Overview
Prevention Options
Exclusion & Repellents
It is very difficult to prevent gophers from making your yard part of their tunnel systems. Since they live and spend most of their lives underground, they can easily extend into your property.
There are a couple things you can do to keep gophers away, or at least make it a less inviting place for them to live and forage.
Exclusion
Exclusion, or using physical barriers, to keep gophers out, can be very challenging, since gophers can tunnel very deeply and move over a large distance, and you would have to protect a fairly large area from potential gopher invaders.
However, you could use exclusion methods to protect certain plants, like especially prized trees or valuable ornamental plants, instead of your entire yard:
- Use mesh wire fencing material that has small enough openings to keep gophers from getting through. Look for 1/4 to 1/2 inch mesh.
- Bury the fencing underground at least a foot and a half deep.
- To protect the plant above ground, leave about a half a foot of fencing above ground.
- Doing this will help prevent gopher damage if gophers do make their way into your yard.
Repellents
Gopher repellents are available for controlling gophers. Repellent products use ingredients to create unpleasant taste, smell, or touch to make the treated area unpleasant to be around. If they are present, hopefully gophers will find your yard to be less than ideal, and not tunnel or forage in it.
Repellent products work best if they are applied before you ever have a gopher problem, and if they are used consistently and correctly. They have to be reapplied often, about every two weeks, depending on the product. They come in granular and liquid formulas, and must be watered in to penetrate into the soil. Follow directions carefully.
