By Staff
We as people are expanding and spreading and a lot of us are moving out into the country, spreading out into rural areas formerly occupied mostly by deer.
We are expanding and so are the deer.
Because of their ever-shrinking territories and fewer predators (mostly our cars) to keep the deer more in check, we now have deer in our backyards, living and eating!
There are so many repellents and deterrents for keeping deer out of our gardens.
And there is no clear-cut or simple answers or, honestly speaking, no truly deer-proof garden.
And no one product works all the time under all conditions. And the key to success is to start before deer start dining regularly, to reapply after a rain and on a plant's new growth.
As gardeners, we want to create a garden that will send the deer packing in search of quieter, easier, tastier, greener pastures.
There are a number of deterrents - everything from electric fencing to your very own family dog.
A deer's nose is very sensitive. They rely very heavily on their sense of smell to warn them of impending danger and it helps them determine what is safe to at.
We want to take advantage of this scent thing and utilize pungent odors, especially around the perimeters of our yard or garden areas.
We want to create a scent barrier, so to speak.
Most spray-on deer repellents are based on an odor or taste or a combo of the two.
Most contain strong ingredients like soap, putrefied egg, garlic oil, hot pepper wax (watch putting this on your plants if small children will be playing in the area) and there are organic sprays made up of fox, coyote, bobcat and other predatory urines (these are falling out of favor because collection is difficult).
A few brands to look for are: Liquid Fence (non-toxic spray, egg and garlic base, lasts a full month, works on both deer and rabbits for flowers, shrubs, even hostas; garlic clips (repels both deer and rabbits, 1,000 times stronger than garlic juice, can be attached to trees, shrubs, flowers or staked into the ground, lasts up to six months); Deer Off (egg, hot peppers); Shake Away (fox urine scent, 100-percent organic, we humans can't smell it, a 20-ounce can is enough for a 600-foot perimeter, repels rabbits, chipmunks, woodchucks, skunks); Repels All (garlic oil and dried blood); Deer Chaser (pouches hang from trees or shrubs, citrus scent, works in any weather for one full year); Deer and Rabbit repellent (egg, garlic with a hot pepper taste, spray lasts three months).
And out there in the garden world are lots more from which to choose. This just kind of gives you as a gardener an idea of what's out there, how to use them, what they're made up of and how long they last.
Other odor-based, "home-made" repellents are soap sachets, human hair, mothballs and fabric softener sheets.
A few more odor-based repellents are blood meal and milorganite (processed sewage - watch putting this down as it is a fertilizer, so you don't want to apply this too often. Don't put milorganite down in the fall when plants are slowing their growing, preparing for winter. Also, some don't like to use milorganite around fruits, vegetables and herbs - anything you plan to eat).
Use these products if you don't want to spray it on your plants. Taste-based repellents are sprayed on leaves to make them foul-tasting. Some ingredients may include hot peppers, eggs, fungicide thiram, denatonium benzoate or Bitrex (a bitter substance added to household products to discourage children from eating or drinking them). Some of these also come in systemic sprays or can be applied to the soil.
Fencing, any fencing, must be at least 7 feet tall and it can be expensive - especially if it's permanent. Also, you could have some local zoning laws in your area with which to deal.
A polypropylene mesh (also comes in a heavy-duty, five-times-heavier form, seven feet high and 100 feet long, UV stabilized to last for years)fence can be invisible at a distance and is less expensive.
Be sure to anchor this fencing well with no holes or gaps. And then there is the good old electric fencing (no need for explanation here).
There is also a product called Electronic Deer Repellers (electric stakes, no wire to install, short-range scent lures deer to stakes away from plants, then zaps with a harmless (drat!) microshock. Set includes three electronic posts and protects 1,200 square feet).
Motion-sensor sprinklers (wouldn't you love to be able to pull up some chairs and watch the fun on this one? ha ha, giggle, giggle).
It sprays the deer with jets of water and when they come near, the only downside to this is you might need lots of hose and sprinklers to encircle the area you need to protect.
Lastly the family dog. Just the smell of a dog sometime can do the trick. Doesn't have to be a large dog, a ferocious-sounding small one would work.
A lot of stuff I have been reading about deer is this: the best offense is an ever-changing defense.
Deer will very quickly lose their fear of new sights, smells and noise. Keep moving sprays, barriers and noise around.
Next column: using plants to discourage the deer from eating up or gardens.
Did you know? In late 19th-century England, some towns actually had laws that reduced taxes for homeowners who planted flowers and shrubs in their yard to beautify.
If the homeowners next to them didn't do the same, their taxes were raised.