FAQ's About Gopher Wire and Gopher Baskets - How to Stop Gophers from Eating Your Plants
1. What are the gopher baskets made of?
The baskets are made from specially selected gopher wire. Gopher wire is a hexagonal wire mesh that measures 3/4" across the flats of the hexagon. The steel wire strand is 20 gauge and galvanized after weaving for ideal strength and corrosion resistance. These specifications were chosen to resist gophers from passing through it or chewing through it.
2. How is gopher wire different than other wire mesh such as chicken wire or aviary wire?
Chicken wire has 1" openings which are too big and can let gophers through. Also, the chicken wire is not hot-dipped galvanized and can rust out in a matter of a year or two. Aviary wire has 1/2" openings but uses very thin wire strands that gophers can chew through.
3. How long will the gopher baskets last in the ground?
Because gopher wire is hot-dipped galvanized after it is woven, it will easily last 6-10 years.
4. Won't gophers eat the roots that grow beyond the wire basket?
The goal in using a wire basket is to protect the plant crown. The plant crown is the base of the plant from which the roots spread out and grow. Gophers can eat roots that grow beyond the perimeter of the basket, but these are primarily small feeder roots. By protecting the bigger, more fleshy roots around the base of the plant you're insuring it's survival.
5. Will the wire baskets get in the way of the root's growth?
We recommend putting your plant in the next size up when choosing what size basket is needed. For instance, a four inch plant would go in a 1 gallon basket, and a plant in a 1 gallon container would be planted in a 5 gallon basket. By the time the roots are reaching the perimeter of their basket, the plant is well established and the root ball is protected. The little roots that would grow through the openings could be nibbled on without harm to the plant's growth. The 15 gallon baskets is specially designed for tree planting. The wire that the tree size baskets is made of is galvanized before weaving because the weaving process creates cracks in the galvanization. This is done so that the wire will breakdown sooner and root girdling will be avoided.
6. Do the baskets hurt the gophers?
No. The baskets protect the roots of the plants and keep the gophers out but do not harm the gophers - only deter them.
7. Can the gophers climb over the top of the baskets?
Yes. Especially at night in the spring, the juveniles come out above ground and forage on the surface. A 3" green painted strip around the top of each basket can be used as a mark when deciding how deep to bury the basket. Left to show above the surface, the strip acts as a barrier to the gopher's above ground foraging and it's green color serves to camouflage the wire.
8. Are the baskets reusable/recyclable?
Yes. The baskets can be removed, emptied, flattened, and stored until needed again. Having a plant in a basket also makes transplanting a much easier job - for the gardener and the plant, since the roots aren't disturbed because the soil is held intact during the moving and replanting process.
9. How do I open out the baskets?
Pull apart the top edges and form to create a somewhat circular shaped opening; pull the sides along the bottom fold to create a somewhat circular shape; flattenen the wide side of the sheet metal seams up against the wire; bend the sheet metal seam to create a ford about 2" up from the bottom of the basket; bend the seam in towards the middle of the bottom of the basket; finish rounding out the sides and bottom of the basket.
10. What sizes are available?
Baskets: 1 gallon, 3 gallon (great for bulbs or multiple plantings), 5 gallon, and 15 gallon/tree size.
Wire rolls: 2' x 100', 3' x 100', 4' x 100', and 5' x 100'
11. Why is this wire called "gopher wire"?
Gopher wire is custom made with gophers in mind. It is different from other hexagonal wire available, such as chicken wire or aviary wire.
12. How deep should the wire be under a rolled out sod installation?
There should be only 1" of soil put over the rolled out wire, just enough for the roots of the sod to grow into. More soil on top creates the risk of enough soil for the gophers to get on top of the wire but underneath the sod and chew the roots.