Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Alfalfa Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

Gophers in Alfalfa
Have you ever had gophers get into your alfalfa field?? The answer is yes, unless you have very heavy clay soil, and even then gophers can cause problems from time to time.  We are often asked if there is any new research on gopher control. Essentially, nothing is new. The secret to controlling gophers is to put poison bait in their borrows (run ways). This can be accomplished with a tractor-mounted rig, a hand-held probe, or other ways. Gassing can work sometimes. To find the borrows, look for fresh gopher mounds, then poke around with a rod to find the opening. Borrows may be 12 to 18" deep. It does little good to apply bait above or below the borrows.  Controlling gophers requires frequent visits to an infested field and a lot of walking to find the new mounds. To save time the next visit, knock down any treated area. That way you can see where you treated last time.  Light infestations can sometimes be controlled by applying bait in the fall and again in the spring, but be sure to go back to check for new mounds.
John Caddel, Forage Agronomist  Department of Plant and Soil Sciences  Oklahoma State University

Previous Page