11 Ways To Keep Deer Out Of Your Garden + Dad's Foolproof Solution

Table of Content

• Keep Deer Preferred Plants Close to Home
• Wrap new plantings
• Noise Deterrents for Deer
• Ways to Keep Deer Out of the Garden
• All sharing options for:
• There are ways to live alongside deer without destroying your garden.

This Old House Plumbing & Heating Expert Richard Trethewey demonstrates how siphons work. Richard shows how siphons are the basic principle that make toilets work, even if the water supply in the house was turned off. You could set off firecrackers or create a tin can wind chime, but tuning a radio to the static in between stations might be your best bet. Deer don't like bright lights so they'll often wait till nightfall to chow down. Installing a system of motion-sensitive floodlights will literally stop a deer in its tracks, though they do come to realize, over time, that the beam is harmless.

It’s what gives rotten eggs that sulfur smell and makes it one of the more effective repellents against deer. Other home remedies for keeping deer away from your annuals include blood meal, talcum powder, hot sauce or cayenne pepper sprinkled around your annual plants. Placing clumps of dog hair around the base of your plants is also effective. Covering your annual plants is an effective way to block deer from munching on flowers and foliage. Placing an invisible netting or mesh cover over your plants stops deer but does not block the sun or detract from the aesthetic value of your plants. If you want something even less visible, consider placing thin stakes, slightly taller than your plants, around your garden.

Keep Deer Preferred Plants Close to Home

There are DIY deer-defying sprays for plants, such as rotten egg and water, soap spray, and hot pepper spray, and there are also many types of commercial repellent sprays. Be sure to keep your deer repellent sprays as organic as possible. Some people even try to lure deer away by planting the animal's favorite foods in a remote part of the property, far from gardens and flower beds.

Here are some of the many aromatic plants to use in your garden. Luckily, there are numerous ways to answer that question, though the taste is a huge factor. Deer-resistant plants like marigolds are toxic to most animals, though there is little evidence that suggests this is the reason deer avoid it. Limiting the number of fruit trees in your yard is one way to keep deer from coming back year after year. With less variety and specimens to choose from, they grow less inclined to make that quick pit stop to your home to sample forbidden fruits.

Wrap new plantings

But if deer are unclear about liking something, they'll try it, so even things they don't like aren't always safe to plant. It's a good idea to start the design of your garden with known deer-resistant plants. These plants grow all over North America, and I bet some are also growing around your house.

Beat the eggs and milk, then add cooking oil, detergent, and water. You can store the mixture in the refrigerator and reapply every two weeks and after heavy rain. Some gardeners claim that using Irish Spring soap puts deer off. Deer appear to be put off by it, despite the fact that it is a pleasant smell for most people. Try sprinkling the soap around your garden after grating it. Hanging soap cubes on tree limbs has been suggested by others.

Noise Deterrents for Deer

Deer stripping or damaging tree bark with their antlers may be prevented by wrapping the trees. To protect a tree, you can install metal mesh, chicken wire, or thick plastic sheeting to keep deer away from the trunk. A few inches from the trunk, install the protective tree wrap.

Sprinkle granules or powders made with garlic, hot peppers, strongly scented soap, or other unpleasant odors. Here are 12 sustainable, humane methods to keep deer out of your garden, grouped into four major strategies. This will make the formula concentrated but easy to spray. When deer approach your property, you may place sprinklers in strategic locations to humanely target them if you have a large yard.

Ways to Keep Deer Out of the Garden

Toxic plants to avoid include bleeding heart, daffodils, foxglove, monkshood, poppies, and spurges. Sprinklers that activate when they detect movement may help to keep deer and other animals out of your yard. If anybody approaches, the sprinklers will release a strong stream of water. Yard enforcers operate night and day, using a 120° arc of spray to keep the grass wet. When attempting to keep deer out of your yard, it’s best to be realistic about the techniques in order to avoid disappointment.

Living in the woods, I had more than just deer to deal with; rabbits, woodchucks, and even the occasional bear were frequent visitors. One summer, I had a black bear who thought the hummingbird feeder on my porch was his personal drinking fountain. But when it was time to put in the garden, their cuteness wore off real fast. In late fall, when hunting season arrived, I would admonish them all to stick close to the house.

Liquid Soap Deer Repellent

If you’ve already got a decent fence built, you can extend the height by 1 to 2 feet by adding hardware cloth to achieve the 7-foot minimum. There's not enough room for them to jump the fence without landing in a tree. While they might be able to reach over those fences, they don't seem to like putting their heads in a cage. Even though they may sample almost every plant, they have sensitive taste buds and a strong sense of smell.

Apparently, deer are averse to fragrant soaps like Irish Spring, Ivory, and Lifebuoy. Tie a piece of florist foam to one end of the wire then insert the other end to the tiny hole inside the cup. Soak the florist foam with urine until the foam has become saturated with the liquid. Tie the cups to the trees and bushes where you want deer repelled.