Deer feed on many plants and trees. They love vegetables, flowers, and the tender tips of young trees. They also damage trees by rubbing their antlers against them. They'll dig up a lawn in search of grubs, the fall favorite of many forest animals.
Stopping them from doing what comes natural, foraging for food, can be difficult, especially during long snowy winters when food supplies are scarce.
Most landscapes are like a drive through restaurant for a hungry deer. You have several options: ignore the animals and just admire their intrinsic value, plant less of their favorite foods, or try controlling their feeding habits.
There are several deer repellent products available that promise to reduce feeding on valuable plants and trees. Many are short-lived, and once the deer become accustom to the odor or taste, they may become ineffective. It is best to change products or methods on a regular basis.
Some home remedies include:
Hang a bar of soap in a mesh bag from a tree. Fragrant soaps such as Lifebuoy, Irish Spring, and Dial seem to work the best. If there are several trees to protect, use hotel-size bars, or cut the larger bars into several pieces. Tie the bags to the ends of the branches so that any soap that drips off during a rain or snowstorm will not drip onto the trunk. There has been some reports that rabbits will gnaw on the soap residue.
Human or dog hair can also be placed in mesh bags or nylons and hung from tree branches.
Baby powder, blood meal, or bone meal will also provide some resistance to their feeding, but these will require continued, repeat applications.
Deer are beautiful creatures and fascinating to watch. Keeping your landscape in tack with them browsing through the isles can be a frustrating and perhaps a hopeless task, so sit back and enjoy Mother Nature doing her thing-- at your expense.
Benner's Gardens offers
special high-strength, wire-like mesh material constructed of UV stable black polypropylene
that is easy to install, and provides long-term deer protection of your garden and landscaped
areas without changing the appearance of your property.
Benner's Gardens is focused on supplying our customers with a variety of the finest quality deer deterrent systems that are extremely effective, aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective, and long-lasting. They are committed to providing the highest level of service to their customers, and are focused on creating and maintaining long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between employees, customers, vendors, and installers.
Another supplier of deer and other problematic critters is Critterfence located in Connecticut. Their poly deer fencing, available in different strengths, is the best choice for most customers. It's strong (600+lb breaking strength minimum), long lasting and easy to work with. This poly material is not the same material found in stores or retailed online for a really low price. That material is too thin for deer/wildlife use and can be broken apart with your hands. It was engineered as aviary netting or to wrap individual shrubs/plants and is not designed to be a stand alone barrier. Their deer fencing is composed of stacked poly fibers, each layer adding strength. It's nearly invisible from a distance and blends in well. It's available in 600+ lbs breaking strength (closer to 675lbs in testing), 700+ lbs breaking strength and 900+ lbs breaking strength. Visually, there's not much difference between a 600 lb & 900 lb test deer fence. The higher strengths are mostly used in commercial applications.
Benner's Gardens is a family owned and operated national mail order business with headquarters located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1992, the company provides time-tested deer control systems for home gardeners, landscape professionals, nurserymen, fruit & vegetable growers, vintners, and fencing contractors throughout the United States and Canada. Their business is been built upon product innovation coupled with hands on experience and extensive research and development. High quality, problem solving products and superior customer service continue to be their top priorities.
