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Deer Eating Perennials!
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Posted by denise54 N. Michigan (My Page) on Thu, Jul 16, 09 at 17:17
| I live in N. Michigan on a golf course, with thick woods on three side of the house. I never had deer eat my perennials (coneflowers, black-eyed susans) until this year. I sprayed Liquid Fence on what's left of the plants to (hopefully) protect them. An employee at a local greenhouse told me that she's heard of alot more deer coming into yards and eating things they normally wouldn't eat because of Michigan's "no baiting" law. Does this make sense to anyone? Any other tips would be appreciated too. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Deer Eating Perennials!
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| Deer are everywhere in big numbers and it's a common complaint. I'm sure the no baiting laws contribute some. But also contributing is the loss of their natural habitat to golf courses and housing developments. And though not thought of as deer baiting, people love to fill their low hung bird feeders - which is a great treat for deer, especially in the winter when they can also probably find yews, arborvitae and other shrubbery in the same yards. This establishes an easy food pattern for browsing deer. Deer are opportunists and they're lazy. Unfortunately, now that they've found your yard, they'll routinely be back. Either cage things you want to protect with chicken wire (it disappears into the growing foliage) or start off with Liquid Fence as soon as things start to emerge in the spring, and keep at it. Nothing works for sure all the time, but it can help - and if things are difficult or unpleasant for deer, they lose some interest. |
RE: Deer Eating Perennials!
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| let's not forget to add the loss of the wolf packs -- the deers' natural predators. We humans tend to gripe about the 'danger' predators pose to livestock and such but let's face it -- this was their home first (and it's not like they can just go 'vegan'). |
RE: Deer Eating Perennials!
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| Dang...I thought by the title of your thread that you found some sort of giant Venus Flytrap that ate deer ;-) The key with any repellant is to keep switching them around. Go from rotten egg to predator scent to bath soap, etc. and move their location in the garden as well. The best, of course, is a good fence. Black birdnetting draped over the plants will disappear to the eye but stop the deer as well. tj |
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