Deer - a ‘red flag’ word for country people. They plant up lovely gardens, but wake up to find they’ve vanished down the throats of that four-letter plague. Anguished gardeners wring their hands, grind their teeth, or grope for guns, outraged by these midnight marauders’ audacity.
They’ve dangled bags of soap, sprayed smelly, expensive potions, spread hair from the barbershop around their property’s perimeter, bought a pooch, rented a lion, set out battery-powered radios (whose blather deer eventually ignore). They’ve experimented with motion-triggered, raucously chuckling gnomes, or sprinklers. Once a desperate fellow even tried peeing his boundaries, which worked for a while, but the fascinated deer decided urine garnished their salad-y feast. They’d become part of the a-pee-l. (Only wolves consistently honor this sort of boundary, which must be constantly refreshed.)
Finally, many gardeners wilt, and toss in the trowel.
Don’t hold your breath here; if I had the perfect solution, I’d be rich. But I can offer some suggestions that beleaguered folk can ponder, now that spring is near.
Deer need fleet feet to flee. Surround your garden area with chicken wire securely achored with garden ‘pins’ so you can mow and walk over it. Deer, stepping onto it, usually stop in nervous shock, and back off. Loosen it in winter to make it billow. Begin laying it at least ten feet from the plants you wish to protect. Confused and unnerved by the alien feel, most bambis move on.
Fences work. But you have to do them exactly right. Electric ones deliver, but if they’re unmarked, scantily wired (one thin line), or too low, deer simply step/jump over them and munch away, unshocked. You must flag the electrified lines. If deer don’t see them they’ll brush by them before they grasp they’ve been shocked. Then, of course, it’s too late. They’re in.
Many people can’t reasonably encircle large areas; it’s impractical, and expensive. But just about anyone can create postholes and install a ready-made eight-foot wooden fence around a smaller perimeter they care about. Deer must see over barriers; they hate feeling trapped; they’ll never jump blindly. A predator could be waiting.
You could raise the fence a foot off the ground for added height - (deer don’t kneel to peek in) - and add long poles with waving, lightweight flags atop them, at intervals. With all that motion, and no way to see inside, deer will visit other, easier salad bars.
By the way, as long as you’ve gone to all this trouble, bury chicken wire under the fence to block digger-rabbits. It’s a lot of work, I know, but it has to be done just once.
I encouraged one man to install a used chain-length fence around his garden. He then poked ten-foot vinyl pole extenders into the existing hollow galvanized steel fence poles and attached chicken wire to these high poles. Finally, he sprayed it all green, then planted fast growing vines, which took over the fence in summer. In winter the vines’ dark-stemmed tracery collected snow, and actually looked pretty good. He had no further problems. Note: it took a week to build, after work.
Deer noses keep them alive. They’ll usually avoid plants that interfere with their ability to sniff approaching terminators. One homeowner, though, reported a bambi who didn’t seem to mind. The beast devoured the fellow’s scented geraniums.
Go to Google; type in ‘how to avoid deer.’ Sprays are offered, but these must be refreshed regularly. And, they ain’t cheap. Read the customer comments before you open your wallet.
You’d be surprised just much helpful information is out there. I found a paperback book, for example, called “Deer-Proofing Your Yard and Garden,” by Rhonda Massingham Hart, which offers suggestions, accompanied by wonderful drawings, for management of this perennial problem.
Don’t give up!
They’ve dangled bags of soap, sprayed smelly, expensive potions, spread hair from the barbershop around their property’s perimeter, bought a pooch, rented a lion, set out battery-powered radios (whose blather deer eventually ignore). They’ve experimented with motion-triggered, raucously chuckling gnomes, or sprinklers. Once a desperate fellow even tried peeing his boundaries, which worked for a while, but the fascinated deer decided urine garnished their salad-y feast. They’d become part of the a-pee-l. (Only wolves consistently honor this sort of boundary, which must be constantly refreshed.)
Finally, many gardeners wilt, and toss in the trowel.
Don’t hold your breath here; if I had the perfect solution, I’d be rich. But I can offer some suggestions that beleaguered folk can ponder, now that spring is near.
Deer need fleet feet to flee. Surround your garden area with chicken wire securely achored with garden ‘pins’ so you can mow and walk over it. Deer, stepping onto it, usually stop in nervous shock, and back off. Loosen it in winter to make it billow. Begin laying it at least ten feet from the plants you wish to protect. Confused and unnerved by the alien feel, most bambis move on.
Fences work. But you have to do them exactly right. Electric ones deliver, but if they’re unmarked, scantily wired (one thin line), or too low, deer simply step/jump over them and munch away, unshocked. You must flag the electrified lines. If deer don’t see them they’ll brush by them before they grasp they’ve been shocked. Then, of course, it’s too late. They’re in.
Many people can’t reasonably encircle large areas; it’s impractical, and expensive. But just about anyone can create postholes and install a ready-made eight-foot wooden fence around a smaller perimeter they care about. Deer must see over barriers; they hate feeling trapped; they’ll never jump blindly. A predator could be waiting.
You could raise the fence a foot off the ground for added height - (deer don’t kneel to peek in) - and add long poles with waving, lightweight flags atop them, at intervals. With all that motion, and no way to see inside, deer will visit other, easier salad bars.
By the way, as long as you’ve gone to all this trouble, bury chicken wire under the fence to block digger-rabbits. It’s a lot of work, I know, but it has to be done just once.
I encouraged one man to install a used chain-length fence around his garden. He then poked ten-foot vinyl pole extenders into the existing hollow galvanized steel fence poles and attached chicken wire to these high poles. Finally, he sprayed it all green, then planted fast growing vines, which took over the fence in summer. In winter the vines’ dark-stemmed tracery collected snow, and actually looked pretty good. He had no further problems. Note: it took a week to build, after work.
Deer noses keep them alive. They’ll usually avoid plants that interfere with their ability to sniff approaching terminators. One homeowner, though, reported a bambi who didn’t seem to mind. The beast devoured the fellow’s scented geraniums.
Go to Google; type in ‘how to avoid deer.’ Sprays are offered, but these must be refreshed regularly. And, they ain’t cheap. Read the customer comments before you open your wallet.
You’d be surprised just much helpful information is out there. I found a paperback book, for example, called “Deer-Proofing Your Yard and Garden,” by Rhonda Massingham Hart, which offers suggestions, accompanied by wonderful drawings, for management of this perennial problem.
Don’t give up!