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mersiepoo

Cheap homemade deer repellent..actually works!

mersiepoo
15 years ago

I did an experiment with my new plants this year. The good thing is is that it works, and my plants haven't been chewed to the ground like they usually are. The bad thing is, is you have to reapply it after a rain, and I am not taking any chances so I apply it every couple of days, at least until the deer have established their feeding habits.

1 egg

1 or 2 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

1 tablespoon of yogurt or milk

Mix in a gallon jug, and pour a little on your plants. I usually make it early in the day so the garlic has a chance to steep. It must work, because other plants that haven't been drenched in the mix have been browsed.

Not sure if it works on rabbits, but the deer avoid it! Don't have to use a ton, I just dribble it on all my plants.

Comments (20)

  • planter_geek
    15 years ago

    How often do you have to re-apply it? How long has it worked?

  • mersiepoo
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I have to apply it after it rains. I didn't want to take any chances so I've been applying it every 3 days or so anyway. We have a serious deer problem here....

  • covella
    15 years ago

    If you add something to help it stick you won't have to apply it as often. They use liquid latex in the commercial products but if you do a search there are many recipes for homemade deer repellent that include a sticking product. I just can't remember what they use. I was thinking dish soap but that would rinse off in a rain.

  • burry
    15 years ago

    I have been using a similar mix -- 1 egg/cup of water (I actually put in five eggs/four cups of water), let it sit outside for awhile and then spray. This is the first year I have had many of my plants since the deer haven't eaten them down.

  • bob-o2009
    15 years ago

    This sounds good but what to do in the winter for my evergreens? I planted about 100 White Pines and Arborvitas last yaer and after a 12" snow the deer and rabbits destroyed most all of em. Will they eat Blue Spruce and Douglas Fir as well?

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    When hungry, deer, rabbits and voles will eat anything. Yes you can spray plants in the winter, remember snow is nothing more than the solid form of liquid water.

    As far as "sticking agents" go, casin in milk/yogurt is the sticker as is a DISH SOAP.

  • DianeGA
    15 years ago

    Does this just taste bad to the deer or is it going to make it stink to humans too? Some of my flowers are pretty close to the house & patio, but the deer ate several hundred daylily buds before they opened. I might not mind smelling garlic... but smelling rotten dairy or eggs is another story.

    And would putting this along the perimeter of my yard help deter them from even coming in?

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    Human's sense of smell is not as acute as deer's or rabbit's are. Within a an hour the "fragrance" is no longer perceptible. Deer/rabbit are sniffers first and then eaters so with these concoctions your are double protected. These concoctions are usually effective for 3-4 wks and must be reapplied as well as after rain, sprinkling or snow showers.

  • rarewisdom_gmail_com
    14 years ago

    Hi, this is a pretty good one but I also use a hot sauce Homemade Deer Repellent that seems to work even after rain.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Deer Repellent

  • victorb3
    14 years ago

    I have been using a random variation of the above ingredients. I have had pretty good results so far. All of my tulips and lilies (which usually leveled to the ground) don't seem to be touched yet. I am pretty confident because the few that I forgot to spray were devoured.

    I always make a gallon at a time and add some amounts of the following: 1-3 eggs, 1-2 tblspn spicy hot cooking oil, 1-2 tblspn hot sauce, 1 teaspn dish soap, 1/2 cup milk, pinch ground hot pepper. Mix all of that in blender and mix with water to make a gallon.

    I tried using crushed red pepper but it kept clogging the nozzle on my sprayer so I switched to ground pepper for extra spice.

    Like I said this seems to work so far. This is my first year making my own but I just did not want to pay so much for the commercial mixes at the nurseries when I go though it so fast.

  • rtg143
    14 years ago

    I do the eggs mixture and add a little ammonia. About 2 oz. to a quart of a 2 eggs and water mix. I use a blender to mix it good then spay it on.

  • w8_4_me
    14 years ago

    We have used hot sauce and vegie oil in a sprayer.
    Bottle of tobasco in a windex bottle...top off with veggie oil and spray away. The veggie helps it stick..it's water repelling...it makes your leaves look real shinny. It doesn't effect the plants and the deer don't like the spicy. Hostas are no longer salad bars. :)

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    10 years ago

    We just had two days of rain so i am spraying again today. I steep the garlic and hot pepper flakes, some water, squirt dish soap, cup oil and let it steep for weeks...I make a few decent size batches in old juice jars and let it sit...I add the egg just before i spray. I use a hand pump cheap sprayer from the big box store, (about 8 bucks)
    A knee high panty hose fits around the opening and draped excess length inside as a strainer. Stick the panty hose back in the juice jar for more use and steeping.
    I didn't bother with the egg this time...i think the oil will give a 'stick'.

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    10 years ago

    I have a gallon water jug i soaked last fall with a big container of hot pepper flakes that got bugs in it. Used water, soap and oil. It held up fine and 'stinks!'. I mixed a batch and added food grade diatomaceous earth and shook it up, have to keep shaking in a sprayer...and sprayed the perimeter of the yard to keep whatever hates it out. Does take care of slugs, maybe ticks.

  • howie707
    10 years ago

    May be a little gross but, works 100% Ingredients/supplies
    Quart of human urine, human hair(hair cutting places will usually give you a bag full), Old socks, Old panty hose or produce bags with many holes like bags grapes come in. Cheap sponges that you can cut up and GLOVES. While wearing the gloves, take pieces of sponge and soak up the urine. Put these sponges in a old sock and tie a LOOSE knot. Take a handful of hair and the sock w/ sponge and stuff them into the bags/ panty hose. You can tie them loosely to posts. You can run a single wire suspended from posts around the perimeter of your garden space and tie these bags/hose every 10' to 20' and the deer will "haul ars"! The reason for the sponge and sock is for when it rains. The sponges are already soaked in urine, the socks will soak up the rain and the sponges will just stay saturated for a longer time. The human hair will last about 6 weeks. So, change the hair about 6 - 8 times a growing season (depending on your growing season length). The sponges should be changed every 2 weeks. If you do half of them at a time ie: freshen up every other one the 2nd week and the other half the fourth week and so on. They will stay strong enough to keep them working. I farm over 11 acres of produce. Everything you can think of. I used to have deer eating my crops nightly and had UNBELIEVABLE economic loses. Since I started this, even the ground hogs stay away. I will catch them eating some of my veggies every once in a while (ground hog) but, I just relocate them. (from above ground to below ground if you catch my drift)!!!!

  • shadeyplace
    10 years ago

    ugh
    I use Liquid fence and then change to other things because they do get used to one thing. By the end of the summer I just let them eat all my hostas and now have simply given up on hostas entirely. Too many and too much trouble particularly if they are far away from the house. Now beginning to plant deer resistant things ... Hellebores are taking the place of my hostas.

  • gardengal619
    9 years ago

    I've been using some stuff that my mom bought for me online, it works really well for me. Let me see if I can find the bottle

  • gardengal619
    9 years ago

    I found it!! It's called Deer Repellent (haha not very clever name but wtvr it works)

    Here is a link that might be useful: This is the website that my mom bought it from!

  • gardengal619
    9 years ago

    haha well i guess the brand name is actually super cute -- it's called "I Must Garden" -- luv it!!!!!

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