A deer can be a thing of beauty when seen in its own natural habitat, but when taken out of that habitat they can become an unwelcome nuisance. For example, deer aren’t very beautiful when trying to cross a busy highway, nor do they evoke admiration when seen munching on our Hostas!
One of the biggest questions I hear is, "How do I keep the deer away from my plants I just planted?" "What can be done to keep deer in their environment and out of my plants?" Deer seem to be very comfortable in an urban environment and have an adventurous spirit toward our landscape investments at times. I have several areas I managed over the years where the deer are very intense and left to their own would wipe out the entire planting. These areas have deer in them every night of the year, yet we are growing both hosta and pansies very successful. No fences, no netting, no pet dogs, just some simple techniques that you can do. The urban deer I encounter do not seem to bother with jumping a fence, although they can. I have found that most walk around the fence for an easier meal. If a fence is out of question you may have to put your plants on a regimented perfume diet. This is what I do. As you know, deer are sensitive to the sense of smell. I have not found much success in putting out hair, mothballs, or even having the clients husbands use the restrooms outside, to be very effective. However I have discovered a few ways to make my plantings unappealing to deer.
One method is cutting up strongly scented bars of soap, like something similar to Irish Spring into fourths, and dropping or even burying it randomly throughout your flowerbeds. Another way is to use an organic fertilizer such as, Milorganite, which is an organic fertilizer that can be sprinkled around the plants. Lastly, there are some good products like Deer Gone, and Liquid Fence that I have found to be very effective in deterring deer from plants in the garden. But here is the key, I have to be consistent in rotating the products and very consistent putting them out as soon as I see signs of deer nibbling at my plants. I have been doing this rotation for over 7 years on some sites I manage and found very good results. Oh, this summer when the bucks start to rut (rubbing the felt off their antlers) they look for those nice new tender trees that you have planted. I have found two successful techniques to stop the rutting. One is to hammer in several metal T bar fence stakes within a foot or so of the trunk of the tree. This is makes the trunk inaccessible for the male deer to rub against the trunk. Another technique I like is to use is very loose fitting rigid wire or plastic mesh around the trunk of the tree. These products allow air and sun light around the base of the tree trunk while deterring the deer away from tender new trees.
A deer can be a thing of beauty when seen in its own natural habitat, but when taken out of that habitat they can become an unwelcome nuisance. For example, deer aren’t very beautiful when trying to cross a busy highway, nor do they evoke admiration when seen munching on our Hostas!
One of the biggest questions I hear is, "How do I keep the deer away from my plants I just planted?" "What can be done to keep deer in their environment and out of my plants?" Deer seem to be very comfortable in an urban environment and have an adventurous spirit toward our landscape investments at times. I have several areas I managed over the years where the deer are very intense and left to their own would wipe out the entire planting. These areas have deer in them every night of the year, yet we are growing both hosta and pansies very successful. No fences, no netting, no pet dogs, just some simple techniques that you can do. The urban deer I encounter do not seem to bother with jumping a fence, although they can. I have found that most walk around the fence for an easier meal. If a fence is out of question you may have to put your plants on a regimented perfume diet. This is what I do. As you know, deer are sensitive to the sense of smell. I have not found much success in putting out hair, mothballs, or even having the clients husbands use the restrooms outside, to be very effective. However I have discovered a few ways to make my plantings unappealing to deer.
One method is cutting up strongly scented bars of soap, like something similar to Irish Spring into fourths, and dropping or even burying it randomly throughout your flowerbeds. Another way is to use an organic fertilizer such as, Milorganite, which is an organic fertilizer that can be sprinkled around the plants. Lastly, there are some good products like Deer Gone, and Liquid Fence that I have found to be very effective in deterring deer from plants in the garden. But here is the key, I have to be consistent in rotating the products and very consistent putting them out as soon as I see signs of deer nibbling at my plants. I have been doing this rotation for over 7 years on some sites I manage and found very good results. Oh, this summer when the bucks start to rut (rubbing the felt off their antlers) they look for those nice new tender trees that you have planted. I have found two successful techniques to stop the rutting. One is to hammer in several metal T bar fence stakes within a foot or so of the trunk of the tree. This is makes the trunk inaccessible for the male deer to rub against the trunk. Another technique I like is to use is very loose fitting rigid wire or plastic mesh around the trunk of the tree. These products allow air and sun light around the base of the tree trunk while deterring the deer away from tender new trees.