Wire Gopher Baskets Kill Trees, Use Rocks Instead
Posted 2023-03-24
Gardeners with lots of gophers, ground squirrels, or meadow voles frequently use wire baskets around the roots of their plants to protect them from gnawing. Although this is an effective method and works well for perennials and vegetables, this can be fatal for trees after 7-10 years as the wire cage begins to girdle the roots. When a tree is young it sends roots through the holes in the gopher basket, but as the roots continue to grow over the years they grow thicker and start to get choked when they run out of room. Eventually the major roots begin to die off, leading to the death of the tree.
An effective alternative is quite simple: use rocks instead. Filling the hole with rocks during planting creates an effective barrier against gnawing rodents, but unlike the rigid wire cage the rocks are mobile and will be pushed out as the root crown extends and will not cause root girdling. Creating a rock guard about a foot in diameter is typically enough for most rodents because the primary risk is a rodent chewing the bark near the crown of the tree. Trees produce far more feeder roots than they need so losing a few roots past the rock guard is usually not an issue. Groundhogs or ground squirrels can dig far more extensively than voles or gophers, so if you have these around you can create a wider rock guard.
Start by placing a layer of rocks in the bottom of the planting hole.
Spread the roots over the rock layer, in this case this fig tree has a shallow spreading root system so most roots rest on the first layer of rocks.
Cover the roots with about an inch of soil and dump in water to wash soil into the gaps between the rocks.
Place another layer of rocks on top of the soil. For trees with a more vertical root system the upper roots will lie on this rock layer.
Apply another layer of soil and water the plant again, then place a mound of rocks on top of the planting area to finish the seal.