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pattie_2007

Gophers & Planting in 25 Gallon Pots

pattie_2007
13 years ago

I just discovered that a gopher has killed a pegged rose that was covered with more than 50 buds. I am crushed, but also livid. I have purchased some traps that friends assure me work, but in case they don't, I want to start planting roses in 25 gallon plastic pots in the ground. Jeri once described this approach and I think it may be my only answer. I grow mostly teas, and I'm wondering how being planted in pots will affect their size. Will they always be smaller? I'm planting a Mrs. B. R. Cant. Will planting her in a pot prevent her from becoming enormous or will she just grow more slowly?

Thanks!

Pattie

Comments (12)

  • jerijen
    13 years ago

    Pattie, if you put enough holes in the pot -- and I do mean swiss cheese - the roots will find their way out eventually.

    Mind, it WILL slow them down. No question about that.
    But slowed down, in my opinion, is better than dead.

    :-(

    Jeri

  • jill_perry_gw
    13 years ago

    Actually, I've planted quite a few roses in 5-gallon pots with just the holes they came with, and all but 2 have grown just fine. Francis E.Lester covers 30 feet of fence. With those other two, I think the problem is the location, not the pot.

    I just found a gopher mound next to an unprotected rose. I dug around, but can't find the tunnel. I'd REALLY like to kill that gopher!
    Jill

  • jerijen
    13 years ago

    Jill, if all you have is ONE gopher, I salute you.

    Becket is trying real hard to get our gophers, but as a result, the front yard looks like WWI Trench Warfare.

    :-(

    The other day he was industriously tunnelling under Lady Ann Kidwell (which is un-protected) and so I think the gopher that almost killed it last spring is BAAAACK.

    If he hits it again, I swear we will just eliminate LAK, and plant something else in that place -- IN a squat pot.

    Jeri

  • malibu_rose
    13 years ago

    I have potted several plants including roses in the squat pots based on Jeri's advice. Like Jeri, I have tons of gophers and don't want to harm them - so this is my solution. So far, the plants are thriving very well because I can control the soil so much better - the soil on my hillside was always poor. In fact I want to plant more roses and other plants on the other side of my property with squat pots.

  • elemire
    13 years ago

    What also works great are the plastic laundry baskets. The idea is to get one that does not have very big holes on the sides, so gophers can't get inside. It saves on making the holes manually and they often are deep enough for the rose, also leaky enough not to disturb the root system too much.

    Also if it is late to replant a plant that year, what can work to some extend is to dig in chicken chain link fence (with small holes) around the plant.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:249805}}

  • poodlepup
    13 years ago

    I just looked at the laundry basket that elemire posted. I don't know about your gophers, but the gophers where I live could easily get into that basket eat rose roots, and then leave. They can mash down pretty small if they want to.

    This subject leads me to another thought I've been having. Instead of throwing gophers into the garbage can every day, what if I just dug holes near my roses, and buried the little bodies in them? I mean you've got blood meal, bone meal, all sorts of good stuff. And any gophers burrowing by in their tunnel would see all the bodies and have a heart attack.

  • pattie_2007
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for all the ideas! I planted the roses in baskets made of triple layers of chicken wire, but after 2 years, the damn gophers have worked through it. Is aviary wire indestructible?

    I love the laundry basket idea, but will search for one with smaller holes.

    Yes, you should definitely bury the dead gophers if Penelope will leave them alone. That's precisely what the guy who sold me the gopher traps recommends! My sweet Eartha Kitty is 18, so she just naps in the sun, but she never went after the gophers, even as a young 'un. If I could find a gopher-getter, I'd get a new cat.

    Pattie

  • lagomorphmom
    13 years ago

    Jeri, do you really use *25* gallon pots? In the decomposing granite up here I'd have to get a Bobcat with a back hoe!

    Pattie, is your rose dead-dead? You may want to start over with a more mature bush, but I've resuscitated 4 now (one the dog stepped on). IF it's still green (green but a little puckered is ok) you can go about it two ways (and what have you got to lose, right?).

    If there are any side roots at all, cut the top off to what you think looks sustainable for the roots that are left, should be less than a foot. Put the base in a pot with *seed starter mix* - I've had much better luck with this than potting mix, since it's finer it stays wetter and therefore there is more water in contact with the rose, yet it's not water logged. I'd put the soil level a few inches above the first V on the trunk so it stays plenty moist and it can also go own root if it wants. Put a bag over it or better still in a plastic container like a Sterlite storage bin. Keep an eye on it to check for mold. If you do see mold, a spritz with some alcohol will kill the mold, leave the container open for it to evaporate. Btw, I've had success with this even without roots, just the trunk of the bush, so again, what's to lose?

    I've also had good luck lately rooting stems using the tomato refill Jiffy peat disks (they expand to about 4" high) or 3" peat pots with seed starter mix. Use rooting hormone if you like. Put them in a gallon ziplock and again keep an eye on them for mold as above. The disks are nice because they aren't messy, wet easily and you can fit 4 in a bag. I found both at Lowe's.

    Light and temp? I've had them in our mtn garage that has a window and stays around the low 50s when it's cold. Haven't tried this in the heat yet.

    Water. The friend that got me hooked on this mentioned that with hard/alkaline water, they don't root well. Since you can stand a spoon in our water, I played around with some spa pH sticks and vinegar to get to around pH 6.6-7.0 I wouldn't just add 'some' because it doesn't take much to buffer a gallon of water and once you do it you'll always know.

    Mix. I picked the Ferry Morse mix at Lowe's because it had perlite instead of vermiculite (clay) which I thought would bog.

    I can't say what has made the most difference as I never had any luck before, but I'm sure the finer seed mix is a big help keeping the stems moist enough.

    Good luck and good hunting! So far gopher-3, Kerin-donut ;-)

  • elemire
    13 years ago

    Regarding the pic of the laundry bin, you indeed need one with smaller holes, I just could not google a better pic quickly. :) Also it is better to get one with somewhat more sturdy plastic, which won't break easily.

    As for the cats vs. gophers, it usually is a good thing to get a bit younger one from local shelter, especially if the cat was previously stray/barn kitty. It may be not the best cuddle kitty, but often they get the pests really well.

  • lagomorphmom
    13 years ago

    And the home team SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRES!!!! Or whatever the announcer yells at soccer matches. I'm so excited I just had to come in and tell somebody! ;-)

    Maybe I'm getting better setting the traps, this time I baited with peanut butter. Next time I'll use peanuts. Fwiw, I'm using the cinch traps. I'm very mechanically inclined but the Macabees scare me. I always use gloves, so I figure at worst instead of getting wire through my thumb, it'll just be squashed by the spring.

    I found a GW thread y'all might like, they give some good tips. Since you can use cinch traps in the opening, one poster closes up holes and waits for a fresh one that he knows is in use. In my case, I just put a few in the tunnel openings since I had to dig up the bushes. Whatever trap you use, it is important to open the hole enough that when sprung, the pincers can release, I learned that one the first time. Also, I understand that if you get a cinch trap, get one made in the US as the cheaper ones will rust and not last as long. And if you buy in bulk (a dozen) they are cheaper, I split with my mom.

    Also, seems up here that most of my damage comes under the snow. When the snow melts I see the runways going here and there.

    Good luck Pattie!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cinch' traps for gophers - California Gardening Forum

  • myloki
    13 years ago

    Well, I'm not really familiar with gophers, but here in Virginia I've had a big vole problem. Many dead roses with roots gnawed off. I've been cutting the bottoms out of 5 gallon pots and planting things in them for over a year now. It works great because vole are very shallow diggers. Maybe it would work for the gophers too.
    Pattie, I can empathize with the kitty, too. Many people recommended cats to me, but my cat was 17 and she wasn't chasing any little rodents around. I brought home two strays last spring when their mother was hit by a car and they have turned out to be fine hunters. Many furry friends left on my porch already. Unfortunately, they've all had long tails (voles have short tails). Oh, well, fewer mice and squirrels in the hood.