What succulents and ice plants are tolerant of gophers? Do gophers eat the leaves of succulents?
Red apple ice plant is vulnerable to gophers because it has a taproot, unlike other ice plants that have stems that produce shallow roots as the plant grows along the ground. I don’t think you have to worry about gophers eating the leaves. The ice plants that are more gopher-resistant are known collectively as “mesembryanthemums” or “mesems.” Genera include Lampranthus and Drosanthemum. They’re sold by the flat, and the best time to buy them is spring so you can see what color the blooms are. Rosea ice plant (Drosanthemum floribundum) is the most common. There also is a plant called “gopher spurge” in the Euphorbia genus, which is supposed to repel gophers (the roots exude a gummy sap gophers don’t like) but I’ve always wondered why a gopher wouldn’t just go around them! The best solution to the problem, though, is to get rid of the gophers and collapse their runs so it’s less easy for new ones to move in. I use the Maccabee trap. [ Return to Topic list ] Topic: How to nurse a sick suc
