outdoor in hills of cali root protected by wire?

[mrhomegrown22]

I decided not to protect my roots either unless I get a bunch of peeps on here telling me to do it…ther is rats and prob gophers in area?

 

[CelticEBE]

I had a goper straight up take a plant down into the ground on me last year. Later right before harvest they were munching on my roots. If there are gophers in the area....protect yourself.

 

[Seamaiden]

If you're in SoCal, hell YEAH you're probably going to encounter gophers. Up here in the Sierra we have moles/voles (I can't tell the difference, they're like mice without tails and tiny eyes).

Hardware cloth is your best friend here.

 

[Blaze]

Definitely protect your roots. Gophers and other rodents are everywhere in Cali, if you grow outdoor you will almost for sure have to deal with them. It only takes one little gopher to take out a big, beautiful plant (seen it happen many times in others gardens). It does not take much additional time or money to protect your roots and it can end up saving your plants. I use aviary netting to protect the root balls of my in-ground plants, so far it has worked well. A container or raised bed also will kelp keep the plants safe.