If you have seen one mound, you’ve seen them all!
Right?
It may seem like all mounds of dirt that may pop up in your yard are created equal, but that may not be the case.
To the trained eye gopher mounds are as unique as fingerprints.
The goal of this article is to help you identify the gopher mounds as easily as a trained professional and even repair the damage done by these little pests.
Let’s learn more!
What are pocket gophers?
Pocket Gophers are small (6 – 10 inches) burrowing rodents. They live in colonies that can range from 5 – 60 gophers per acre if they are not controlled.
Pocket Gophers will destroy crops, gardens and orchards by eating the roots of a variety of vegetable crops as well as girdling the roots of many tree species.
Gophers create an intricate system of burrows that can cover between 200 to 2000 sqft! These burrows can be between 6 to 12 inches deep but have been found as deep as 6 feet in some cases.
It is their burrowing nature and the necessity to forage when no root vegetables are available that creates their unique calling card : Gopher Mounds!
Identifying Gopher Mounds
Gophers create their mounds by kicking up loose rocks and soil as they create their entrances. Gopher mounds have a unique crescent moon or horseshoe shape to them.
Aside from being unsightly these mounds can cause pedestrian and pet tripping hazards. These types of hazards can be costly on agricultural properties as horses, sheep, cows and other farm animals can get an appendage stuck in these mounds, possibly causing serious injury to the animal.
Gopher mounds can also be difficult to navigate when using landscaping machinery such as mowers, weed eaters etc. There is a possible danger of machinery spitting out the stones and debris found in these mounds and potentially injuring the user or bystanders.
Repairing Gopher Mounds
If you are trying to find ways to get rid of Gopher mounds, the first step is getting rid of the pests themselves.
Not only does this save you the hassle of future mounds it will also ensure that your hard work in repairing your lawn or property will not be a waste of time.
Contact a professional right away if you are seeing these mounds pop up on your property to solve the critter issue first.
Once you have removed the pest from your property here are a few useful tips on how to deal with those mounds and getting your lawn, home, or garden back into shape!
Repairing Gopher mounds on your lawn
- Using a shovel, dig down into the burrow tunnels. Burrow tunnels are U-shaped and will be easily visible since they tend not to be too deep. Remove the soil all along the tunnel until it is fully un-covered.
- After entirely revealing the tunnel, fill the base of the tunnel in with loose gravel to about 1 inch or half of the tunnel depth. Be sure to tamp down the gravel so it is packed in tightly.
- Fill in the tunnel with the soil removed from step 1 and tamp down with a hoe or your shovel.
- Using top-soil, fill in the rest of the excavated area until it is even with the existing lawn soil. Often a gopher burrow will have varying depths along its length. This step helps to keep your lawn looking nice and even.
- Using grass seed of the same type as the rest of your lawn (to maintain consistency) sprinkle the seeds along the top-soil.
- Using your shovel (or a trowel if one is available) scoop some top-soil up and gently sprinkle a layer on top of the grass seeds. This layer should be no more than ¼ of an inch in depth.
- Sprinkle starter fertilizer on top of this layer as directed on the packaging.
- Water thoroughly and keep moist for about 2 weeks to help the germination process.
- Wait until the grass in these areas has grown to at least 3-4 inches then mow along with the rest of your lawn good as new!
For garden repair simply follow steps 1-4, but DO NOT add gravel as this will prevent the necessary drainage and root space for plant, vegetable, and flower growth.
If you are seeing gopher mounds popping up on your property call Got Gophers now to help assess the level of infestation and provide you with 5-Star professional pest control services.