by Jack McKinnon

One of the biggest problems for California gardeners is gophers. This month I will give 10 ways to deal with gophers. In the past I have been lambasted for suggesting killing gophers as the only solution. In this column I will include non-lethal methods for control as well. Here are the tips.

1. The most efficient method for keeping gophers from your plants is wire barriers. I recommend hardware cloth. It has half-inch square holes, is galvanized and will last for years, and if installed correctly is completely gopher-proof. The only problem is if the gopher emerges from the ground, crosses the top of the wire, and enters the ground again inside the garden.

2. Many professionals use bait. The gopher takes the bar or granules from the main tunnel to its food storage chamber, eats the bait, and then dies. The problem with this approach is that the gopher might emerge from the ground and be consumed by an owl, hawk or cat. The poison accumulates in the predator and can kill it, too.

3. The Macabee trap is a wire-and-spring device that takes some practice setting, but when placed correctly and staked securely  it will kill gophers very efficiently. Please be careful with these. If a trap springs and closes on your hand, you will need a tetanus shot and possibly stitches.

4. The black hole trap uses a wire noose inside a black plastic tube, which you bait with a carrot or the like. The gopher smells the food, enters the tunnel-like device, and comes to a quick end in the wire. A little tricky to set but once you get the hang of it, quite efficient.

5. Dry ice releases carbon dioxide; when 2-inch pieces are placed in open gopher holes, the carbon dioxide sinks to the bottom of the tunnel system and suffocates the gophers. There is no residue and I do not know of any harmful effects to plants or animals — except, of course, the gophers.

6. Havahart makes a live trap that can be baited with peanut butter, carrot or another delectable that might get your gopher above ground. Once trapped, you will need to find a place to relocate the animal. Be careful; gophers will bite.

7. If you do not know where to take your live-trapped gophers, you might start a gopher circus. Gophers are somewhat trainable, and will probably pull a small cart if you can get a harness on them. Here is where the carrot-and-stick technique comes in handy. Again, watch out for those teeth.

8. Some people considered gophers a delicacy. I am probably in trouble already for suggesting killing them so I won’t name these gourmands. Salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and a little soy sauce will make a good marinade. 

9. Great blue herons eat several gophers a day. They stand perfectly still; I think they must watch the grass move from the activity below ground. When they strike it is like lightning. If you can create habitat for these 4-foot-tall birds with a pond or wetlands, your gopher problems may be solved.

10. A good cat can catch not only your gophers but the neighbors’ gophers, too. Of course it is important to praise her when she delivers the headless carcass to you as a gift. This is little concern knowing that your roses and radishes are safe from underground vandals.

Good gardening!

Jack McKinnon is a garden coach and can be reached at jack@jackthegardencoach.com,     or call 650-455-0687. Visit his Web page at www.jackthegardencoach.com.