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nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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Posted by weeminimoose 9/CA (My Page) on Tue, May 16, 06 at 0:17
Anyone know how to make your own gopher traps (live ones)? or how to get rid of them without killing them? I've tried looking for any kind of gohper traps at Target and Walmart without success. And yes, I'd perfer to catch them alive, because although I hate the damage they do I don't hate them. They're just doing what gophers do. Which unfornately happens to include making my squash plant disappear!
So please, anyone. Any suggestions?
Thank You |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| I don't have any suggestions - but would love some input on getting rid of armadillos too! |
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| Try planting a caster bean. It's worked for me. I had lots of small pocket gophers making holes all over my yard. I planted one caster bean plant. By the time it was about a foot tall, no more gophers. These plants are poisonous to children and small animals so be careful where you plant it. Pam |
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| I can't help but think of Bill Murray in the movie Caddy Shack. :) Wouldn't "have a heart traps" work?? If you don't want to buy one, you maybe could rent it. |
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| Though you live far away, in a very different area of the country than I do here in Minnesota (the 'Gopher State'... Yuck!), we have the same issues. Gophers have eaten thousands of bulbs, perennials, dahlias/other tubers, roses, shrubs, and even trees. Once they move in and start multiplying, it is hard to trap them and keep them in control as they breed like the rodents that they are. And if you do catch them, where are you going to release them? Most public places (parks/nature reserves) etc., don't want them as they'll do the same damage as they do to your yard, and unless you know someone you really dislike, I can't think of where you might set them free. The best thing is to discourage them. Mole Go, a repellent based on castor oil, works well but is expensive and I don't know if its approved on use for food crops. When gophers hit my gardens with a vengeance, it didn't take me long to realize that anything (a) expensive; (b) rare; (c) very treasured; (d) all or any of the combination of the above, would need to be planted in wire cages to protect them from gophers. I buy long rolls of chicken wire and make them into cylindrical cages. I cave in the last few inches of the cylinder and kind of pleat it to form the bottom, then bury the cage and plant the plant inside and backfill with dirt. Usually I find a foot deep works well for most annuals/perennials/vegetables, maybe a bit longer for trees and shrubs. Even if the gophers eat off a few roots, the main part of the rootball remains intact and protected and the plant does fine. The cages for me last about 3-6 years, about the time I have to divide most perennials or the tree and shrub roots have grown deep enough to not be much affected. Of course, annuals or vegetables reach maturity long before the cages break down. After many years, my gardens are riddled with cages and the gophers with a few exceptions have gotten tired of the obstacles in their tunneling and plant eating and have left my yard. I know it may sounds like a lot of work, but once you get the knack of making the cages it's not hard and I've found it to be a no kill way of thwarting a real pest. Kate |
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| Weeminimoose, Read this thread, among one of the ways to get rid of gophers, some people have used CHEWING GUM! I am going to try that one... http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg1219400029742.html?47 |
RE: nooo....it's...........gophers!!!!
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| Those little b.....oogers ate my Arugula (tried to take it while I was grooming the tomato plant), Tomatoes and Bell Pepper. I tried the peppermint oil and cayenne pepper mixture. No luck, but it sure made my dirt smell good. I tried the traps and placed them in the holes as suggested and put gum and fresh clippings behind the traps to entice him to trigger the trap and I closed up the holes. He simply pushed dirt into the trap so it could not trigger, then dug another hole around the traps. He never touched the Juicy Fruit gum, but the ants sure loved it. I was so frustrated that I dug up the whole planting box which is 3'X9' and found 3 tunnels about a foot deep. Oh, by the way I found my second tomato plant while digging up the planter box in one of his tunnels. I lit two smoke bombs (saw smoke coming from the neighbor's yard) and lined the inside of the box (which I dug about 18" deep) with chicken wire and replanted all of my plants. I planted onions and garlic near his old tunnels which came under the fence. It's been 1 week and no sign of him yet. I believe the vibration from my water sprinklers told him when feeding time was because the ground would be soft and easy to tunnel through. |
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