Does anyone use gopher cages?

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Figology

Well-known member
I had a gopher kill 5 in-ground trees this past season and came up with an idea to use spikes I had on hand.


I like this approach because I can eventually remove the spikes that were placed at an angle around the tree. It’s been a few months since the application of the spikes and so far the last tree has survived.

I’m curious to see if anyone uses wire cages and if it has any long term effects on root growth down the road.
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Yes, we use gopher baskets on every tree we plant in ground and we also put a wire cage around the tree at the top. We use the equivalent of a 15 gallon wire basket in ground and have not noticed any impact on growth. Eventually the roots break through the baskets. The point of the basket is to let the tree get established enough and grow to the point that a gopher can’t kill it as easily.
 
bushdoctor82 said:
I have 1/2” hardware cloth cages around 4 or 5 of my inground trees buried ~12” below ground and extend ~12” above ground. These were installed for voles and rabbits. Haven’t dug around to inspect roots, but only have been in place between 1 and 3 years so far.
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I had a rat chew on one of my potted trees this year. Had never seen that before.

Inflorescence said:
Yes, we use gopher baskets on every tree we plant in ground and we also put a wire cage around the tree at the top. We use the equivalent of a 15 gallon wire basket in ground and have not noticed any impact on growth. Eventually the roots break through the baskets. The point of the basket is to let the tree get established enough and grow to the point that a gopher can’t kill it as easily.
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I had the thought of drilling small holes and burying the tree and its pot. I’ve seen people do that but only for one season so I’m a bit weary about leaving it for the life of the tree.
 
I use 15 gal size diggers cages on all of my trees that are planted in ground and so far I have had no ill effects. The cages break down after a few years. I have had problems where soil builds up around the basin of the tree and then the gopher can jump into the cage. Inflorescence, mentioned that she also puts an above the ground cage. This would prevent that problem. However, I am too lazy to do that.
 
Interesting... Are these an actual, purpose built cage you can buy or something you fashion up with welded wire mesh or hardware cloth. 

I would imagine something like this would be essential if you have critters coming up from underneath. Mostly I've seen people using caging on the ground by people overwintering using the sarcophagus method.
 
TorontoJoe said:
Interesting... Are these an actual, purpose built cage you can buy or something you fashion up with welded wire mesh or hardware cloth. 

I would imagine something like this would be essential if you have critters coming up from underneath. Mostly I've seen people using caging on the ground by people overwintering using the sarcophagus method.
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Both, you can buy them premade or make your own.
 
Here is the company that makes the pre made 15 gal baskets.
https://gopherbasket.com/?gad_sourc...kGlli3JcOj6Y0dw95aQBaCL8zoBC515saAjwXEALw_wcB

Inflorescence said:
TorontoJoe said:
Interesting... Are these an actual, purpose built cage you can buy or something you fashion up with welded wire mesh or hardware cloth. 

I would imagine something like this would be essential if you have critters coming up from underneath. Mostly I've seen people using caging on the ground by people overwintering using the sarcophagus method.
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Both, you can buy them premade or make your own.
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Please see link on next post.

gopher baskets :https://gopherbasket.com/?gad_sourc...kGlli3JcOj6Y0dw95aQBaCL8zoBC515saAjwXEALw_wcB
 
Simple and straightforward product. Definitely a good idea if you have potential for this problem. I suppose if your tree is already in the ground, short of digging it up the only option might be to drive steel rods down deep all around the tree deeper than gophers burrow. I know people in the Niagara area who have vole problems... Not here though... I imagine my raccoons would eat them  :dodgy:
 
Yes, the only problem is that once the tree breaks out of the basket, the gophers will go after it. I have seen them kill a medium sized tree. But at least it buys you some time and they will kill a small tree for sure! I trapped a big one today at the base of one of my older fig trees. They made so many tunnels around the tree that it's crazy!
 
Givemefigs said:
Yes, the only problem is that once the tree breaks out of the basket, the gophers will go after it. I have seen them kill a medium sized tree. But at least it buys you some time and they will kill a small tree for sure! I trapped a big one today at the base of one of my older fig trees. They made so many tunnels around the tree that it's crazy!
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So better to go with a really large cage to begin with? Or one made out of rebar that the tree won't break?
 
Figology said:

I had the thought of drilling small holes and burying the tree and its pot. I’ve seen people do that but only for one season so I’m a bit weary about leaving it for the life of the tree.
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I think it could be done for several years, but not for a lifetime. The pot will limit the root ball a whole lot more than the gopher basket. The pot won’t break down in the same way that the gopher basket does, so you will have circling inside the pot and then the few roots that escape through the holes.
 
It's amazing the lengths we go to for the love of some hobbies, the critter fight is real!
Here where the ground is mostly clay, I don't see subterranean creatures.
A plus of having clay perhaps?
 
built a bath tube size 1" x 1" wire cage with bottom  and now the fig tree in it is 15' x10' and very healthy .SUGEST you get GOPHER HAWK traps and kill all the gophers that show up asap .PS fig tree in example is 10+ years old .PPS dig with sovel to open gopher hole tunnel and set GOPHER HAWK  by sight dead center in hole then close with dirt clode .dont probe for tunnels ,use supplied spike to center trap .have not caged fig tree in years ,remove 3-10 gophers a year within a couple days after they show up !
 
@"Figology"#21 
Yes in Sunland CA everything has to be planted with a gopher cage. No choice we have so much underground mole, and gopher varmint activity to plant trees any other way. Since literally everything has to have a protective cage we make our own out of chicken wire. They're equivalent to a 30 gallon pot size. Some of it goes above ground. Has mentioned above eventually The Roots break through, but we haven't lost a tree that we planted in this way. If you make your own Anthony sooner or later you get really good at it. I find it doesn't take over 20 minutes to whip one out.
 
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