hey babs .... you are in CA ...

what does SoCal mountains z9 mean ???

will this person have success.. especially in regard to the requisite dormancy???

i too wonder about the vermin ID.. is there any specificity in it.. or are you just calling it a gopher???

i cant think of another hosta person.. in my wide experience.. that has dealt with gopher ...

ken

At 6200' or so, dormancy requirements are there. Zone 8.

Don B.

Hi Errant, are you in the San Bernardinos? I grew up in Ventura County, just wondering what mountain range/area you inhabit. At 6200', I know it's chilly there in winter.

Don B.

Ken- California is big and long. Zones don't go by latitude, but rather by terrain. The higher up in elevation the cooler it gets. I'm at sea level, but get a bay influence. The OP is in Zone 8 cold wise, and probably a 9 hour drive from here to Southern California.

Errant- Never had to deal with a gopher. Hope someone else can advise.

-Babka

You guessed it, Don! San Bernardino Mountains, Running Springs. They are definitely gophers, pocket gophers. I trapped six of the little suckers last year.

They've been eating tulips, stawberries, blackberries, a whole slew of native plants I purchased from our local arboretum, and now the few hostas I planted last year :(

I'm guessing I'll need to put everything in baskets from now on. But I'm not sure how big to make them. How big does the root system on a hosta get before needing to be divided? Will the roots grow through the 1/4" mesh, or will they get cramped and damaged?

Hi, Errant...

Not sure any of us have had direct issues with gophers, specifically. I did attach some info from UC Davis' website about pocket gopher control/eradication.

Good luck,
Don B.

Here is a link that might be useful: UC Davis info on Pocket Gopher Issues

Although, re-reading your post, it looks like you've already got a good way to trap them.

Don B.

the peeps on the east coast use hardware cloth to make buried cages ... due to voles ... see link for example

but i do not know any links for info on such ... nor how big ....

wonder if steve knows where to find the info.. other than old journals????

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:986729}}

Errant,

Some people who have vole problems use wire wastebaskets found at the Dollar Tree stores. Here's a picture of one.

These are about 12 inches deep and as wide. Medium sized Hosta can fit in these easily. The wire allows roots to go through, but the crown of the plant is protected.

For very large plants, people use hardware wire cages. These are open at the bottom, but when sunk at least 12 inches in the ground the voles aren't able to get to the crown of the plant. They like to dig in soft soil and mulch. I should say that most people leave the baskets or cages one inch above the ground.

Another technique that some folks use is to dig a large hole and then line it with sharp 3/8 inch gravel or pea stone. The point is that when you can dig easily in the soil so can the critters.

The point is that it is difficult to eradicate pocket gophers from the face of the earth (Nice link Don). Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to convince the nasty critters that your neighbor's yard is easier and tastier than yours.

Steve

Even gophers love Kenny Loggins...

Don B.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kenny Loggins 'I'm Alright' Caddyshack W/Mr. Gopher

Thanks a million, everyone! I will go ahead and make mine12x12, which will work out well since my roll of hardware cloth is 48" wide.

The dollar store waste baskets is a great tip! Pre-made gopher baskets around here sell for $8-13, which is why I bought the big roll of cloth instead. My neighbors will love the dollar store idea, though!

That UC Davis link is how I learned to hunt the little suckers, Don :)

BTW, any snow at your place? It's chilly here, and getting foggy, but I don't think it'll drop below 35 tonight. I'll be digging in the dirt tomorrow! I'm all right...

Errant, no snow here yet. According to the forecast, it's supposed to have been snowing already, and should have hit freezing two hours ago.

It's still about forty-five to fifty degrees here at the moment, and local skies are clear. Fingers still crossed that they're overestimating this storm.

Good luck. Hope you get some RAIN! God knows you need it...

Don B.

I wanted to report back! So far, so good, my homemade gopher cages are working and I've got a few leaves on the new Hosta babies :)

And today I stopped at HD to get stuff for another project, and on a quick run through the garden center I found a couple more in one gallon pots, 3 for $12. I picked up a Patriot, Bressingham Blue, and a Frances Williams :D

If protecting hostas you need to determine the mature size (width only) of the plant and figure the root system will likely be twice the size. If a hosta like some I grow are 4’ in diameter, some up to 6’. Others may only be 1’ or 2’ in width. Try to contact a reputable hosta nursery that grows all sizes in a trial borders and ask them about what the mature crown area will be and go out at least 1’ diameter more so they might not be able to reach the crown. But here is the issue, the holes need to be 1/4” or smaller, and they can just go down in the basket and eat away coming and going over the top. I would leave the top of the basket up about 2-3” so they sorta run into it but they can still just go over in. The best thing is to use traps NOT POISONING— it’s inhumane as they can take many hours to several days to die and they cause secondary poisoning to the very critters you need to eat them ie owls, hawks, even blue jays or other predator birds that will eat both fruits, berries and at certain times want protein sources. People forget even chickens (hens and roosters) will take great delight tracking down mice, etc and pulling them apart, fighting amongst themselves eating and chasing. Have personally seen this occur if one is stupid enough to go through the chicken area looking for eggs, grain, etc. 5-6 hens can be formidable predators and a rooster is the same with bigger prey like snakes, etc trying to invade his territory with those spurs. I have been hit with those too. A rooster that attacks people taking care of them ended up making stock and then great chicken and dumplings.