3 Best DIY Humane Gopher Repellants To Save Your Crops

3 Most Effective Ways To Get Rid Of Gophers And Moles – Humanely.  Are your garden crops mysteriously disappearing?  Are your flower bulbs failing to grow?  Is your yard covered with mounds of dirt land mines?  Welcome to the world of Gophers and Moles – where these tiny little critters will wreck havoc on your garden greens, your flower bed blooms, and the green grass in your yard.  If you can relate, then please continue reading as I’ve finally found THE 3 BEST DIY HUMANE GOPHER REPELLANTS TO SAVE YOUR CROPS so you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor.

So when you see one of these little guys in your yard or even glancing at this picture, your first response will probably be …. AW, HOW CUTE.  HOW CAN ANYTHING THIS LITTLE BE SO DESTRUCTIVE?   Dont be deceived by their cuteness as they’re destructive little buggars.  Trust me – a few years back I had an encounter of the first kind.  It was after a full day of planting some vegetable starts and I was relaxing in my garden chair.  When out of the corner of my eye I noticed a newly planted parsly plant start to shake, not a lot … but enough to catch my eye.  And as I sat there watching, this plant was slowly being pulled back into the soil, right there before my eyes.  And then the next thing I knew it was gone.   TRUE STORY – NOT EXAGGERATING AT ALL.  It reminded me of something straight out of a cartoon.

Then the dirt began to kick up a bit, a mound began to form, and out popped this little head.  I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed.  And after thoroughly assessing my vegetable beds, the orchard and my lawn, what I found was these critters had literally dug cities with roads and paths COVERING EVERY INCH OF GROUND UNDERNEATH MY GARDENS AND YARD.   Needless to say, after that encounter it was game on.

I’ve tried all sorts of ways to work around these little buggars – planting vegetable starts in laundry baskets, lining my garden beds with wire mesh, even trapping them so I could move them to another area – and I unfortunately never caught one nor did any of my other methods work.  They kept getting into my crops and had a field day with my carrots, potatoes, onions, parsley and more.

Then I found these DIY – DO IT YOURSELF mixes, made a couple batches, place them in the holes and viola – the gophers have moved on.  (and PS –  I do hope my neighbor doesn’t hate me because I’m pretty sure they’ve all ventured over to his place.)    I have found the best one to use, altho all 3 are effective, is the Castor Oil and Dawn Dish Soap.  So check them out – try them, and see which mix works for you … start saving your garden crops and your lawn WITHOUT KILLING THE CRITTERS.   And please note – these are especially environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and not harmful to birds, pets or plants.

1. Homemade Gopher, Mole and Vole Repellent with Castor Oil and Dawn Dish Soap

I have read different reviews for the castor oil and dish soap ratio (1 part oil and 1 part dish soap, 3 parts castor oil to 1 part dish soap, 1/2 cup each of the oil and dish soap), but have found the best  ratio that works for me is:

Mix 3 parts castor oil with 1 part dawn dish soap.  Then take three to five tablespoons of this mixture and add it to a gallon of water. Pour it near holes and in areas where there is gopher activity.  One application may not do the trick so repeat this treatment once a week until they are gone.  I have also sprayed it through my lawn using a hose with a spray attachment, as well as the garden with a spray bottle.

Does castor oil really repel moles?  Yes, it will make your lawn and garden less appealing.  The critters don’t like the taste, the way it smells and the way it feels.

Will castor oil kill the gophers and moles?  No. The castor oil will not kill moles, but it will upset a mole’s digestive tract and make him move on to a more appealing area.

Will castor oil kill my grass and plants?  No.  It is not harmful to either.

2.  Castor Beans or Castor Granules In the Tunnels

Place Caster Beans in the tunnels so that the smell of the beans will repel the gophers.  You can also place Caster Bean Plants (which I haven’t tried yet) around your yard to deter them. However, castor beans are poisonous, so if you have dogs or children, do not plant caster bean plants or place caster beans anywhere in your yard.

For the Castor Granules – spread the granules in areas where you want to get rid of gophers in your yard. The most effective way  is to start by spreading the granules in one section of your yard then, a few days later, spread the granules in another section of your yard. Continue to do sections every few days to push the gophers to your desired point of exit.  Water the areas in which you distribute the granules to get the caster oil down into the soil.  Do it before a rain so it wets the ground for you.

3. Peppermint Oil

Put a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls, and then placing the cotton balls inside tunnel entrances. Gophers do not like the smell of peppermint, so this non-lethal gopher control method is a natural gopher repellent that can help rid your yard of these critters.

Once you have encouraged the gophers to leave your garden and yard, be sure to FILL THE HOLES to help deter future gophers from moving in.

So there you  have it – the 3 Best DIY Gopher and Mole Repellants – ones that will humanely rid your yard and gardens of these pesky little buggars.   Best of luck to everyone – and I hope one of these methods work well for you as they did for me. Ciao 🙂