Re: Deer control
- Subject: Re: Deer control
- From: "Marge Talt" m*@hort.net
- Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 02:45:37 -0400
Well, Rose, good luck is all I can say. Deer may not like walking
through scented plants, but if they're hungry and what's on the other
side is something they like (like daylilies) they'll go get it. I
have a border along the drive of lemon balm...my herd used to mosy
right through it...no problem. It would likely take an acre of
garlic to stop them from something in the middle:-) If they can see
it and smell it, they will go get it. They will jump a brush pile
that is 6' deep and 6' high like it wasn't there if they know they
have safe landing on the other side. They do not eat Cleome, however
and it is tall, so if it were a swath about 4' deep they might not go
through it as they might not see or smell the daylilies....might.
I've seen deer do amazing things to get at something they want to
eat. The only problem there is that daylilies emerge in very early
spring (nice tasty and tender) and Cleome does not sprout until the
ground has warmed up, by which time the deer will have munched the
daylilies at least once.....
Your best chance of discouraging them from eating something is to
establish a protection before they've gotten a taste of it. Once
they've had a bite, they will return to it. If they don't like
something, they'll taste it anyway to find out and do a lot of
damage; what they don't like, they just spit out, leaving nice deep
hoof prints in any soft soil around whatever they're munching...if
they don't eat it, they'll smash it.
IMO, the *only* way to keep deer from eating your garden is to fence
them out; either heavy duty deer netting, min. 8' tall and secured to
the ground (watching a deer roll under a fence is a hoot) or what I
call hogwire (heavy duty metal wire fencing) 8' tall or electrical
fencing, which does not have to be that tall, but you have to entice
them to stick their noses on it a few times so they learn it's there
- peanut butter on tinfoil is what I've read does the trick.
Over a period of some 12 years, I tried every known deterrent,
including those little stakes with an electrical charge and enticing
scented oil. Some worked sometime or part of the time or for a period
of time, but none worked consistently. Fencing is really the only
way...sad to say....it does work, however you then have to have gates
at any vehicle or pedestrian entry and those gates have got to remain
shut unless someone is coming through them...this is rather a bore,
but it is essential. Deer have nothing to do but patrol a fenced
area looking for a way to enter and they do this.
You can try many deterrents like the sprays available that taste
and/or smell bad - you can make your own rotten egg spray or you can
fling Milorganite around - that worked for me for some time, but,
eventually, they even got used to it. If you try the spray/fling
deterrents, vary them periodically and be religious about
reapplication after rain.
Human hair and scented soaps don't work and I have my doubts about
predator urine unless you live in an area where these predators are
active...deer in my area have no predators except the automobile, so
carnivore urine means nothing to them.
A large, aggressive dog running loose in the garden will act as a
deterrent, but one that is confined and only barks at them, will not
- they learn very fast what will and will not be an actual threat to
them. They may be startled by something like a water spray or CD
disk flashing or the sound of a radio at their first and maybe even
their 2nd encounter, but if it doesn't actually hurt them, they learn
that fast and ignore it in future. My herd got so bold that I could
run out the door screaming at them and they'd just look at me like,
"who, me?....you talking to me?" before they'd move off in a
leisurely sort of way....they knew I was all sound and fury,
signifying nothing really harmful.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: Rose <rosehatten@myrealbox.com>
>
> Hello all,
> I recently heard that deer do not like to walk through 'smelly'
plants.
> So, we are considering planting a wide border around one of the
gardens
> where we grow daylilies. We are thinking of using garlic chives,
lemon
> balm, or maybe anise.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with a plant border approach? We
> recognize that these plants can be thugs, but Bambi is driving us
crazy.
> This may be his last chance.
>
> Thanks in advance for any feedback on this idea.
> Rose
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