gophers....

Lycopene Dream · April 24, 2013

Vickipr - I have read about Castor oil, it is encouraging to see that it has actually worked for you, or at least so far.

Tom - I am becoming resigned to the fact that this is a percentage game at best and likely a problem that will always be here in some form. Through multiple tactics, I may mitigate some of the damage, but will likely never be completely gopher free. I live in Woodland Hills, a gopher hotbed, and my house is on just under 1/2 acre. This is hill property and the back section is adjacent to a "wild" belt that is maybe 75' deep and unmaintained and full of nature before the next house takes over. I have gophers in the backyard, front yard and both sides of the house. For the first time, sections of the hill behind my house are dying from the gopher root destruction. It has never been as bad as this current season (March/April)). In addition to the many fresh and antiquity status crescent mounds, there are DOZENS of open holes in the flat section of my backyard from presumably current and prior activity (this many open holes seems inconsistent with gophers' MO, so maybe I have varmints of a different kind as well?). I really have my work cut out to even determine which tunnels are active. There have been some gopher suicides in the swimming pool, which before my recent plant losses were met with shades of melancholy on my part. But now, ha ha, I want to just nuke 'em. The ancillary effect of all this is that I have a 300 square foot plot in which I was planning to start "Cornville", but that planting has been put on indefinite hold until I feel like I have made some progress with the gophers (there's an active tunnel in the plot that just popped up last weekend).

I am a rookie at all this, but I find the process of attempting to grow tomatoes incredibly rewarding, frustrating and peaceful, all at the same time. This is a really helpful forum, I appreciate all of the input.

April 24, 2013	#17
Lycopene Dream Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: So Cal Posts: 8	Vickipr - I have read about Castor oil, it is encouraging to see that it has actually worked for you, or at least so far. Tom - I am becoming resigned to the fact that this is a percentage game at best and likely a problem that will always be here in some form. Through multiple tactics, I may mitigate some of the damage, but will likely never be completely gopher free. I live in Woodland Hills, a gopher hotbed, and my house is on just under 1/2 acre. This is hill property and the back section is adjacent to a "wild" belt that is maybe 75' deep and unmaintained and full of nature before the next house takes over. I have gophers in the backyard, front yard and both sides of the house. For the first time, sections of the hill behind my house are dying from the gopher root destruction. It has never been as bad as this current season (March/April)). In addition to the many fresh and antiquity status crescent mounds, there are DOZENS of open holes in the flat section of my backyard from presumably current and prior activity (this many open holes seems inconsistent with gophers' MO, so maybe I have varmints of a different kind as well?). I really have my work cut out to even determine which tunnels are active. There have been some gopher suicides in the swimming pool, which before my recent plant losses were met with shades of melancholy on my part. But now, ha ha, I want to just nuke 'em. The ancillary effect of all this is that I have a 300 square foot plot in which I was planning to start "Cornville", but that planting has been put on indefinite hold until I feel like I have made some progress with the gophers (there's an active tunnel in the plot that just popped up last weekend). I am a rookie at all this, but I find the process of attempting to grow tomatoes incredibly rewarding, frustrating and peaceful, all at the same time. This is a really helpful forum, I appreciate all of the input.