How to Fix a Gopher and Mole Problem

Many of us are familiar with the work of Bill Murray in the film "Caddyshack" - the slow-witted groundskeeper waging a personal war against a gopher who's decided to make the golf course his home. But if you really have a gopher and/or mole problem around your lawn and garden, you don't want to go the Caddyshack route and plant plastic explosives in the ground. So what's a do-it-yourselfer like you to do? For starters, all you need to do is keep reading.

Your first option to consider is fencing. If you have an easy garden and lawn to fence in from the outside world, you should be able to fence it off relatively easily. You might even simply want to isolate your garden so that you have to do as little work and fence purchasing as possible - this isn't a bad idea. If your gophers start to realize that the work involved with getting in your garden isn't worth the food present, they'll probably stop trying to get in. Keep in mind that gophers can burrow quite deeply into the ground, so a surface fence probably isn't enough; and having a fence might not solve all of your problems.

Another option to consider will remind you of "Caddyshack": flooding. If you know where the gopher or mole has been gaining access to your garden, you can "flood" it out by spraying water in there through a hose. Some people don't like to do this to gophers or moles, so it will be a personal decision for you to make. If you choose not to flood the gopher out, remember that you have to be thorough in the other methods you use in order to solve the gopher problem.

You can also find "sonic spikes" that can be installed in the ground, though some people have found these devices bothersome; if you live very close to your neighbors, for instance, there's a good chance they might complain about them.

Keep in mind that you can ask around about gopher traps if you want to make sure that you've actually gotten a gopher from the ground and under your control.

A gopher problem isn't a fun thing, especially if you recently put in a lot of work into your lawn or garden. But if you're diligent, you should be able to get the gophers out of your turf.

Photo Credits: ingridtaylar

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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 7, 2010 in Backyard, How to Fix, Landscaper, Lawn, pests. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.