Re: Gopher Control

Lon J. Rombough (lonrom@hevanet.com)
Mon, 22 Mar 1999 10:28:18 -0800

Must be gopher time - this topic just came up on the Organic Gardening list.
Or was it Square Foot gardening?
Personal favorite method: Get a large weed wand (also sold for melting ice)
that attaches to a 5 gallon propoane tank. Buy sugar sulfur from an Ag
supply house. It comes as small chunks or flakes, not powder. Open the
gopher tunnel (dig around near a fresh mound) and put a large handful of
sulfur in the opening. Play the propane wand on it to direct burning sulfur
fumes into the tunnel. In 5-10 minutes you will probably notice yellow
smoke puff up some distance (20 feet or so) away as the fumes reach the end
of the tunnel. Continue another 5 minutes to be sure the tunnel is full all
the way. You're done, and so is the gopher. The sulfur in the tunnel
oxidizes and does no further harm. Keep this up any time you see a fresh
mound and you can clear several acres a year, subject to re-infestation from
the surrounding untreated areas.
-Lon Rombough
----------
>From: Nigel Walker <organic@eatwell.com>
>To: Sus Ag Network <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
>Subject: Gopher Control
>Date: Mon, Mar 22, 1999, 10:34 AM
>

>Dear Gopher lovers,
> Last year our neighbors barn burned down and with it the home of the
>local owl. We had previuously had very few problems with our friends the
>gophers but all has changed over the last 6 months.
> Can anyone give me the lead on which is the most effective control
>method.
> I have heard of some one making a device to inject oxygen and
>propane into the run and igniting it with a spark plug?
> So what is more humane..traps, poisons, gas?
> We will be putting out some owl boxes this spring for long term
>protection.
>
>Regards...Nigel Walker
>
>http://www.eatwell.com
>organic@eatwell.com
>530 759 8221
>Eatwell Farm
> Winters California 95694
>
>
>
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