So, I’m Not Alone, Eh?

March 5th, 2019

   That post I wrote two weeks ago commiserating my new deer problem drew more feedback than anything I’ve ever written here.

I’m having second thoughts that a fence might solve my new deer problem.

   Apparently, deer-eaten plants is an even worse issue than I thought… and it’s one that seems to bring out a lot of passion, compassion, and empathy.

   Lots of fellow gardeners wrote not only to offer tips and experience-driven advice, but to say how sorry they were that I’ve run into this curse. It’s almost as if I’ve contracted a horrible disease and am being consoled by others who’ve already been down that path.

   I appreciate the support but now have a sinking feeling that maybe this is going to be even harder than I thought.

   Readers told me about deer knocking down fences, shrugging off previously effective repellents, and even being so bold as to eat flowers out of deck pots and hanging baskets.

   Reader Kathi said she got so tired of spraying repellents that she gave up her two-acre woodland gardens and moved.

   “I had to (constantly) make sure new growth was covered,” she wrote. “If I missed one week, my new growth was gone. I told myself there was always next year.”

   The crowning insult was when deer “got up the nerve to go on the deck and defoliate my plants. That was the last straw for me,” Karen said, adding, “Good luck. You are going to need it.”

   Gardener Bill said the only thing that completely solved the deer problem for him was a 10-foot-tall metal fence, supported by six-inch posts with a pair of 10-foot gates for access.

   “It’s been dubbed the ‘stockade garden’ because it does resemble a prison stockade used in the Civil War to hold prisoners in both the North and the South,” Bill says.

   That ought to work (assuming no one leaves the gates open), but I don’t think it’s going to pass muster with my borough’s fencing codes. Those restrictions (six foot maximum out back, three feet maximum out front) aren’t making my fight any easier… although my six-footer should be enough to also hold any Confederate POWs if I add a coil of concertina wire on top.

   I ran into Dave Kinderdine, who installs and cares for rose gardens in Maryland, at a nursery conference, and he told me his conclusion is an electric fence. Believe it or not, deer eat roses – thorns and all.

Fruition Seeds uses this parallel electric fence to keep deer out of its trial gardens.

   Dave said he uses four or five electrified strands all around rose gardens and adds a few dabs of peanut butter here and there to draw deer in for a sample.

   Once they get a shock or two, they just avoid the temptation. He says it’s not unusual, though, for deer to damage an electric fence at first when they pull back or react to the electric surprise.

   For clients who don’t want to do electric fencing, Dave uses a variety of scent repellents, to which he adds Bittrex, the most bitter-tasting liquid known.

   This gives you a product that has both scent and taste repellents, which is also the theory behind the Bobbex repellent I plan to use.

   Gardener Joan swears by Bobbex and says it caused her deer to go somewhere else. She says the key is keeping new growth covered and using it year-round.

   “The deer learn,” she says. “And if you continually use Bobbex, they will learn that your yard does not offer anything of culinary interest!”

   Reader Kathi saved money by concocting her own repellent. She shared her recipe:
   In a blender add, one egg (the older the better), one-half cup of milk (the older the better), one tablespoon of Ivory dish detergent, and one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Blend thoroughly and add to one gallon of water in a sprayer.

   Reader June said either coyote or human urine is another scent that can be “applied” to the landscape that’s worth a try. Those are scents that make deer think a predator is nearby, assuming their hunger doesn’t outweigh their fear of predators.

   Reader Deb said shavings of Irish spring soap saved her hosta from being trashed by deer.

“It really does work, not to mention when you walk by the garden, it smells fresh,” she says. “I use my potato peeler to walk around and shave some Irish goodness.”

   Reader Judie said she’s had success with Repellex pellets, which she first found at Lowe’s and now orders through Amazon.

   “I push them into the soil around my hostas and they last all summer,” she says. “They repel both deer and rabbits. I have also had good success Liquid Fence, but the rain washes it off.”

   Reader Vic said he’s tried just about every repellent on the market and “they work (more or less) when there are other things for the deer to eat. In winter, when food disappears or gets eaten by mid-December, deer will hold their nose and eat in spite of a repellent being present.”

   He says he’s boosted the effectiveness of repellents by adding six to eight drops of Dave’s Insanity Sauce per gallon of repellent.

   And reader Ray had a few more tips on barriers.

   He says that two small fences, spaced a few feet apart, can deter deer since their depth perception is poor.

   “Fishing line strung across their normal path will also discourage them,” he says. “Any kind of synthetic netting (tulle, illusion, bird or pond netting) over vulnerable shrubs in winter will keep them off.”

   Thanks, all. At least now I’m armed with an arsenal of ideas. And I might even be able to make some extra money on the side by housing Confederate prisoners.