Critters in the garden: deers

July 11, 2024 Canada's Local Gardener 413 Views deer

What to do about deer

They are gorgeous to look at with soft-coloured coats looking so sleek above their slender legs. Deer can melt the hardest heart with one glance from those long-lashed, big, brown eyes – that is, until they eat your long-ripening tomato or decimate that stand of beautiful lilies you have been waiting to photograph.

Now there is a new product on the market that emits an ultrasonic noise that is said to send them on their way. The problem is that soundwaves can be blocked by buildings and trees and will only cover a limited range. The ultra-sonic noise may bother your pets and some people can pick up these sounds as well.

This is just one of the many tools that have been created over the years to deter deer. But there is only one thing that really works: ingenuity.

You have to be just as cunning as friend deer, staying one step ahead of him by changing your strategy every week or so.

Here is a list of products that you can use in your arsenal:

Sprays: There are a number on the market: Bobbex is one that contains a sticking agent so you don’t have to re-spray every time it rains. (Check here to learn more about Bobbex)

Deer Guard contains bitter tannins that are unpleasant to deer. Plantskydd is a spray product from Sweden that is said to be effective for long periods. It is an odour-based product that mimics smells given off by predators. It gets high marks from many gardeners and is useful against rabbits, squirrels, voles and other small rodents.

Mechanical products: In addition to the ones noted above, there is one that works by emitting a noise that sounds like a predator to the deer.

Home remedies: Netting on your trees or garden can confuse them for a while, but eventually, the deer find a way through and it is kind of unsightly. Fencing needs to be high and sturdy. A determined deer can jump eight feet and most city bylaws restrict fencing to six feet. Shiny objects hung from trees – old computer disks or tinfoil pie plates – work for a short period but deer generally become skeptical very quickly. The same is true of the home mixtures of evil smelling rotten eggs and so on.

Protein based sprays can be effective for a short period (an egg mixed up with some water and a drop of soap).

Some gardeners plant sacrificial plants around the perimeter of their gardens: calendula, clover, Swiss chard, and lettuce and apparently deer also love sunflowers.

(by David Dawson Originally from ABG 13S)