Dinner is served. Unfortunately, dinner is your hosta collection.
Deer can be persistent pests once they understand that your yard or garden is easy picking and that you pose little threat. It is far easier to dissuade them from coming in to begin with than to persuade them to stay away once they have invaded. In order to make the most effective possible stand against deer, try to irritate them using as many of their senses against them as possible. Does this Spark an idea?
Feel
Erect a barrier fence to keep deer out of smaller areas. Deer have been known to leap objects up to12 feet in height. If this is too great a burden to consider, some creative individuals have had success in stringing thin wire or fishing line through areas where deer pass. These are difficult to see and can make deer reluctant to cross the zone.
Sound
Use string (with a free 6 to 12 inches of length) to tie empty aluminum pie plates or heavy foil roasting pans to stakes or fence posts in the garden. These will catch the breeze and bang against the posts, making intermittent noise that will frighten deer from the area. As a bonus, the movement may also make them nervous enough to reconsider approaching.
Sight
Add a human form to your outdoor space to deter deer from approaching. Stuff a set of old clothes and prop it in a porch swing or against a sturdy post. Use baling wire or twine to secure the figure. Add an additional deterrent by including human hair or a bar of soap with your figure to give off a scent.
Smell
Trick deer into avoiding your precious greenery by purchasing coyote (or other predator) urine to distribute around the perimeter of your property. Exotic animal and predator hair and scat can also send deer fleeing in another direction. Ask for them at a local zoo or animal sanctuary.
Pets can provide an effective security system, harassing any intruding animals. The scent of your pet may also cause deer to seek an easier meal elsewhere.
Taste
Once deer are close enough to the plants to come into direct contact, the best bet is to make their favorite foods unappetizing. Spray a mixture of two eggs, two cups of water, 2 tbsp.cayenne pepper, and 2 tbsp. dish soap liberally on the leaves of plants.
Your plants will not mind the spray, but it will irritate the nose and mouth of any deer who tries a bite. Plants will need an additional dose of spray every few days and after any rain or watering.
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