Lawn Problems With a Pocket Gopher

Tunnels

• Pocket gophers burrow underground, leaving mounds of dirt around the opening of the hole. Burrows are made by forming a tunnel 4 to 18 inches down under the surface. From this main tunnel, the gopher branches off in all directions, making lateral tunnels that are used for birthing, storing food and sleeping. Tunnels are often 3 inches in diameter. Mounds of dirt around the entrances to the tunnels are unsightly in the lawn and a growing ground for weeds. Tunnels can cover 200 to 2,000 square feet.

Irrigation

• Underground tunnels cause irrigation problems for lawns. As you water the lawn or as the rain comes down, the water soaks into the ground. When the water hits the tunnels, underground erosion results, which can destroy a lawn. In areas where badgers are present, the badgers pursue the gophers, making the tunnels larger in their search for their prey and causing bigger irrigation problems in the lawn.

Feeding

• Gophers feed on trees, shrubs and grasses. When the roots of the trees, shrubs or grasses are exposed in the tunnels, the gopher sees them as a good supply of food. The result is a dead lawn. Gophers will also feed on the grass above ground. On the good side, pocket gophers feed on dandelion roots and can rid the lawn of the weed, but not before feeding on the grass. According to the University of California, one gopher working its way along a tunnel underneath the surface can cause a considerable amount of damage in a short time.

Population

• Within one year after birth, pocket gophers are mature and ready to reproduce. One female gopher will bear between one and 13 young in a litter, but three to four is an average. Litters are born in spring. Two or three females in the tunnels, with each having four young, in one year would produce 12 new grass feeders and tunnel diggers in the lawn. According to the University of California, it is possible to have 60 or more gophers on 1 acre of land.

Control

• One suitable control method is anticoagulant baits, which contain diphacinone and chlorophacinone found in poisons for rodents. Before using any poison, a homeowner should consult the local university extension office for information on guidelines and restrictions.

  Repellents and electromagnetic or sonic devices are not effective in controlling pocket gophers, according to Utah State University. Trapping is effective in ridding the area of remaining gophers after another control method has exterminated most of the gophers.