Garlic & chili powder sound like an Every Living Thing Deterrence.

I've had success by putting a few habanero peppers into the blender with water, then straining the resulting slop and using it with a pump sprayer. Only takes a few... I kept the strained liquid in a jar in the fridge though I don't know if I really needed to. Doubt too much mold would dare to grow in it. I was assured by a horticulturist that this would not deter (or harm) the bees and butterflies -- that they wouldn't mind the stuff (as long as they could have a frozen margarita too, I guess?) And indeed, it didn't seem to, but did stop the summer browsing the one summer we had some. Don't know if it will work against more serious invasions...

And yes, unfortunately they ARE cute! Here are two fawns checking out my blackberries a year or two ago...

{{gwi:1067432}}

Thanks guys!!
I have tried my hand at a similar recipe but ended up clogging the sprayer bottle. What kind of strainer do you use? My home made mix inadvertently has some settled solids and makes it really difficult. Once I tried using only soap and water but the foam still somehow made the sprayer bottle useless after a few squirts.
I just bought a 2 gallon pump sprayer from Walmart for $ 8.82 or something with the intent of using for the Round up but on second thoughts, I will try to use it for the deer deterrent spray.
Anna/greenbug

A really 'standard' strainer is a paper coffee filter.

I'm still trying to figure out how to convince the deer that my cats are dangerous. They have claws, and teeth, and are very good at killing small stuffed animals and marbles.

The strainer I use is my small hand-held wire mesh kitchen strainer. It seems to have a fine enough mesh to screen out anything that would clog my sprayer - mostly small garlic pieces that the highest setting on my blender hasn't liquified - not much.

Wow, Deb, I hope you published or are planning to publish this somewhere besides the forum. It's a very good read; and it deserves wider circulation. Rusty Spade, maybe?

I can also add this thread to the How do I keep deer and moose from eating up my garden? FAQ

I've been watching the thread - I can't add it right now, but soon. That FAQ was also taken directly from a GW thread with credit to everyone who posted.

Claire

I tried all kinds of natural and chemical deterrents last year, and the deer (and my resident Bunny FooFoo) simply considered them all to be condiments. So I bought a "scarecrow" which is a motion-activated sprinkler to post near one of my beds. So this year we'll see who hates it more, the deer or the silly gardener who keeps forgetting and walking past it.

I run a wire around the four stakes posted in each corner of my vegetable garden. .I cut up bars of soap(Ivory or English Spring) into about 4 cubes per bar, tie them up in old panty hose and then tie each bundle to the wire spaced about 4 feet apart. I have done this for the past 2 years and not once has any deer bothered my vegetable garden even though I see deer frequently in my field that surrounds the garden .

two seasons ago, we tried the irish spring to great comic effect...
in light,warm rain, a bear came along, picked up the soap and rolled around the garden. she used a young Kolkwitzia (beauty bush) as a giant back scratching loofah, too.
the bush made a "beautiful" comeback, but not the irish spring;)
last season, the bear developed a hankering for hollytone. made off with a giant bag.
wonder what she'll be jonesing for this year?

Deb,
Lol..great info as well as comic relief I agree with Nan we should post this on Rusty Spade. Ironically I just purchased a new bottle of Bobbex that regardless of competing odors from chemical products on the surrounding shelves the smell of Bobbex (still tightly bottled) caused me to gag. Does your recipe start to smell as foul as Bobbex after a day or two? I also have an abundance of pet hair, what are your thoughts about spreading the hair on the newly sprayed plants? I have tried the Bobbex-R in the past to deter rabbits and as I recall when comparing the two products (Bobbex and Bobbex-R)the main difference was the addition of caster oil in Bobbex-R. Thanks for the great recipe.

kt - The Bobbex smell disappears for the most part (to evolutionarily atrophied human noses) as soon as it dries, but I can tell you from personnel experience that you want to be standing upwind while spraying and just take your chances with the deer nibbling on your bare legs! The homemade spray never smalls.

Mindy, if I am recalling correctly, posted a tip last year passed on by a hostaholic friend to place a clump of hair down in the crown of hostas (to remain unobtrusive). That tip was for human hair, but I bet pet hair would work also. Of course you asked about pet hair spread on newly sprayed plants. I would recommend just planting lamb's ear if you have a craving for fuzzy plants. Or petting your moss.

dporcella - thanks for posting; thinking of a bear in the garden makes me feel MUCH better about my rabbit problems. Even one happily lolling with a bar of soap scares me enough to be grateful that all I have to worry about is losing my lettuce or some hosta to a (comparatively) cute little bunny.

I just bought Bobbex today - however I'm a little skeptical about how effective it would be before the foliage leafs out. I have bragged one time too many about how I NEVER see deer because I live in much too heavily a populated area - well guess who came to visit with three friends last week - first wildlife I have seen in my yard in 10 years. I wanted to mark the perimeters with some type of deer deterrent before some tasty hosta become visible. Do you think they can smell them under the ground? When I visited the store, I planned to purchase some coyote urine to pour around the perimeter of my yard - shows how little I know...ha

Deb ~

What a great post -- I agree with the others! You ought to continue writing, collect your posts and publish! :)

~ K

Thanks for all the encouragement! I was sick, so indulged in some ubercomputerzombieness.

:D

I used to work at a large CT garden center & questions about deer vs. landscaping continued season after season after season.

Sadly, there is no permanent solution because of man's encroachment into the deer's habitat. More developement (in woodlands/fields) mean more landscaping and.. hey!.. deer are not stupid. They love the stuff that people plant in their yards much more than the stuff they find in the forests. It's almost like the tastebuds of the deer population have evolved due to the variety of "buffets" homeowners offer them.

Molie

I spent some time doing a little minor editing of this post (removing mypage, clip this post etc., and dates) and I can add it to the FAQ if people want. or not, if people object.

Any comments?

Claire

A few years after this FAQ was written, cloud_9 started a thread on the New England Gardening Forum entitled
Deer Deterrence Tips. Many Garden Web members responded with their experiences, as listed below.

Posted by cloud_9 z6 CT

Perhaps SOME are lucky enough to have an 8 foot fence all round their property. That is deer prevention. For the rest of us, some sort of deterrence is in order. Nothing is foolproof, but here are a few tips to help you fight the good fight.

You can try planting those plants that have a reputation of being poisonous or unappealing to deer. There are many lists available, but deer will browse most plants at some point or other especially hungry deer early in the season and those cantankerous ones that just want to thumb their noses at you (no mean task when you come equipped with hooves). And maybe you LIKE hostas and other deer candy. The sneaky deer in my neighborhood were quite capable of ignoring the daylily foliage and then nimbly snipping off the flowers. How many of us grow daylilies for their foliage? I have also had deer blithely eat rose bushes with thorns so long and numerous as to make Morticia Addams swoon. Obviously these are formidable enemy.

Deer are creatures of habit. It is best if you start off early in the season convincing them that your neighbors offerings are much more appealing than yours. The first thing to do is provide some sort of smell/taste disincentive. Perhaps others will weigh in with recommendations for other brands of deer spray/deterrents, but I really liked Bobbex. (Newtown, CT company!) It is an all-natural product that doesnt wash off in the rain like some (most) of the others and has the added advantage of being a foliar feeder and anti-desiccant. You can buy it in premixed spray bottles, but save money over the long haul and get the concentrate. They also make a small critter spray called Bobbex-R That might be worth a try too.

After that endorsement I feel a little goofy admitting that for the past couple of years I have been making my own deer spray (I need LOTS). I have had good results as long as I remember to spray consistently and after it rains. Here is the recipe:

Homemade Deer Spray 
INGREDIENTS 
1 gallon of water 
1 cup of milk (but I have seen recipes that call for ½ cup) 
1 egg 
1 Tsp vegetable oil 
1 or 2 cloves of garlic 
1 Tsp dish soap

I have a giant container of chili powder from Costco that is getting old that I am going to try adding to the mix this year. I will let you know how it works for me. In other words, feel free to get creative

DIRECTIONS: Put the milk, egg, oil and garlic in a blender and really blend well pour through cheesecloth or a fine-screened strainer into a 1 gallon sprayer or a gallon milk jug and add the water. If you dont blend well or strain the mix you run the risk of egg blobs or garlic bits clogging your sprayer. Then you will have to chase the deer away with your #@%$&ing!!!. Add the dish soap (try to use an organic or at least an uncomplicated soap like the original ivory do they still make that?) and SWIRL rather than shake to mix Mr. Bond. You dont want lots of suds. If you have a small sprayer or dont need the whole gallon use a milk jug to mix. Then you can stick the well-labeled remainder in the fridge for a week or two. (Ewww, Mom, this milk tastes BAD!) Try not to spray at high noon in full sun cloudy days are ideal.

Whichever way you go, I strongly urge you to get a 1 or 2 gallon pump sprayer. They are relatively inexpensive and will stop your cramped-up hands from looking like Fred Sanfords when he was trying to get out of work. (Ooops aging myself!) I got my 1-gallon for $16. You can find them for less.

You want to start off early in the season as soon as new growth starts and reapply as new growth appears. Continue throughout the season every few of weeks or so especially after rain (or as directed on commercial spray). Some will need to spray and or wrap in the winter also. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on that front.

The second method of deterrence, and in my view, the most important: to develop a reputation. Remember as a kid the yard you never wanted your ball to go into because the person who lived there was crazy? Yea, you want to be that person. The best way is by shouting and flailing your arms at the deer as they munch away on your Mothers Day present. Youll have to try hard to convince them because deer are by their natures cynical creatures. At first they will stare at you like, "You are kidding, right?" Sometimes wearing imaginative costumes such as a bathrobe and slippers or carrying props such as your morning coffee that you must try very hard not to slosh as you run in the afore mentioned bedroom slippers is an effective strategy. Soon the deer will only look sideways at your property and warn away their friends. This reputation can also work to keep problem neighbors from getting in your face and you will certainly find far less balls in your flowerbeds (and have to pass out less Halloween candy).

If you want to have a vegetable garden, you will probably want to fence it. Deer can leap like the dickens, so the recommendations that deer fence should be 8 feet tall is not exaggerated. Mine was 6 feet tall. You take your chances where you may. You could have taller posts and use a wire strung along the top to reduce the fencing cost. Lots of punji sticks in the form of tomato stakes could help. As long as you are making the effort to fence your garden, make it easy on yourself and deter the smaller critters at the same time by putting a smaller screened (think chipmunk) wire mesh at the bottom of your fence that is bent out along the ground in an "L" to prevent burrowing (think woodchucks and wascally wabbits). If you grow raccoon chow you will almost certainly need an electrical fence wire.

I saw the strangest thing the other day. There was a single deer in my yard and I called the kids to see it before I started to "enhance my reputation". Just as they arrived at the window, a big crow swooped down and chased that deer away! I knew I liked crows!

So, if you dont have your own trained attack crows for hire, good luck with those deer. On a final note: awww, arent they cuuute??? :-P

Deb

Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by tree_oracle z6b MA

Garlic & chili powder sound like an Every Living Thing Deterrence.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by ctlady z5 CT

I've had success by putting a few habanero peppers into the blender with water, then straining the resulting slop and using it with a pump sprayer. Only takes a few... I kept the strained liquid in a jar in the fridge though I don't know if I really needed to. Doubt too much mold would dare to grow in it. I was assured by a horticulturist that this would not deter (or harm) the bees and butterflies -- that they wouldn't mind the stuff (as long as they could have a frozen margarita too, I guess?) And indeed, it didn't seem to, but did stop the summer browsing the one summer we had some. Don't know if it will work against more serious invasions...
And yes, unfortunately they ARE cute! Here are two fawns checking out my blackberries a year or two ago...

(photo unavailable)

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by greenbug zone 6_CT

Thanks guys!!
I have tried my hand at a similar recipe but ended up clogging the sprayer bottle. What kind of strainer do you use? My home made mix inadvertently has some settled solids and makes it really difficult. Once I tried using only soap and water but the foam still somehow made the sprayer bottle useless after a few squirts.
I just bought a 2 gallon pump sprayer from Walmart for $ 8.82 or something with the intent of using for the Round up but on second thoughts, I will try to use it for the deer deterrent spray.
Anna/greenbug

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips
Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY

A really 'standard' strainer is a paper coffee filter.

I'm still trying to figure out how to convince the deer that my cats are dangerous. They have claws, and teeth, and are very good at killing small stuffed animals and marbles.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by cloud_9 z6 CT

The strainer I use is my small hand-held wire mesh kitchen strainer. It seems to have a fine enough mesh to screen out anything that would clog my sprayer - mostly small garlic pieces that the highest setting on my blender hasn't liquified - not much.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips
Posted by diggingthedirt CapeCod Z7?

Wow, Deb, I hope you published or are planning to publish this somewhere besides the forum. It's a very good read; and it deserves wider circulation. Rusty Spade, maybe?

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips
Posted by claire z6b Coastal MA

I can also add this thread to the How do I keep deer and moose from eating up my garden? FAQ.

I've been watching the thread - I can't add it right now, but soon. That FAQ was also taken directly from a GW thread with credit to everyone who posted.

Claire

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by crabgrass_central 5-6

I tried all kinds of natural and chemical deterrents last year, and the deer (and my resident Bunny FooFoo) simply considered them all to be condiments. So I bought a "scarecrow" which is a motion-activated sprinkler to post near one of my beds. So this year we'll see who hates it more, the deer or the silly gardener who keeps forgetting and walking past it.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by annie_nh z4/5 NH

I run a wire around the four stakes posted in each corner of my vegetable garden. .I cut up bars of soap(Ivory or English Spring) into about 4 cubes per bar, tie them up in old panty hose and then tie each bundle to the wire spaced about 4 feet apart. I have done this for the past 2 years and not once has any deer bothered my vegetable garden even though I see deer frequently in my field that surrounds the garden .

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by dporcella z5MA

two seasons ago, we tried the irish spring to great comic effect...
in light,warm rain, a bear came along, picked up the soap and rolled around the garden. she used a young Kolkwitzia (beauty bush) as a giant back scratching loofah, too.
the bush made a "beautiful" comeback, but not the irish spring;)
last season, the bear developed a hankering for hollytone. made off with a giant bag.
wonder what she'll be jonesing for this year?

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by runktrun z7a MA

Deb,
Lol..great info as well as comic relief I agree with Nan we should post this on Rusty Spade. Ironically I just purchased a new bottle of Bobbex that regardless of competing odors from chemical products on the surrounding shelves the smell of Bobbex (still tightly bottled) caused me to gag. Does your recipe start to smell as foul as Bobbex after a day or two? I also have an abundance of pet hair, what are your thoughts about spreading the hair on the newly sprayed plants? I have tried the Bobbex-R in the past to deter rabbits and as I recall when comparing the two products (Bobbex and Bobbex-R)the main difference was the addition of caster oil in Bobbex-R. Thanks for the great recipe.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by cloud_9 z6 CT

kt - The Bobbex smell disappears for the most part (to evolutionarily atrophied human noses) as soon as it dries, but I can tell you from personnel experience that you want to be standing upwind while spraying and just take your chances with the deer nibbling on your bare legs! The homemade spray never smalls.

Mindy, if I am recalling correctly, posted a tip last year passed on by a hostaholic friend to place a clump of hair down in the crown of hostas (to remain unobtrusive). That tip was for human hair, but I bet pet hair would work also. Of course you asked about pet hair spread on newly sprayed plants. I would recommend just planting lamb's ear if you have a craving for fuzzy plants. Or petting your moss.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by diggingthedirt CapeCod Z7?

dporcella - thanks for posting; thinking of a bear in the garden makes me feel MUCH better about my rabbit problems. Even one happily lolling with a bar of soap scares me enough to be grateful that all I have to worry about is losing my lettuce or some hosta to a (comparatively) cute little bunny.

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by hostabuff z6 (ne MA)

I just bought Bobbex today - however I'm a little skeptical about how effective it would be before the foliage leafs out. I have bragged one time too many about how I NEVER see deer because I live in much too heavily a populated area - well guess who came to visit with three friends last week - first wildlife I have seen in my yard in 10 years. I wanted to mark the perimeters with some type of deer deterrent before some tasty hosta become visible. Do you think they can smell them under the ground? When I visited the store, I planned to purchase some coyote urine to pour around the perimeter of my yard - shows how little I know...ha

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by katie_gardener

Deb ~

What a great post -- I agree with the others! You ought to continue writing, collect your posts and publish! :)

~ K

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by cloud_9 z6 CT

Thanks for all the encouragement! I was sick, so indulged in some ubercomputerzombieness.

:D

RE: Deer Deterrence Tips

Posted by molie z6 CT

I used to work at a large CT garden center & questions about deer vs. landscaping continued season after season after season.

Sadly, there is no permanent solution because of man's encroachment into the deer's habitat. More developement (in woodlands/fields) mean more landscaping and.. hey!.. deer are not stupid. They love the stuff that people plant in their yards much more than the stuff they find in the forests. It's almost like the tastebuds of the deer population have evolved due to the variety of "buffets" homeowners offer them.

Molie

Someone had posted in 'inexpensive place to buy deer repellent bushes/trees?' and a poster responded with the recommendation of using Milorganite.....raquet ball sized amount in old panty hoes, tie it to tree brances along perimeter. So I went to my local nursery and was told almost everyone buys this fertilizer specifically for deer repellent. How come I am just hearing about it now! So for $13 I got a bag and will give it a try. I'm sure I must have old knee highs or panty house stuffed in my dresser drawer, lol. But he also said, like all products, you do need to rotate repellents. You can spread it on the ground but obviously it will need replacing sooner.

The deer did the worst damage this past year than any time in the last 12 years! Nips everywhere...boo hoo. But I plant only shrubs. The bunny explosion last year took out all my annuals in an enclosed garden section, so time to get chicken wire to augment my 2-1/2' fencing.

Anyway, thought I would pass along the deer repellent item and if anyone has tried it, can you post your experience?

OK, since there have been no outcries, I added this thread to the How do I keep deer and moose from eating up my garden? FAQ.

I can easily add more if the thread continues.

This shouldn't prevent Deb (cloud_9) from continuing with her writing - it just allows Garden Webbers access to the information.

Claire

I am going to try this because I live on 4 acres and have the space to put it up in trees where it will not be disturbed.

-----------------

What are the alternatives for those who dont have the cash to invest in all of those commercial products? Well, anything with a strong odor will work for a while. Strong smelling soaps are effective when placed in various spots around the garden. Deer will get used to a the scent after a while, so scents should be switched around after a week or two. Perhaps the best repellent is simple kerosene. Just soaking a few rags and placing them a few yards apart will repel deer for weeks. While we will have to put up with the smell for a couple of days, a deers sensitive nose will pick up the odor much longer. They simply cant stand it and wont come near. This is the one thing that always works, but it has its drawbacks too. It really stinks, and it is messy and greasy to apply. It is difficult to get off of hands and clothing, so care must be taken when using it. Rubber gloves are a must when handling the rags. Planning to stay out of the garden for a day or two is a good idea. After that, the odor shouldnt be a problem.

To repeat what deb referred to:
susan kierstead, owner of the wonderful Perennials by Susan nursery in amherst, n.h.,grows and sells hundreds of hostas.She regularly picks up bags of swept-up hair clippings from a local hair salon, and places a wad in the middle of her hosta crowns. she says it works great.

that kerosene trick sounds terrific,marquest.

mindy

Living in an area of SE MA that is prone to forest fires, the idea of putting kerosene in the garden scares me half to death.

Claire

I shudder to think of the VOCs that are given off if the smell is enough to drive you out of the garden for a few days!