I remember the first time I encountered a deer . . . . I though it was a Great Dane.
I know. . . . it sounds ridiculous . . . .
. . . .but it's true.
I may be a little near-sighted. . . . but after living in the country for fifteen years and never encountering a deer. . . .
. . . .I didn't expect to see one in my path while I was jogging . . . . in the middle of the day.
When I realized what it actually was I thought Wow! That is so incredible . . . . a deer!
Now we live in town . . . . and when I see a deer I think On no! I hope those eating machines bypass our yard and hit the neighbors' instead!
I know . . . .that's not very nice . . . . to wish the deer on my neighbors . . . . but it's a dog eat dog world . . . .
. . . . and I would like to keep a little of our landscaping intact.
When we lived in the country we didn't have any problems at all. Now . . . . in town . . . . we can't control the varmints.
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The problem
We have moles . . . . we have voles . . . . we have rabbits . . . . we have slugs . . . . we have chipmunks . . . . we have squirrels . . . . and last but not least are the herds of deer. Yes . . . I said herds.
Since we've lived here we've spent a fortune on prevention.
There are the pills that you bury close to the plant roots.
There is the powder you sprinkle around the plants for the slugs.
There is the greasy, slimy stuff you put in a watering can and sprinkle throughout the flower beds.
And there is the spray that you put in a sprayer to mist all of the plants.
What is not pictured are two different kinds of traps . . . . I didn't think it would look too good in a picture.
And after all this . . . . we still have all of the above mentioned varmints . . . . especially the deer.
The powder may work for a little while but then the slugs are back . . . . hungry as ever. We've heard that beer in a dish will work . . . . I guess they get thirsty and drown in the beer. No thanks! I don't want to be buying beer for the slugs and then have to empty the container.
The way My Monet is supposed to look is on the left and on the right is how My Monet looks now. We have tried trapping the sneaky mole and even sprinkling the sticky, greasy stuff in the garden beds . . . .
. . . . but the determined mole (s) keeps burrowing under the small bush resulting in damage to the bush's roots.
Voles are just as bad . . . . only they eat the roots and the bark of plants and part of the problem is mulch.
Mulch is a haven for moles and voles.
But . . . .
. . . .worst of all are the deer.
I have babied this plant for over twenty five years. . . . I dug it up and brought it with me when we downsized. It is unusual because it has a curled edge around every leaf . . . .it is a beautiful plant if the deer would let it get some leaves. I've buried the pills around the roots and sprayed the leaves . . . . you can see how well it has worked.
I've had this hosta for several years and this is the first time that the deer have done this much damage. . . .
. . . .which is evidence that there are more deer eating all plants that are available.
The solutions
This Aborvitae is part of a tree row bordering our back yard. It did make a nice privacy fence until the deer took it upon themselves to try to make the tree into a topiary. . . . from the looks of it . . . .
. . . .the Arborvitae may not make it.
Well things are not hopeless!
I believe that I may have a recipe for deer prevention . . . .
. . . . it is too soon to tell if it is a 100% success . . . . but it is quick . . . . easy . . . . and cheap.
I read about this solution in my Fine Gardening magazine the August 2014 issue on page 12. You can still get the issue if you're interested. The recipe for the repellent came in as a reader's tip. All it takes is eggs and water.
I know . . . . it sounds too simple! I've made the solution twice and so far it seems to be working.
The ratio is 12 eggs to 5 gallons ( 20 quarts) of water.
You can make a smaller batch just as long as you keep the proportions the same . . . .
. . . . 3 eggs to 5 quarts of water.
One thing I did learn that was not in the tip -- strain the solution before you put it in a garden sprayer or spray bottle. If you don't the sprayer could get clogged. Another plus to this deer repellent is that you don't have to apply it after every rain . . . . but as cheap as it is . . . . if we have a lot of rain I reapply.
After all . . . . an ounce of prevention means I have plants with leaves 🙂
This post has the printable recipe for the Natural Deer Repellent. You can make a large batch and make sure you spray all of your plants.
