Gophers can cause extensive damage to your yard and destroy the landscaping you’ve worked so hard to create. They eat plants, chew through wooden structures, dig up turf and burrow under the ground. They can affect the foundation of your property. It’s no wonder that getting rid of gophers is so difficult. Luckily, there is a way to keep them out of your yard—Tampa synthetic grass!

Why Do Gophers Love Natural Lawns?

Gophers are burrowing rodents, meaning that they dig tunnels for their homes. The soil underneath a natural lawn is often soft and loose and this means it’s easier for gophers to burrow through.

Moreover, it’s easier for gophers to find food in natural lawns because there are a lot of roots and other organic matter under the turf.

Finally, natural lawns, especially those that double as a putting green in Tampa, have tons of air pockets that allow gopher tunnels to breathe. These air pockets give these rodents plenty of room to move around without getting stuck in the dirt or having trouble breathing comfortably.

In short, gophers consider natural lawns as their ideal habitat because they can eat, sleep, mate and raise their young there.

Why Are Most Gopher Control Solutions Not Ideal?

If you’ve got a gopher problem in your yard, you might be tempted to take matters into your own hands. Resist that urge! There are plenty of ways to get rid of gophers in yards, but most of them are bad and harmful for the environment and sometimes for you.

Flooding gopher tunnels with water to drown the rodents can solve the problem. However, it can also drown the grass and cause turf diseases. Surviving gophers can just move on to another part of the yard, while the drowned ones emit nasty smells and attract scavengers.

Setting traps near gopher holes don’t always work because gophers will just run away from them when they’re set off.

Finally, poisons aren’t good for the environment because they can seep into groundwater. And if that’s not enough, most of them are toxic enough to harm you, your family and your pets.

How Does Tampa Synthetic Grass Prevent Gopher Problems?

Artificial grass discourages gophers from going into yards. Here’s how:

It Compacts the Soil

Artificial grass installation includes compacting the soil—the opposite of what gophers like. Gophers don’t like compacted soil because it doesn’t have any air pockets for them to dig their tunnels through.

It Doesn’t Have Roots

Artificial grass also doesn’t have roots that gophers can feed on. They won’t be able to make a meal out of your yard. Likewise, it doesn’t attract grubs, worms and other root-eating bugs that gophers love feasting on.

It’s Durable

Gophers can’t dig through synthetic grass, so it acts as an effective barrier. Gophers don’t like chewing on plastic! If they try to dig through your artificial grass, they’ll find themselves with an unpleasant mouthful.

More Tips on How to Keep Gophers Out of Your Yard

Aside from installing artificial grass, here are other ways to prevent these rodents from infesting your yard:

  • Plant flowers that repel gophers near your house, like daisies and alyssum. Gophers don’t like how they smell and taste.
  • Get rid of any holes in your yard that could attract gophers, like old tree stumps or piles of wood or rocks.
  • Install a fence around your yard to keep them from burrowing under it and coming inside your home.

Turn Your Yard Into a Gopher-Free Zone With Artificial Turf in Tampa, FL

If you’re looking for a way to gopher-proof your yard, artificial grass is the way to go. We can help you get started here at Tampa Artificial Grass Pros.

We offer high-quality artificial grass products, installation services and even landscaping solutions. If you have any questions you may have about synthetic turf and its benefits, we’ll be happy to help you out. You can call us at 813-999-0524 or send us a message online!