Suggestions for Deer Protection?

Reframmellator

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My wife and I were walking through our development yesterday afternoon and saw this group for the third time in a week:

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These guys (well, their relatives) did a serious number last winter on some shrubs I planted along our rear property line. Nothing died, but their growths were slowed. I used spray-on deer and rabbit repellent, with limited success, although the rabbits seemed to stay away. I want to close my salad bar to them this winter. Does anybody have any advice on what works/doesn't work? I'm looking at re-doing the repellent in conjunction with either an 8 ft deer fence staked around each vulnerable shrub or fabric shrub coverings. The latter can get a little pricey.
 
Why?
 
All I can suggest is deer resistant plantings. We have a lot of deer in our area, and the local nursery promotes these types of plantings.
 

Because I want the shrubs to grow into a privacy screen, and because last winter they took about 2/3 of four shrubs I planted.
 
I can’t vouch for it, but I have neighbors who use pee in a milk jug, add some dish soap, and put it around where they don’t want the deer. They have also gotten hair from their barbershop and sprinkled it along the border of their yard. Seems to work but might be more trouble than it’s worth?

I have seen predator urine sold in gardening magazines - same idea...
 
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Well if you lived in the Willy Wacks...;)
:cool:
 
I can’t vouch for it, but I have neighbors who use pee in a milk jug, add some dish soap, and put it around where they don’t want the deer. They have also gotten hair from their barbershop and sprinkled it along the border of their yard. Seems to work but might be more trouble than it’s worth?

I have seen predator urine sold in gardening magazines - same idea...

I've always said the person who collects wolf urine might have the worst job in the world. And imagine the poor kid who has to write about what Mommy/Daddy does at work.
 
2 ways. I have battled this the last few years and this past season I finally figured it out.

  1. Visually - netting, chicken wire, etc around the plant. The visual aspects deter from eating and rubbing.
  2. Smell - Irish spring soap bars (roughed up a bit) in an old length of panty hose. Hang near and allow the dew/rain to get it wet. Part old wives tale, but i tried it and feel it made a difference.
 
Owning a good dog does the trick for us. :thumb:
 
My wife and I were walking through our development yesterday afternoon and saw this group for the third time in a week:

View attachment 8965079

These guys (well, their relatives) did a serious number last winter on some shrubs I planted along our rear property line. Nothing died, but their growths were slowed. I used spray-on deer and rabbit repellent, with limited success, although the rabbits seemed to stay away. I want to close my salad bar to them this winter. Does anybody have any advice on what works/doesn't work? I'm looking at re-doing the repellent in conjunction with either an 8 ft deer fence staked around each vulnerable shrub or fabric shrub coverings. The latter can get a little pricey.
30-06 works well as... "repellent"
 
All I can suggest is deer resistant plantings. We have a lot of deer in our area, and the local nursery promotes these types of plantings.

All I can say is my shrub line contains forsythia, smoke bush, arrowwood viburnum, and hibiscus. All but the hibiscus are supposed to be deer resistant, which was a key factor in selecting them, and only the forsythia avoided a major assault. I think I will definitely fence in the hibiscus, think about the others, and spread repellent, and maybe hair, everywhere. I also heard last week that Milorganite spread around the base of shrubs in late fall repels rodents because the smell is associated with humans.
 
honestly, i gave up planting things in my yard due to these pests.
 
Could you put out a more desirable food source and embrace the nature?
 
One thing you could do it feed them, figure out where they are coming into the yard and put corn out farther back into the woods to keep them from coming in. Might get expensive and draw more in though
 
That may encourage a exodus from your neighborhood! ;):cool:

But it would likely be me, not them, and I have no desire to make license plates or hand sanitizer. Plus, I have really good neighbors.

Could you put out a more desirable food source and embrace the nature?

Well, my neighbor has a line of arborvitae, aka "deer candy", not 200 feet from my shrubs. My neighbor never touches them, and neither do the deer.
 
One thing you could do it feed them, figure out where they are coming into the yard and put corn out farther back into the woods to keep them from coming in. Might get expensive and draw more in though

Interesting idea. Unfortunately, behind my shrub line is a town road, then two rows of homes in another development, then a wooded ravine, then more development on the other side.

A friend of mine swears by these. He has put up a couple around his gardens to keep the deer away. They move in the wind and he will sometimes add some of the coyote urine spray as well. He says they work well for the deer and rabbits that tear up his gardens.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bird-X-Wind-Movement-3-D-Coyote-Replica-COYOTE-3D/202141100

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Just-Scentsational-16-oz-Coyote-Urine-with-Applicator-RS-16TR/206409035

View attachment 8965090

Interesting idea - and we have coyotes around here . . . .
 
Lots of great suggestions thus far from everyone. Thanks!
 
I wish I could help, when we had a lot of deer in our neighborhood, it didn't matter what I did they still ate my plants. I planted so-called deer resistant plants, but they still ate them. I tried the repellent and that didn't do anything either. My mother-in-law has a lot of deer and for whatever reason they stay away from her "deer resistant plants" which were the same ones I planted and got eaten.
 
The garden at the home my wife and I recently moved to has a 9ft electric fence. The neighborhood nursery and gardens at other homes have similar fences.
 
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