Copyright mercurynews
Question: Gophers are wrecking my garden. What can I do to stop them? A: Take heart. We have some tips for managing them. Five species of pocket gophers are found in California, with Botta’s pocket gopher (T. bottae) being most widespread. You may be surprised to learn gophers can be beneficial for the environment. One pocket gopher can churn up to a ton of soil a year. In the process, it aerates soil, provides deep soil fertilization and aids in plant diversity by bringing new seeds to the surface. And as you already know, gophers can also be destructive, industrious little rototillers. They gnaw, undermine and consume any vegetation or irrigation lines they encounter. A gopher is only about 6 to 10 inches long, but it can eat an entire plant. Sandy and sandy loam soil, along with irrigated fields are ideal habitats for gophers. Burrowing animals like gophers, moles and voles all create tunnels and are active underground, but what they eat and the damage they cause varies. Mole mounds are often misidentified as gopher mounds. When looking at fresh mounds, gopher mounds are crescent shaped whereas mole mounds are round. Gophers are persistent; to deter them, you must be, too. We recommend a multipronged strategy. First, be willing and prepared to set and monitor gopher traps. Trapping is the most effective way to reduce a gopher infestation. See the Pocket Gopher Pest Note link at the end of the article about trapping gophers. Second, install barriers to protect the plants you value. Barriers such as gopher baskets may be made of 1/2 to 3/4 inch mesh made of galvanized steel or stainless-steel wire, or hardware cloth. You can also attach the same materials under raised beds. Third, use plants that gophers may avoid eating. While research hasn’t confirmed whether certain plant species are truly gopher resistant, anecdotally some gardeners have found that gophers tend to avoid eating some plant species, like lavender, rosemary, and some salvias. Daffodil bulbs are toxic for many mammals, including gophers. Integrate these and other gopher-resistant plants among the plants you most like and want. Choose some of the many gopher-resistant plants for your landscape and let them naturalize or spread out to maximize the area you’re trying to protect. Here are a few potentially gopher-resistant plants you might use: Groundcovers: plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides), Lithodora, wild strawberry, Dymondia Bulbs: alliums, daffodil, hyacinth, iris, scilla Shrubs: Buddleja, bottle brush (Callistemon spp.), Ceanothus, Coleonema, Cistus, Fuchsia, Grevillea, toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Hydrangea, Lantana, Nandina, Oleander, mock orange (Philadelphus spp. Perennials: Artemisia, Kniphofia, peony, blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.), Heuchera, Shasta Daisy, Juncus, monkey flower (Mimulus spp.), catmint (Nepeta spp.), yarrow (Achilea spp.), Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) It’s also helpful to notice which plants in your garden or your neighbors’ gardens, if any, have survived gophers and plant more of them. Your goal is to plant an ecosystem which discourages gophers. When deciding on a strategy for managing gophers, consider your natural environment and whether children, pets or the environment can be harmed by the deterrent method. Research the expense of the deterrent method, and clarify your commitment to the management strategy. Stick to research-based controls. Gadgets and homemade recipes have not been scientifically shown to work. No repellents currently sold successfully protect plants from gophers. We do not recommend using poisonous baits because they can endanger gopher predators and the entire food chain. Lastly, remember, no plants are completely gopher-proof. Monitor your plants, especially young ones, and immediately respond to evidence of fresh gopher activity. Be patient and persistent. Gophers won’t go away, but they can be deterred. For more information: Gopher-resistant native plants, see https://tinyurl.com/yx9ms487 and https://tinyurl.com/5cfx5hyuPocket Gopher Pest Note: https://tinyurl.com/53bjbyek Contributors to this week’s column were Jude Sharp, Karen Felker, Lisa Howard and Carolyn Whitesell. The UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County sonomamg.ucanr.edu/ provides environmentally sustainable, science-based horticultural information to Sonoma County home gardeners. Send your gardening questions to scmgpd@gmail.com. You will receive answers to your questions either in this newspaper or from our Information Desk. You can contact the Information Desk directly at 707-565-2608 or mgsonoma@ucanr.edu. To receive free gardening tips and news about upcoming events, sign up for our monthly newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/y3uynteb
