Deer deterrents?

[miles.o]

The water fountain is a great idea to repel deer, especially if you don't have a lot of them roaming around, eating things in your garden! A great way to continue to scare them off is to move them to different locations in your garden so they don't get used to the noise..

[Terisaccount]

I fought the battle with deer for 14 years in my last house. Deer get used to being near humans and get used to all the tricks we try: sounds, scarecrows, flashing sheet metal, big cat urine (zoos sell), Irish Spring, dryer sheets, pepper spray, 6 foot fencing, etc. My garden always lost, and I was starting to look like Bill Murray in his battle with the ground hogs. (Catty Shack) Roses (and other flowers) are deer truffles; they came for dessert and would stay for dinner, wiping out all my flowers, hydrangea, shrubs and many trees, even some described as deer proof.

I gave my roses away. With the "truffles" gone, I planted more of what they disliked such as most herbs, rhododendron, pyracantha, madrone, and needled shrubs and trees, and moved the vegetable garden to a compact rectangle on a ledge 3 feet up, completely enclosed in chicken wire.

Then I sat on the deck drinking my mint julep and enjoyed them, knowing the the ivy and periwinkle the poor starving creatures were eating will recover just fine.

[fireflies]

Bamboo really works. I have also seen mesh laid across it.

Bamboo is really great. I haven't had any issues with deer in my neighborhood since I got some.

[Charm Dreier]

I have a few ideas that no one mentioned yet in the previous posts. Motion-activated sprinkler-- starts and sprays water on them as they come near the radar. Very effective at startling them into bolting out of your garden. The other idea is deer spray. Some brands are "Liquid Fence", "Deer Off", & "Not Tonight, Deer" (which has a very funny illustration of two beer in bed on the front of the bottle). They are natural but totally nasty!!!! They are made with putrified egg solids and capsicum peppers, and usually also garlic. They stink to high heaven when you are applying them. Don't apply them in a wind since it will spray back on you and you will want to puke at how bad you smell. I think the first few days, the deer (and other munching creatures, such as rabbits) are repelled by the horrible stink, but after the stink receeds after a couple of days, they might take a bite only to realize that the plant now tastes horrible! It really works. It lasts until it rains or gets sprayed off by irrigation sprayers or the plant grows out. I generally spray some of my clients gardens once a month with the stuff.

[LIcenter]

If you have a deer problem DO NOT plant Hosta's. It's deer salad, and they will eat you out of house and yard. All the big box stores sell a black mesh plastic fence, that has one inch squares. You wouldn't think this flimsy stuff would stop them, but it does. How it works is, the deer can't see it, and have no way to know how to judge how high or wide it is, so they just back off, and move on to the neighbors house.

[garby8265]

If you have a deer problem DO NOT plant Hosta's. It's deer salad, and they will eat you out of house and yard. All the big box stores sell a black mesh plastic fence, that has one inch squares. You wouldn't think this flimsy stuff would stop them, but it does. How it works is, the deer can't see it, and have no way to know how to judge how high or wide it is, so they just back off, and move on to the neighbors house.

I've heard the same thing about hostas apparently deer absolutely love them.