Best way to prevent gophers from coming to your yard

While gophers might look cute in movies like “Caddyshack,” they can do a lot of damage to your yard if you are not careful. The last thing you want to see is a bunch of holes that can create havoc when you try to mow your lawn. They can also undo months of planting by grabbing the roots. 

You might consider contacting pest exterminators to get rid of them, but you can also do things yourselves to keep your yard safe. We are here to help you with that. Read on to learn more. 

Set up Barriers 

The first thing you could do is set up a fence using a mesh that is specifically made to keep gophers out of your yard. The fence goes underground so that when a gopher encounters it, they will be deterred and go elsewhere to become someone else’s problem. 

Another possible solution is to pick and choose which plants you want to protect and use wire mesh baskets to put them in. That way, the gophers will leave those alone. This is an option if you don’t want to go to the trouble of surrounding your whole yard with a mesh fence. 

Only Raise Plants That Gophers Hate

Yes, this might limit some of the things that you can put in your yard, but it will keep the gophers away. You will save yourself the need to put mesh fences or baskets or use other methods. The plants that you do put in can still make for a nice-looking yard. 

What are they? They include:

• Allium
• Crown Imperials
• Daffodils
• Garlic 
• Gopher Spurge
• Lavender
• Onions
• Rosemary

You can create a fence of sorts with these plants around the ones that you really prize. Added bonus – mosquitoes tend to hate these plants too, so you can possibly avoid itchy summers. 

Use Certain Repellants 

There are certain things that gophers will find distasteful. They include chili powder, pine-smelling disinfectants, and even fabric softener sheets. Other deterrents include items that emit sound at a frequency that will send the gophers scurrying while not bothering you. 

Other options include fighting nature with nature – getting gopher hunting pets like owls or snakes. Even an outdoor dog could give a gopher pause. While the other ideas are less lethal, if you are being bothered by gophers even after bringing in professionals, this might be something to consider.