Pocket Gophers

Pocket gophers are burrowing, medium sized rodents that are called “pocket” gophers because they have two fur-lined face pouches (one on each cheek) to hold food. When they bring food back to their burrow, they turn the face pouches inside out to release it.

Evidence of these very common pests are easy to spot because of the fan-shaped mounds of soil they push out of their tunnels. They eat a wide variety of leafy plants, particularly those with large fleshy roots, bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes.

Pocket gophers eat plants by:

• Emerging from their burrows and chomping above-ground vegetation. (Pocket gophers who do this do not go far from their burrow openings.)

• Feeding on roots encountered while digging.

• Pulling plants into the burrow from below. We have heard many stories from gardeners who have seen whole plants disappear into a hole and experienced the shock of having a big, beautiful plant one day and finding a blank spot the next day where it was supposed to be.

There are at least five ways to minimize pocket gopher damage which are readily available at both Payne’s Garden Centers.

Poison Bait
Poison Gas
Trapping with spring traps or box traps.
Root Barriers: Remove the soil from an area of garden or flower bed at least 18 inches deep. Line the sides and bottom of the hole with ¼-inch to ½-inch hardware cloth or wire mesh. Replace the soil.
Biodegradable Repellent — Caster oil. Derived from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis this products works because gophers don’t like either the smell nor the taste of castor oil.

More information than you need to know about pocket gophers, but might you might find interesting:

Pocket gophers can grow from five to nearly 14 inches long. They have fine, soft fur ranging from almost black to pale brown to almost white. They have powerful front ends with short necks, large claws, and big cutting teeth (“incisors”) that protrude in front of their lips.

They are 100% vegetarian. Underground, pocket gophers close their lips behind their incisors while they are biting, so they do not get dirt in their mouths.

Pocket gophers prefer light, moist, well-composted, well-drained soils. They dislike very heavy clay soils and usually avoid gardens where clay soil is prevalent.

Image credit: www.123rf.com/photo_20857578_sarahjanet

Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew is one of the most common and recognizable plant diseases. It affects almost all plants but some are more susceptible than others.

Here in New Mexico, powdery mildew is common on roses, euonymus, crape myrtle, lilacs, verbena, sunflowers, photinia, zinnia, turfgrass and many other ornamentals plants, fruits and vegetables.

It appears as grey or white powdered splotches on the leaves and stems of plants, and even though this fungi may not be visible on top of the leaves, it can be affecting the lower leaf surface, stems, flowers, buds and even the fruit. Be sure to inspect the plant carefully on both top and bottom on the leaves.

This disease is easy to treat — come in to either Payne’s Garden Center for fungicides such as a liquid copper spray, dusting sulfur or Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control.

Tomato Hornworm

Tomato Hornworms can can ruin a tomato crop in record time: it seems like they appear out of nowhere and start feeding voraciously. They do the most damage in the caterpillar, or larvae, stage. They are pale green with white and black markings, plus a horn-like protrusion.

Because they blend in easily with the green foliage and feed non-stop they can quickly create spotty and chewed leaves and fruit. Note: They also feed on eggplants, peppers and potatoes.

How to get rid of Tomato Hornworms
• Pick them off by hand — CAREFUL! wear gloves because the horn can sting — and drop them into soapy water.
• Use Pyrentrin insect spray. Pyrethrins originate from Chrysanthemum flowers, so they are environmentally friendly and decompose quickly.

To keep hornworms away next year, try planting dill and/or marigolds between tomato plants.

Bark Beetles

The U.S. Forest Service has published a detailed report about how tiny ips beetles, also called bark beetles, decimated millions of piñon and ponderosa pine trees in the New Mexico and Arizona between 2002 and 2004. They began to decrease in 2005, but they began to reappear in 2011 and are still a threat today.

These insects are native to the piñon-juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest and usually attack only a small number of diseased or weakened trees. Healthy trees can usually defend against a bark beetle attack by pushing the beetles out with sap.

There are two reasons for the recent return of bark beetles: 1) high tree densities that increase competition for water and resources, and 2) extreme drought that has left many trees without defenses against attacks.

Bark Beetles burrow into piñon and ponderosa pine trees and introduce blue stain fungus via their saliva. Though we can try to stop the beetle’s attack, once the fungus has established itself, there is no way of stopping it’s destruction.

The first line of defense against attack is making sure vulnerable trees are adequately watered. Rainfall helps, but Payne’s arborists still recommend thorough waterings on a regular basis. As an additional precaution, we also recommend pesticides such as Permethirin 38-Plus Insect Control or Bonide’s Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew Organic Pesticide with Spinosad. Get more information at either Payne’s Garden Center.

Click here read the full USDA Insect Report 2012 on insect and disease conditions in the Southwest.

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