. Then go drive in a T post where I want protection and bolt the wind machine to the post. The little rodents do not like the vibration so they move. There was a commercial wind machine that had a little man with a hammer that made a thump everytime the hammer dropped. Have you seen those in catalogs?

A good outdoor cat will discourage them too.

I have tried running water down their tunnels for all day, but it doesn't seem to do much good. You would think you can drown them, but no luck. Some have suggested getting a hose, put one end in the tunnel, the other end up the exhaust pipe of your car and let the car idle for a while. I have never tried that one.

[ruggr10]

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key."

Oh, you meant gophers!