Keeping the Deer out--gardening suggestions

[canuk-gal]

HI gang:

I am hoping to tap into the collective and varied experience of PS''ers with a problem we have. We live in an urban area, but are innundated with deer whose presence--while heartwarming--make short work of our gardens. To date--but for my grass--my yard with its limited foliage has been rather unscathed; but most of neighbours yards are desecrated.

A professional landscaping project is being undertaken, and I have several flowerboxes outlining our new and expended deck, underway. For those who have had similar problems my questions are:

1) what online or published resources have you found best outlining tips for minimizing deer destruction
2) what "tricks" have you found worked in keeping deer at bay
3) any suggestions for types of plants that are not synonymous with "meals"
4) eco-friendly

Thank you for your suggestions.

cheers--Sharon

 

[FireGoddess]

My recollections are only from when I was a kid - I loved seeing the deer eat the crabapples that had fallen from the trees in my yard - my parents weren't so thrilled when the bucks would rub their antlers all over the new sapling trees they'd planted, and kill them.

The sapling trees were'deer protected' by giving them a pole support and surrounding them with wire. We also used to tie little nylon bags with cuttings of our hair, because the smell of human hair is supposed to keep them away. We'd just use nylon pantyhose, cut them up, put hair trimmings in them, and tie them around the yard.

 

[movie zombie]

oh, welcome to my world....the world of gardening in deer habitat. well, it is their habitat i insist on living in......however, i find in this more isolated location a mere 2-3 miles from where i used to live that the deer are more of a problem eating things they didn''t eat at my other residence.

mostly i try to plant things that are deer resistant....however, my deer even eat some of those. it is rather limiting but it is effective. in another area where i insist on planting things i want but the deer will eat i''ve had to take wire fencing and add it to the top of an existing shorter fence. not pretty but effective and not easily seen from the road at all.

there are lots of articles on the internet, lots of books, etc. that can tell you things to try...including sprays etc. however, it is an ongoing battle unless you go the deer-fencing route. also, deer don''t like short hops so fencing doesn''t have to be but 4-6 feet tall but only about 4 feet apart to keep most out: sort of fencing the fencing.

most deer don''t like most herbs: lavendar and comfrey [bees love comfrey] are great around deer. they hate daffodils.

the hair trick will work for awhile but they can become immune to it....you almost have to keep changing from hair to pepper spray to cat urine, and whatever else might work.

personally, i try to remember that i moved to the forest and there was a reason for it.....but i do have my fenced area for those things i just think i have to have anyway.

movie zombie

 

[monarch64]

Sometimes a salt block can be a distraction to them... I hope that doesn''t launch a debate. I say that because I grew up on a farm and herds of them (sometimes 15-20 at a time) would come through the back yard and snag apples off our trees, so my dad put out a salt block right next to one of the trees for them. They always stayed out of the garden and flowers/shrubbery that were closer to the house after that. It was the rabbits that gave my parents the most problems after the deer prob. was solved, lol!

I say "distraction" because you may have noticed that deer are pretty skittish unless you live in a populated, highly trafficked area where they''ve become used to human happenings. Our deer were so timid that they would spend only a few minutes at the salt block before darting off over some distant sound. I don''t know how close you all are to streets or how much land is between you and your neighbors, though. Hope this helps someone!

 

[movie zombie]

deer salt blocks are different than cattle salt blocks if anyone wants to try this. in my area, they draw the deer who then are thirsty and since there isn''t a stream year round, they munch even more on my greens in an attempt to get water. that''s part of the problem where i''m at now: higher elevation, no year round running water, and hardly any people so the deer try eating anything to get water.

movie zombie

 

[monarch64]

Date: 5/6/2006 12:12:39 AM
Author: movie zombie
deer salt blocks are different than cattle salt blocks if anyone wants to try this. in my area, they draw the deer who then are thirsty and since there isn''t a stream year round, they munch even more on my greens in an attempt to get water. that''s part of the problem where i''m at now: higher elevation, no year round running water, and hardly any people so the deer try eating anything to get water.

movie zombie

So interesting, MZ! Your post makes a lot of sense. I should note that where I grew up, there was a spring-fed pond on property, as well as many smaller streams and springs throughout the wooded areas, so the deer had plenty of water sources. Your situation is very different from where I grew up, I see.

 

[movie zombie]

i moved only 2-3 miles as the crow flies but the environment for deer is so very very different. there: lower elevation, running water year round within 1/8 of a mile or less, and lots more people. never had a real problem with deer unless it was with roses. they left my irises alone! but here they eat my irises to the white! there i had a ''deer'' salt block which was, btw, red!

i''ve also been told that deer being not that bright you can take a rope and/or fishing line and rope off an area. if they ''hit'' it, they just walk along it and stay out of the roped off area. however, they will eventually figure that one out so you have to move the rope/fishing line perodically to keep them off guard. i haven''t tried it and its more maintenance than i want to do.....

i recently planted 30 redwood seedlings and i''ve got wire cages around them because, you guessed it, they will eat them! until the trees get big enough that they can''t reach the tops, anway.

movie zombie

 

[monarch64]

Hmmm, are your deer feeding at night, or at all times of day??? I''m wondering if spotlights would do some good, unless it is at the expense of interrupting your sleep. Any possibility of you planting a "deer garden" somewhere around the outskirts of your property so maybe they would get their fill there and leave your garden and landscape/flowers alone???

I''ve never heard of deer eating iris. Iris give off kind of a "funky" smell, and I always thought that was the deterrent. Hmmm

. This is such a trial and error issue...

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Thanks for all the tips! I plan to buy some resources and read up on the details, now that it will be an issue with my planning more flowers than before. The one thing I noticed is that the deer never touched my Asiatic lillies--wonder if the heavy fragrance turns them off....and I thought about some herbs as well...and I wonder if using deer urine (marking territory) would help.....

Given we live near a golf course and large prairie/park we are home to major populations of rabbits, deer and coyotes....the coyotes don''t bother me at all, but the area neighbours have lost more than small family pet to the critters...while golfing they are so tame they just run by while you are setting up for your next shot...I could also speak to the greenskeeper at the golf course and ask how they keep the deer at bay....

Thanks again! Any more info. would be welcome!

cheers--Sharon

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 5/6/2006 12:40:28 AM
Author: monarch64
Hmmm, are your deer feeding at night, or at all times of day??? I''m wondering if spotlights would do some good, unless it is at the expense of interrupting your sleep. Any possibility of you planting a ''deer garden'' somewhere around the outskirts of your property so maybe they would get their fill there and leave your garden and landscape/flowers alone???

I''ve never heard of deer eating iris. Iris give off kind of a ''funky'' smell, and I always thought that was the deterrent. Hmmm

. This is such a trial and error issue...

deer will get used to spotlights after some time and it won''t phase them in the least. ditto sprinklers.

i have deer 24/7.......

people with dogs have less of a problem but we are in coyote and mountain lion country.........so most people have indoor dogs which doesn''t help at all.

the deer don''t eat the native irises that come up....only the domesticates.

also, they don''t eat native sages but eat culinary sage...go figure.

euryops [spelling?] they leave alone, daffodils are apparently poisonous them and they leave those alone. they are supposed to leave tomato plants alone as they are from the deadly nightshade family but i had them eat them at the other place so i won''t put them in an unprotected area here.

i have my ''protected'' garden.....but i can''t protect 20 acres.........besides, i didn''t move to the woods to be a farmer or get into a battle with the native wild life that has been here far longer than i. its test and error and test again to see what they will and won''t eat. we seem to have a truce going in that they understand i leave some things for them but i plant things they don''t like for my viewing pleasure. i enjoy seeing them out and about, especially the babies. we get the full gamut of the season here with large racked males pursuing females in the fall....said male will attack a large dog if confronted.

deer when thirsty will eat about anything to get moisture.....and i can''t blame them.


movie zombie

 

[diamondfan]

things I have heard...

irish spring soap around what they eat, you put chips of it...it washes away in rain and needs to be re done

coyote urine sprinkled around, available at garden stores

deer mesh, it goes flat on the ground and they do not like to walk over it...

 

[eks6426]

I grew up in the country. The double fences about 3-4 feet apart used to work for the deer.

 

[MINE!!]

oops,,,

 

[Mara]

ditto the other suggestions about incorporating deer-resistant plants into your garden and even surrounding some of your more delicate plans with plants or bulbs that deer will not go near. aka daffodils are poisonous to them...so i would plant all your other bulbs within a big border of daffs. i do this with the local squirrels, i plant daffs almost everywhere in each pot to keep the squirrels out. i have also heard that other methods aren''t as effective as trying to incorporate the right type of plants and bulbs into your garden. well besides a big ole fence!! good luck.

 

[diamondfan]

Double fences might work, do not know cost or feasibility. I just know where I live, they can jump over ten feet high fences, so it is tough to put one up that really does the job...

 

[Mara]

oh and this worked for dogs but not sure about deer, to keep dogs from going to the bathroom on our grass patch in front of our house near the street, we sprinkled cayenne pepper all over the grass and it lasted over a month to keep the dogs away, they don''t like the smell. so not sure if doing something like that would repel deer as well.

 

[reader]

When I was a kid, people would put some sort of garlic scent around new tree seedlings, and pie tins on poles.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI ya''ll:

Thanks so much for everyone''s suggestions. Since the landscapers are starting today and the planting season is hard upon us in this zone, I have been reading fast and furious about this subject.

Since deer will avoid plants that taste and/or small bad (or both), I will certainly use those in my boxes--and use topical treatments like garlic and chili pepper flakes for extra protection. It is supposed to work--in theory anyway; so wish me luck!! I guess the proof will be in the pudding at the end of Sept!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Blue824]

Omg, my mom has tried everything. Her lot is wooded with about an acre cleared out for the yard & gardens, but since there are all the trees, there is a lot of wildlife! And while I still think the deer are cute, the novelty has LONG worn off on her! I mean, deer here are even eating the so-called resistant plants, so that isn''t always a guarantee.

One summer she put up sticks with bars of soap all over the perimeters of the different gardens... that was... attractive

And Cayenne pepper fades as it rains, so with both of those options you have the most applications, most likely... and something just seems weird to me about letting all that soap into the garden beds, like that it can''t be healthy.

I think the best thing is the coyote urine. I''m not sure how humane that is, like I don''t know what process they go through to collect it! But they pretty much sell it at every nursery.

 

[movie zombie]

we move to the wood to be near nature and then we complain that nature is on our door step! lol!!!!!!

yes, deer are resistant creatures, they get used to what we do and ignore it. the best deterent is a dog....but that brings its own problems. and a deer will charge a large dog in certain circumstances. personally, i don''t want to take care of a dog and clean up after it.

while i have the deer under control, i now have a rabbit to contend with in the area i''ve designed to protect my irises and other plants from the deer.

if its not one thing its another.....lol!

movie zombie

ps i saw my first fawn of the season the other day.......so its all been worth it.

 

[Blue824]

Date: 5/12/2006 2:28:22 PM
Author: movie zombie

yes, deer are resistant creatures, they get used to what we do and ignore it. the best deterent is a dog....but that brings its own problems. and a deer will charge a large dog in certain circumstances. personally, i don''t want to take care of a dog and clean up after it.

while i have the deer under control, i now have a rabbit to contend with in the area i''ve designed to protect my irises and other plants from the deer.

Our old neighbor''s german shepard was attacked by a deer!
Lol... and then speaking of rabbits, I remember when Mike Ditka, former Chicago Bears coach, lived near me, it was in the local paper that his dog got attacked by a rabbit!
Even the dogs aren''t safe! Hehee

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 5/13/2006 12:45:50 AM
Author: Blue824

Our old neighbor''s german shepard was attacked by a deer!
Lol... and then speaking of rabbits, I remember when Mike Ditka, former Chicago Bears coach, lived near me, it was in the local paper that his dog got attacked by a rabbit!
Even the dogs aren''t safe! Hehee

lol!

movie zombie

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 5/13/2006 12:45:50 AM
Author: Blue824

Date: 5/12/2006 2:28:22 PM
Author: movie zombie

yes, deer are resistant creatures, they get used to what we do and ignore it. the best deterent is a dog....but that brings its own problems. and a deer will charge a large dog in certain circumstances. personally, i don''t want to take care of a dog and clean up after it.

while i have the deer under control, i now have a rabbit to contend with in the area i''ve designed to protect my irises and other plants from the deer.

Our old neighbor''s german shepard was attacked by a deer!
Lol... and then speaking of rabbits, I remember when Mike Ditka, former Chicago Bears coach, lived near me, it was in the local paper that his dog got attacked by a rabbit!
Even the dogs aren''t safe! Hehee

HI:

I saw on Monty Python''s Holy Grail, where a rabbit would attack people

cheers--Sharon

 

[TheDoctor]

I believe that Smtih and Wesson may have a solution....

My father-in-law used a series of ropes around the garden perimeter that had bells attached to them. The deer don''t like creating noise. When the bells ring, run outside shouting like the crazy person you are and wave the Smith and Wesson menacingly....the neighbours will get used the sound of the loud expletives, but the gunshots are another matter...

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 5/13/2006 2:25:33 PM
Author: TheDoctor
I believe that Smtih and Wesson may have a solution....

My father-in-law used a series of ropes around the garden perimeter that had bells attached to them. The deer don''t like creating noise. When the bells ring, run outside shouting like the crazy person you are and wave the Smith and Wesson menacingly....the neighbours will get used the sound of the loud expletives, but the gunshots are another matter...

HI:

I represent those remarks......

cheers--Sharon

 

[movie zombie]

venison is tasty.......

movie zombie

 

[Ann]

We have a deer problem, even though we are in an urban area. There is new construction in the woods and the poor deer are being pushed out.

Just this morning I noticed they chewed up my hawthorn bushes again and cleared out what was left of my pansies.

Last spring I spent bunches of dollars redoing the front landscape and yep, 2 weeks later, all eaten. They munched my knock-out roses down to nubs. Here in Houston they will go after almost anything. My safe plants are Society Garlic, Azaleas, Boxwood, Yaupon, Lirope, and taller trees they can''t reach.

I have tried everything. Currently I use bird netting draped over the plants. They can''t destroy the entire plant that way.

I have also strung rope through the beds and attached large jingle bells!! It works!

The coyote urine and all that other stuff is useless or was for me. Good Luck

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 5/13/2006 5:40:06 PM
Author: Ann
We have a deer problem, even though we are in an urban area. There is new construction in the woods and the poor deer are being pushed out.

Just this morning I noticed they chewed up my hawthorn bushes again and cleared out what was left of my pansies.

Last spring I spent bunches of dollars redoing the front landscape and yep, 2 weeks later, all eaten. They munched my knock-out roses down to nubs. Here in Houston they will go after almost anything. My safe plants are Society Garlic, Azaleas, Boxwood, Yaupon, Lirope, and taller trees they can''t reach.

I have tried everything. Currently I use bird netting draped over the plants. They can''t destroy the entire plant that way.

I have also strung rope through the beds and attached large jingle bells!! It works!

The coyote urine and all that other stuff is useless or was for me. Good Luck

you''ve hit the heart of the matter. where are they supposed to go to eat, especially after we pave over what they would eat naturally? or should they all just drop dead off the face of the earth so i can plant an iris anywhere i want? as much as i love my irises, i think the world is a better place every time i look out and see a deer and its babies.

movie zombie