Do Gophers Kill Lawn Grass?

Signs of Activity

• Gophers don't usually hang out above the soil surface, but you can tell when they've been there. Like moles, their tunneling create mounds of soil, only gopher mounds are shaped like half-moons or fans. They always leave themselves an escape route, and so near each crescent-shaped pile of soil is a small hole usually blocked by a bit of soil. These piles of soil and holes usually appear overnight, which means the gophers were busy burrowing under the grass and damaging it in the process.

Greedy Little Pests

• Unfortunately, it's not just your grass that is in danger. Gophers are herbivores, which means they eat plants -- all parts of plants. They eat nuts, seeds, tender vegetation, woody shrubs and twigs, and they gnaw on the bark of trees. Because they spend most of their time underground, gophers often focus on consuming plant roots. They can eat the entire root balls of large shrubs and small trees, causing the plants to die from the top down. If you know you have gophers in the area and some of your plants are dying from a seemingly unknown illness, then the problem may lie beneath the soil. Sadly, if gophers destroy a plant's roots, then the plant is likely a lost cause.

Removal Methods

• Unfortunately, no simple way exists to get rid of gophers once they've invaded a space. Repellents are ineffective against pocket gophers, according to the University of California Integrated Pest Management Online. Poisonous bait can be a threat to young children and animals other than gophers, including pets. In addition, it is not legal to poison gophers in some states. The best way to get rid of the gophers in your yard is to trap them and then kill them if doing so is legal in your location. Otherwise, they may come back. Even so, more gophers may move in later.

Prevention Techniques

• It's much easier to get rid of one or two gophers than a large population of the furry pests. Be diligent in watching for signs of the pests. Preventing their presence is key. Removing weedy areas bordering your lawn can discourage gophers from setting up shop, and letting your pets roam the yard might be enough to encourage gophers to go elsewhere because dogs and cats are natural predators of gophers. If you can trap and kill gophers as they arrive, you probably can protect your lawn grass enough so that it will recover.