Number of posts : 2738 Age : 62 Location : Arizona, USA Favorite Quote : Beware the deadly donkey falling from the sky You may choose the way you live, my friend But not the way you die Registration date : 2007-08-11
Number of posts : 2738 Age : 62 Location : Arizona, USA Favorite Quote : Beware the deadly donkey falling from the sky You may choose the way you live, my friend But not the way you die Registration date : 2007-08-11
Subject: Protect Garden From Deer with a Plant Tonic Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:48 pm
Protect Garden From Deer with a Plant Tonic
This weekend I was outside with my kittens and my cutting shears, delighting in the dirt, cutting back the natural raffia, amending my butterfly bush, (which took one wallop in our last snow storm), and juggling ropes to tie up my poor lilac bush, (which too much ice split right down to the roots). Betwixt and between the lavender and comfrey, my darling golden honey daylilies are crowning, and my azalea bushes are pushing back against my pruning shears. Then I remembered, “Time for M.’s springtime garden deer tonic.” Well, it’s not really a tonic to the deer, but a real tonic for the plants.
You see, I love all the graceful fawns and gentle does and strong young bucks who think my garden is their personal salad bar, but I kind of wish they would find another garden to frolic in.
Here’s my own deer go-away recipe to sprinkle on their favorite garden munchies.
Once the deer have tasted this impolite gruel, they're not likely to return.
Deer Go-Away
• 1/2 pound beeswax • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil • 1 cup biodegradable dishwashing liquid • 1/2 cup hot-hot cayenne
1. Throw all the ingredients in an old pot and set to heat on a low flame until the beeswax is completely melted (10-20 minutes). Stir.
2. While it’s still hot (once you remove the pot from the stove the wax starts to cool and harden), run outside and “sprinkle” this waxy deer go-away on the plants you don’t want to loose with a wooden spoon. (It won’t hurt the plants.) Wipe the spoon on some of the hard-to-reach leaves.
Number of posts : 2738 Age : 62 Location : Arizona, USA Favorite Quote : Beware the deadly donkey falling from the sky You may choose the way you live, my friend But not the way you die Registration date : 2007-08-11
Subject: 5 Tips: Keep Deer Out of the Garden Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:51 pm
5 Tips: Keep Deer Out of the Garden
Today we answer a question that nags a lot of gardeners.
Q: I need plants that deer don't like!
--- via e-mail, from 'rejean'
A: This is a question we hear often; you are definitely not alone.
Fortunately, Kathleen Halloran tackled this question in the November 2008 issue of The Herb Companion.
Here are some quick solutions from Kathleen:
1) Plant rosemary, or other Mediterranean herbs, such as oregano, sage and thyme. Deer generally dislike the fragrance.
2) Try native ornamental grasses, which are beautiful and close to deer-proof.
3) Daffodils are more deer-resistant than tulips.
4) Plan your garden to repel deer. Use these 14 plants for a Deer-Be-Gone Garden.
5) Never feed the deer ... and spread the word to your neighbors. You may think putting out corn for the deer during the cold seasons helps them survive, but it doesn't. In fact, corn is nutritionally deficient for the needs of a deer, can even be bad for them, and lures them closer to your garden.
Astraea
Number of posts : 2738 Age : 62 Location : Arizona, USA Favorite Quote : Beware the deadly donkey falling from the sky You may choose the way you live, my friend But not the way you die Registration date : 2007-08-11
Subject: Re: Repelling Deer Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:18 pm
I like deer as much as the next person. Okay, maybe that isn’t exactly true. As a gardener, I know all too well how much damage deer can do to my gardens and landscape and it does tend to color my attitude towards them. I have always been willing to coexist peacefully with the ever-growing deer population; however, the deer don’t seem to want to cooperate with me. They have a nasty habit of coming in at night and eating everything I’ve planted right to the ground. Now is that nice?
I was extremely optimistic when we first moved into our present home. I went right out and planted a huge perennial bed and over a hundred shrubs. Not long after that I discovered that my yard was smack dab in the middle of one of the main deer trails going up the hill behind our house. Needless to say, my poor perennials and shrubs took a nasty beating every night for the first season.
So what did I do to stop them from decimating everything in my yard? I built a very tall (and electrified) fence. I could have said that I only planted things I know they don't like, but hey...I have to be honest!
A woman recently called asking for plants that deer don’t like and then proceeded to tell me how the deer had eaten her rhubarb right to the ground. Now everyone knows that rhubarb leaves are extremely poisonous, which only illustrates a very important point—given enough time, deer will eat almost anything.
A peculiar thing about deer is how their likes and dislikes vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. I’ve actually had people tell me that the deer eat everything in their yard except the hosta, which is usually on their all-time favorite food list. (I’ll bet they ate their rhubarb instead!).
So why am I telling you all this? Because next to this article is a list of plants that deer don’t usually eat and chances are that the deer have eaten at least one of them in your yard. That’s just the way it is, contrary creatures that they seem to be.
There are a few things that might help when choosing plants that they tend to avoid. Deer never eat ornamental grasses. Yes, I did say never (please don’t email me if they eat yours—I’d rather not know). They also don’t usually eat herbs or plants that have a strong fragrance such as sage, lemon balm, monarda (bee balm), Russian sage (Perovskia), etc. They don’t generally like plants with thorns or “prickles” either, roses being the exception. Some of the prickly flowers and shrubs they avoid are cleome, barberry, and purple coneflower.
One last thing, please do not feed the deer. You aren’t doing yourself, your neighbors or the deer a favor. I won’t belabor the point, but by feeding deer you are bringing many diseases and parasites into your yard, which can then transfer to your pets or your children. Deer over browse the areas around feeding stations (yours and the neighbor’s yards) and when well fed will produce more offspring adding to the overpopulation problem. Because deer feeding usually occurs near roads, the deer are also more likely to be involved in collisions with motor vehicles. All in all, it just isn’t a good idea.
That said, here is my list of perennials, biennials, annuals, shrubs, trees and ground covers that the deer don’t usually eat:
Number of posts : 2738 Age : 62 Location : Arizona, USA Favorite Quote : Beware the deadly donkey falling from the sky You may choose the way you live, my friend But not the way you die Registration date : 2007-08-11
Subject: Making Your Landscape More Deer Repellent Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:28 pm
Making Your Landscape More Deer Repellent
Terry L. Yockey
Deer are becoming a serious problem for most home gardeners. The number one question that I am asked as a Master Gardener is how to repel these voracious visitors. Everyone seems to have a favorite remedy and my own list has gotten longer and longer as time goes by.
Black Deer NettingGardeners Supply
So what is the most fool-proof? Simply--a very tall fence. Since deer can jump 12 feet high from a standing position, your fence should be at least 8 to 10 feet tall. Using heavy black mesh between tall posts is an inexpensive way to build a high fence, but for shorter protection try electric wires or slant your fence outward at about a 45 degree angle. What else can you try if you do not want the expense or hassle of building a fence? I have neighbors that have had some success with stringing fish line between trees, which startles the deer when they run into it.
Other Deer-Repellent Strategies
ScarecrowAmazon.com Sprinklers with motion detectors that release a spray of water when activated have proven to be very effective against not only deer, but raccoons, rabbits, geese and even neighborhood cats and dogs. One product by Contech Electronics is aptly named the Scarecrow and attaches to any standard garden hose. When the Scarecrow detects an intruder's movement or body heat it sprays a 3 second burst of water. If the animal returns, the unit automatically activates again. Apparently, deer aren't too keen on being wet and between the water, the noise and the movement of the sprinkler; most deer don't seem to come back. One nice feature is that it only uses 2 to 3 cups of water per deterrence, so it can usually be used in communities under water restrictions.
Milorganite is an organic, slow-release fertilizer made from good ole Wisconsin sludge. That's right...since August 1, 1926; the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has been producing and selling this useful sewage byproduct. It has been approved by the EPA for use not only on turf and ornamentals, but also on vegetable gardens. I don't know. I have tried it on my lawn and it worked just as well as other organic fertilizers, but I just do not feel that comfortable putting it on my veggies. Your call. It really does seem to help keep deer away, however, rain does dilute the effect.
Plantskydd® Repellent Gardener's Supply Blood meal or blood products such as Plantskydd Animal Repellent spread where needed. Plantskydd has an advantage over just blood meal because they add a stickum that makes it last up to 6 months over winter and up to 4 months during the active growing season.
Urine, coyote or human can be either spread where needed or applied to sachets or dispenser bottles. I like the dispenser bottles because the scent is protected from rain and can last for up to a month before you need to replenish it. Coyote urine can be purchased in bottles from 8 ounces to 1 gallon (I really do not want to think about how they harvest the stuff). If you are collecting your own human "product," the first of the day is usually the most potent. With both, I think it is best not to mention to your neighbors what is in the little bottles hanging from the trees.
Garlic Clips Gardeners Supply
Strong scents such as small hotel soaps drilled and hung on your shrubs and trees or fabric softener strips and bags containing peeled garlic bulbs can be hung or spread around vulnerable areas. For a garlic defense with less muss and fuss use Garlic Oil Dispensers that clip right where you need them. Spaced about five to six feet apart they form a very strong odor barrier that can last up to six months.
Liquid Fence
Making your plantings unpalatable. There are several sprays available, however, in 1999 Auburn University did extensive testing on a wide variety of deer repellent sprays and found that the most effective were those that contained putrescent (rotten) egg-based products such as Liquid Fence or Deer Away. One big advantage to the commercial products is that they have a "stickem" in their formula so you do not have to reapply the spray after every rainstorm.
Homemade Deer Repellent Recipe 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or liquid garlic juice, and 1 gallon of water. Spray weekly and/or after it rains--and hope your deer aren't into spicy foods! [People have told me that raw eggs mixed in a blender with equal parts skim milk and water, plus a few tablespoons of liquid dish soap, also works. Let it sit for a few days and get really funky before you pour it onto your plants for the best results.]
Lastly, you could try playing a radio outside all night, which should make you extremely popular with your neighbors. The deer--but almost certainly not your neighbors--will probably get used to the sound after a while.
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