You are familiar with deer as the majestic animals that gracefully walk across the wooded ridges and generally try to stay away from people.  If you have children, you know Bambi and perhaps you even share your child’s love for this little fawn and its trials and tribulations.  Drivers know of the dangers that encountering a deer in the middle of the road at night or at dusk may bring with them.

Deer are herbivores, which mean that they are entirely vegetarian.  Because their teeth have specially designed enamel ridges, they are able to grind a variety of plants and leaves, thereby making them exceedingly well adapted to forage in a number of different locations, no matter what the indigenous vegetation may be. Yet unlike other grazing animals, such as sheep for example, deer are not content with grazing, but instead seek out the more nutritious leaves, plant shoots, twigs, fruits, and tender plants. What makes deer such incredible pests to the gardeners is their propensity for only taking one or two bites off a plant before moving on to the next one. This causes a widespread damage to the entire garden that is not limited to only a few species of plants or trees.

As a gardener you may now be wondering what you can do to get those graceful creatures to move on and leave your garden in peace.  While some may welcome this problem as an opportunity to replenish their venison supply in the refrigerator, others do not wish to harm these beautiful creatures.  For those in the latter category, there are a number of remedies, some of which sound a bit far-fetched, that some folks will swear by.  While there does not appear to be a tried and true method that will control your particular deer problem at a level of one-hundred percent, the remedies are so varied and inexpensive, that one is bound to work on your specific herd of invaders and aid you in deer-proofing your yard.

Many swear by the use of cayenne pepper around the perimeter of the portion of your property you wish to protect.  Be sure to use fresh cayenne pepper, and not the stuff that has been languishing in the back of your pantry since purchasing the spice rack thirteen years ago.  Odds are that by now it has lost much of its pungency and therefore also effectiveness.  Be sure to reapply the cayenne pepper after extensive watering and rainfall.

Applying a single strand of strong fishing line around the portion of your garden you wish to protect is said to confuse deer to such an extend that they will move on, since they do not seem to be able to figure out what causes the invisible barrier.  Of course, others have reported that this has led to deer actually attempting to jump over the invisible barrier, doing more damage to plants by trampling them in the process.

Deer have an extreme dislike for mint and sage, and inter-planting these herbs with your flowers may discourage deer from continuing to forage on your property.

Another method of deterring deer is to spread goat urine, but this might be hard to come by unless your next-door neighbor happens to raise goats.

Substances, such as “Liquid Fence Deer Repellant” may be sprayed on surfaces most likely to be chewed by deer.  Success is said to be rather high, but only if the substance is reapplied at least every two weeks.

Prune lower branches of trees that might attract deer.

Some swear by a substance known as blood meal which may be bought at gardening supply stores and which is said to frighten deer away.  Others report that the deer appear to be unimpressed by the substance and continue their foraging.

If the damage is so widespread that you will have to replant your yard, consider using deer-resistant plants.  While no plant is completely deer-resistant in the face of a starving herd, there are a number of plants that will convince deer to move on and look for vittles elsewhere. Amongst them are spruces, junipers, pines, rhododendron, hydrangea, ferns, ivy, echinacea, iris, lupines, and many others. Your neighborhood nursery should be able to give you more information on the kinds of shrubs, trees, and flowers that will grow in your area.  Additionally, most deer resistant plants are also labeled thusly.

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2. Organic Methods to Get Rid of Spider Mites
3. Organic Garden Sprays To Keep Nibbling Animals Away
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5. Three Methods to Plant a Vegetable Garden

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