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The Horra!

Gtlevine

By Gtlevine
in DISCUSSING PALM TREES WORLDWIDE

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Gtlevine Grand Master

Gtlevine

Posted
Posted

A reminder of the danger of growing palms in So Cal. I came home from work today to this seen, the after dinner party of my Dypsis Fine Leaf which a gopher took care of in short work.

Gary

DSC_2281.jpg

Rock Ridge Ranch

South Escondido

5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo

33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet

FRITO Grand Master

FRITO

Posted
Posted (edited)

oh man! id be pissed.... time to set up a serious gopher extermination program :rant:

Edited by FRITO

Luke

Tallahassee, FL - USDA zone 8b/9a

63" rain annually

January avg 65/40 - July avg 92/73

North Florida Palm Society - http://palmsociety.blogspot.com/

LJG Grand Master

LJG

Posted
Posted

Wow. How can you stop them? I do not even see holes to warn you.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

BS Man about Palms Grand Master

BS Man about Palms

Posted
Posted

That sucks Gary.

I hope your "unboxed", "uncaged" Big Curleys do OK. :bemused:

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

palmislandRandy Grand Master

palmislandRandy

Posted
Posted

You need one of these! =no more gophers or anything else that moves DSC_0018-1.jpg

post-1035-1220671870_thumb.jpg

"If you need me, I'll be outside" -Randy Wiesner Palm Beach County, Florida Zone 10Bish

JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA Experienced

JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA

Posted
Posted

Are you going to try to root it in some pumice? Looks like it might have a little bit of roots left.

Jeff Rood

Gtlevine Grand Master

Gtlevine

Posted
  • Author
Posted
You need one of these! =no more gophers or anything else that moves DSC_0018-1.jpg

That dog is really cute, but I already have a big Poodle that digs up the yard without catching anything. Maybe I should break down and try some cats.

Gary

Rock Ridge Ranch

South Escondido

5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo

33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet

Peter Grand Master

Peter

Posted
Posted

I've seen that same scene in my own backyard-sorry Gar.

San Fernando Valley, California

Gtlevine Grand Master

Gtlevine

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Gary, not sure if I ran this by you before, but you should get some Owl boxes. Put a few up next year. Here is something interesting from Google:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jun/15/lo...outthere-copy15

I know your right Len about the Owl Boxes, but I have been reluctant because Owls eat everything, including the snakes which I really love. I have many species here including Rosy Boas that I don't want to disappear. I think I am going to adopt the BS method and plant in wood boxes, by the time the boxes rot away the palms should be big enough to be passed the gopher food stage. I have found that with the exception of Bizmarkia, most palms get left alone once they get to a decent size.

Gary

Rock Ridge Ranch

South Escondido

5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo

33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet

palmislandRandy Grand Master

palmislandRandy

Posted
Posted

How about those plastic Owl decoys? I've used them to keep the Moscovy Ducks :rage: away & solved my Armadillo problem. Had one up on my roof corner!

"If you need me, I'll be outside" -Randy Wiesner Palm Beach County, Florida Zone 10Bish

LJG Grand Master

LJG

Posted
Posted

If the snake hunts at night, then it would be eaten. But most hunt in the day don't they?

As a few people have stated, gophers will chew right through wood. And the wood rots fast underground, making it easier. Maybe the Mardy method of large pot planting??? Just trying to help.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

Gary!

Ouich!

If the Gophers didn't eat the basal plate, your palm could re-root and survive.

Pot it up, and we'll all send you some good karma, and encouraging words.

I've committed the exact same atrocity (broke off a rootball! Waaaaahhhhh! :() on a fakey like yours, and it regrew and survived.

Fire up the mojo against those [expletives] . . . .

d

a

v

e

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

kylecawazafla Veteran

kylecawazafla

Posted
Posted

If the palm is already that size it may be worth it to take desperate measures in order to salvage it! Maybe treat it like a recently transplanted larger palm and trim all the leaves off leaving the spear while keeping the roots wet. I'm sure there has to be some chance it can pull through.

I'm always up for learning new things!

elHoagie Mentor

elHoagie

Posted
Posted

Yikes, that sucks! There's plenty of gophers at my place too, and I've been really worried something like that is going to happen. For every palm I've planted, I made a cage out of chicken wire to put in the hole. I think I went through 7 or 8 roles of chicken wire this year. Hopefully this will be enough to prevent that kind of thing...

So far so good with the gophers, but over the past month the damn squirrels have been eating the spears on some of my smaller palms :rage:

Also, I agree with the others, that palm still has a chance to recover.

Jack Sayers

East Los Angeles

growing cold tolerant palms halfway between the equator and the arctic circle...

MattyB Grand Master

MattyB

Posted
Posted

AHHHHHHHH dirty bastards!!!!!!!! You're right Len, sometimes they don't give you any holes for warning. Especially, on slopes, they can just use old voids to push freshly dug dirt into while staying subsurface. I chicken wire cage almost everypalm that get's planted for that very reason. I don't want a mature palm to go down in just a few minutes, what took 5 years to grow. Plus, even if you do see holes, Gary can probably attest to the difficulty in trying to find and excavate gopher tunnels in the dry DG. It's nearly impossible to trap unless it's the wet season due to crumbling dirt. AHHHHHHHHH I'm pissed now!!!!!! Little $%^&^*&%^$$$$!!!!

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

paulgila Grand Master

paulgila

Posted
Posted

great,now look what you guys have done to mattyb!

dont say the "G" word around him anymore!

the "prince of snarkness."

 

still "warning-free."

 

san diego,california,left coast.

MattyB Grand Master

MattyB

Posted
Posted

Funny thing; I never thought I'd be so happy to learn that I have thousands of scorpions on my property. They make burrows that I thought were small gopher holes at first. It seriously gave me a complex. I thought I was under attack with 3 or 4 holes every square foot in some areas. On hot nights you can go out with a flashlight and they're everywhere. Don't wear sandals though. One time Paul got drunk and passed out on my hillside and they stung him on the head. I made some of that up.........just change the name from Paul to me.

BTW, the neighbors spotted a Bobcat (the feline kind, not the tractor) in their yard this week. Maybe they eat gophers.

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

paulgila Grand Master

paulgila

Posted
Posted

those small gopher holes are made by dwarf gophers,only found on southwest-facing slopes in spring valley.

the "prince of snarkness."

 

still "warning-free."

 

san diego,california,left coast.

MattyB Grand Master

MattyB

Posted
Posted
:(

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

palmislandRandy Grand Master

palmislandRandy

Posted
Posted

I had to look this thing up.....YEACH!

post-1035-1220924671_thumb.jpg

"If you need me, I'll be outside" -Randy Wiesner Palm Beach County, Florida Zone 10Bish

Walter John Grand Master

Walter John

Posted
Posted

Some of you palm enthusiasts really deserve a medal for your duty to the cause.

Tell me, are gophers (sorry matty) protected ? Are they native to the area ? What other methods besides dynamite blasting is used to deter and/or nullify them ?

What besides palm growers are natural gopher enemies ?

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

John Case Grand Master

John Case

Posted
Posted
Some of you palm enthusiasts really deserve a medal for your duty to the cause.

Tell me, are gophers (sorry matty) protected ? Are they native to the area ? What other methods besides dynamite blasting is used to deter and/or nullify them ?

What besides palm growers are natural gopher enemies ?

If any of those PETA types started defending the gopher in California, it would be the end of the movement.

The primary predator for gophers here (Northern CA not Southern CA) is the coyote......but I'm not certain that the neighbors, especially those with children, would appreciate a coyote,..or a mountain lion, a red fox, bobcat, etc. wandering the palmgardens in search of the tasty gopher.....

Dynamite is hard to use in CA.......don't you watch James Bond movies? It would start a giant earthquake! :rolleyes:

John Case

Brentwood CA

Owner and curator of Hana Keu Garden

USDA Zone 9b more or less, Sunset Zone 14 in winter 9 in summer

"Its always exciting the first time you save the world. Its a real thrill!"

JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA Experienced

JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA

Posted
Posted

Gopher snakes! That is how all the gophers disappeared in my yard and neighborhood. The snake got really big. I still see him come through the yard ever now and then. Have not seen any gopher in a couple of years, since the first time I saw the snake.

Jeff Rood

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted
Some of you palm enthusiasts really deserve a medal for your duty to the cause.

Tell me, are gophers (sorry matty) protected ? Are they native to the area ? What other methods besides dynamite blasting is used to deter and/or nullify them ?

What besides palm growers are natural gopher enemies ?

That's an excellent question, given that cockatoos and other hell-raisin' critters are protected in Oz.

And, gophers aren't protected by law, they're protected by their burrows and wily ways.

(One good way to kill them - - take a high-top Red Shoe and fill it with gravel and WHACK those vile little rodents to kingdom come . . . )

Why can't someone invent some heinous Gopher Ebola virus that kills them quickly, hideously, completely, and drives them extinction . . . ?

Probably 'cause that same disease would get us too . . . .

Rodents are vectors for bubonic plague. Seriously.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

paulgila Grand Master

paulgila

Posted
Posted
Funny thing; I never thought I'd be so happy to learn that I have thousands of scorpions on my property. They make burrows that I thought were small gopher holes at first. It seriously gave me a complex. I thought I was under attack with 3 or 4 holes every square foot in some areas. On hot nights you can go out with a flashlight and they're everywhere. Don't wear sandals though. One time Paul got drunk and passed out on my hillside and they stung him on the head. I made some of that up.........just change the name from Paul to me.

BTW, the neighbors spotted a Bobcat (the feline kind, not the tractor) in their yard this week. Maybe they eat gophers.

i have never passed out at your place or anywhere else before you,hence the embarrasing photos of you which i possess.

the "prince of snarkness."

 

still "warning-free."

 

san diego,california,left coast.

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