Molehills in pasture.

[SGBotsford]

I have a tree farm. I keep the area not in trees as grass. I have pocket gophers. I like having the gophers as it keeps the drainage good. Never have puddles.

BUT

The push up hills of dirt, which is tough on the mower. Even if I knock them down enough to not hit the blade it makes for a rough ride, and an easy ankle twister.

What's the best way to deal with these hills?

For obvious reasons tilling and reseeding is not a good option with a main crop that has a 6-12 year cycle.

Things I've tried:

1. Pick up a half bucket of dirt, and let the front end float as I mow. Makes steering interesting. Doesn't work well on corners. Keeps the bottom of my bucket shiny. Only effective on recent hills.

2. Blade. Tends to gouge. Leaves windrows.

3. hand rake. Takes a long time. Have to be out there every few days to get the new hills while they are soft.

At this point I'm leaning to a box scraper fitted with wide shoes on the ends.

How do you guys deal with mole hills.

 

[Willl]

Kill the moles.

 

[Egon]

Use a rear blade with Gage wheels or a landscape rake.

 

[PBinWA]

Make a front mounted dethatcher to knock down the dirt piles?

 

[pitt_md]

I guess this would make you the first person that I ever heard of that wants the gophers around. I bet if you filled in all the holes right before a rain you would find they don't improve draniage by any perceptable measure.

 

[johndeere4720]

just get rid of there food.

 

[SGBotsford]

It's not rain drainage I'm concerned about. It's from the irrigation. My present tree yard is 3 acres. land near the trees gets watered every 2 days. Tree containers drain excess water. I don't KNOW that it would become a muddy mess with the gophers, but I don't want to find out the hard way.

Getting rid of the pocket gophers from a small field is a continuous battle, as they will keep coming in. I fgiure that learning to live with them makes as much sense.

Getting rid of their food is an interesting idea. My understanding is that these guys are generalist vegetarians, and so eat most any tuber, fleshy root they find. Just how do I do this?

 

[Sprocket]

Drag some chain link or a harrow

 

[johndeere4720]

You could gust get a big roller.

 

[alltoys]

Best thing to do is get rid of the gophers they will make the land worse as time goes on.

I live just north of Edmonton too just looking at your location. I had a pocket gopher infestation but not anymore.