Re: gophers


> Hi all,
> Believe it or not, during the drought I actually had gophers who would
> emerge from their holes and jump over and down into the chicken wire lined
> bed. But it was none-the-less the safest place in the garden.
_____________________

California is in eternal drought.  We, of course don't call it that. We call
it climate.
At any rate, my gophers routine climb a 1-2 foot rock wall to crawl into and
decimate raised beds that are encased by aviary mesh.

----------
>I am starting to wonder if we don't have voles also since the tunnels
>just below the surface seem to go straight to a plant.  I found a hole
>near my Eucalyptus and the bard chewed off the trunk about 6" high.
>Still don't know what did that.  I put a tree shield around the trunk
>and so far the tree is still with us.

Linda, that sounds like vole activity to me.  There are some excellent web
sites concerning voles and integrated pest management. They recommend mouse
traps baited with peanut butter, covered with the ubiquitous cardboard box
to keep the site dark.
I tried this.  I didn't catch any voles.  I did have a very entertaining
time trying to explain to the visiting Rock Club society why I had all these
strange boxes and upside down flower pots in my garden.
I suspect they now are in agreement with my neighbors that one particular
gardener has spent far too much time in the sun.

My situation sounds quite similar to yours.  I have five acres and am trying
to establish many native plantings under oaks.  This precludes digging up
large beds and lining them with aviary mesh. (Although, at the risk of
repeating myself, this method did not work for me.)

I have also found that in our very dry climate, the gophers and voles seem
to track water.  I find their tunnels neatly following the areas dampened by
my drip system.  It was extremely disheartening to think that my carefully
designed irrigation for drought tolerance was acting like a beacon radar
system--a helpful global positioning device that helps the varmint home
right in on my most cherished plants.

Don't even bother with gopher purge--Euphorbia lathyris.

But the miniature atom bomb. . . .hmmm.  I like this idea.

Rebecca Lance
Sonora CA
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