Gophers and voles under artificial turf: which one you have, and which mesh stops it

01Gopher, vole or prairie dog: which one is in my yard?

CSU Extension names voles and pocket gophers among Colorado’s most common burrowers and says the first step is working out which animal did the damage (PlantTalk Colorado). The signs:

From CSU Extension Fact Sheets 6.521, 6.515, 6.507 and 6.506.

A dog working one spot with its nose down may be tracking one of these; see dogs that dig at turf. Ants and mosquitoes are covered in does artificial turf attract bugs.

02Do I need wire under my turf at all?

Not by default. Neither installation guide we read makes wire standard; both tie it to rodents. SYNLawn’s guidelines say to treat any rodent problem before installing and that gopher wire can go under the base (SYNLawn). Integriturf’s guide says areas “with a history of gopher activity” should have it (Integriturf).

Neither animal eats the turf. The trouble is soil: CSU says one gopher brings about 2 1/4 tons of it to the surface a year. A gopher under turf still pushes soil upward, and one supplier calls the result “bumps and lumps”. A collapsed tunnel can also leave a soft, low spot; see turf that is sinking or uneven.

Wire earns its place when:

• You have seen gopher signs on the lot or the one next door: fresh mounds, eskers in spring, ground that gives underfoot.
• The soil suits gophers. CSU says plains pocket gophers are abundant in the sandy and silty soils of the plains but not in compacted soils. Soil surveys around central Windsor, Greeley and Firestone map mostly sandy loams, loamy sands and loams, much of it the light-textured ground CSU says gophers favor. The heavier Nunn and Weld soils are common around the Larimer foothill towns, Longmont and Frederick–Dacono.
• The lot backs onto open ground, a field, open space, a ditch or an empty lot, that gophers can move in from.

03Which mesh stops which animal?

The opening size. Extension services size vole mesh much smaller than gopher wire:

One turf supplier says mesh with 3/4-inch or smaller holes keeps out “gophers, moles, and voles” (Watersavers Turf). CSU and Utah State both specify a quarter inch for voles, a third of that width. If voles are what you have, gopher wire is coarser than either extension service’s vole barrier.

CSU puts its 1/4-inch cloth around young trees, shrubs and beds, where voles feed; turf gives them nothing to eat. Voles live in heavy grass and litter and often burrow beside a rock, so rock borders and unmowed strips next to the turf suit them. Vole control is mostly an edge job:

• Mow grass borders short in fall, before snow, and clear tall grass near the lawn, as CSU advises.
• Wrap young trees and shrubs beside the turf in 1/4-inch cloth.
• Where the yard meets native grass, Utah State suggests a bare strip 6 to 8 feet wide between the two, where that’s feasible.

CSU places prairie voles along streams and irrigated land in eastern Colorado, so watch lots beside a ditch or a river trail. In Firestone (not legal advice), turf must stop at least 3 feet short of any property line, with living landscape in between (Firestone Development Code 16.6.4); keep that strip tidy.

04How should the wire go in, edges and all?

Under the base, across the whole turf area, with no soil showing at any edge. SYNLawn’s guide digs out 3 to 4 inches for the base, and CSU puts a gopher’s main tunnel 4 to 18 inches down, so wire on the compacted subgrade sits right at the top of the zone where tunnels run. What a good job looks like:

• Full coverage. Courses overlap, at least 2 inches in the wire maker’s guide and 6 in the supplier’s, and are pinned flat.
• Sealed edges. Against concrete, the wire maker folds 2 inches of wire up the edge, tight, with no gaps. With bender board or no border, the wire maker runs it at least 2 inches past the finished edge. See edging options.
• Room for trees. University of California IPM warns that wire can restrict and damage tree roots, and that persistent gophers can dig under it (UC IPM). Stop the wire short of a trunk rather than wrapping it; see turf around trees.
• Protected lines. UC IPM says gophers gnaw flexible water lines, drip lines above all. CSU suggests conduit more than 2.9 inches across; UC IPM, 6 to 8 inches of coarse gravel around the line. That matters for drip lines rerouted under the turf; see watering trees after the lawn becomes turf and what happens to the sprinklers.

The wire sits under an ordinary base; for depths and materials, see what goes under artificial turf. In Firestone a heave is more than cosmetic: the code says turf may not have uplifted surfaces or depressions, and damaged areas must be repaired to match.

05Why does a Northern Colorado winter matter?

Because both animals keep working under the snow, and the evidence shows up when it melts.

• Voles stay active all year. CSU says most vole damage happens in winter, in grass runways under the snow, and the worst years are heavy-snow years when cover lasts. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals average 51.4 inches of snow a year at Fort Collins and 34.9 at Greeley UNC, with at least an inch on the ground 43.6 and 39.3 days a year (NOAA).
• Gophers keep digging under the snow. Their eskers appear only as it melts, and CSU says mound building peaks in spring and fall.

So read the yard right after the snow goes off: the lawn you’re replacing, and its edges with neighbors, beds and open ground. For a fall install, fresh fall mounds tell you the same; when to install artificial turf covers the calendar.

06What if the lot backs onto a prairie dog colony?

Then wire under turf is not the tool. CSU says the Front Range’s black-tailed prairie dog lives in colonies, doesn’t hibernate, and digs burrows 3 to 14 feet deep and 10 to more than 100 feet long, far below any turf base. Visual barriers of burlap or woven plastic have slowed colony expansion, CSU reports, but cost a lot to build and maintain.

State law, briefly. Not legal advice. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it is unlawful to capture, move and release prairie dogs without a CPW permit, and that a landowner or the landowner’s agent may hunt, trap or lethally remove prairie dogs damaging property (CPW). Whether your town or HOA adds rules of its own depends on where the lot is; ask your town’s Planning department before a colony is moved or removed.

CPW also tells pet owners near colonies to use flea preventatives and keep cats and dogs indoors, because prairie dog fleas can carry plague. Building on a new lot at the edge of farmland? See turf for a new-build backyard.

07What should I ask an installer about gophers and voles?

• “Which animal do you see signs of here?” A good answer names the evidence (plugged mounds and eskers, or open holes and runways) instead of offering wire for every yard.
• “Where does the wire go, and what opening is it?” On the compacted subgrade under the base, galvanized, 3/4-inch hex for gophers, and finer cloth where voles are the concern.
• “How is it finished at the edges and around trees and valve boxes?” Turned up or run past every edge, with room left at each trunk.
• “What protects the drip lines?” Conduit or coarse rock where a line crosses the turf area.
• “Can I see the wire before the base covers it?” Yes, or dated photos. See how to check the base was installed.

More in questions to ask a turf installer and on the artificial turf installation page.