How to stop deer eating plants is actually a huge concern for you because these animals can destroy your garden. The deer population is increasing daily, and they find your outdoor plants very yummy for their food.

Stop Deer from Eating Plants

So, you cannot retain your plants if you don’t take viable precautions to stop deer from eating your garden plants.

If you worry about what measures you should take to keep the deer away from your garden, our experts are ready to help you, and you will get to know the methods by reading the article thoroughly.

How Can You Stop Deer Eating Plants?

You can stop deer from eating plants by installing the fence around the garden, planting deer-resistant plants, using deer repellant spray, having guard dogs to scare them away, and installing a motion activator in the yard. Making your garden safer and stop deer damage to your garden or garden beds.

– Installing Fence Around the Garden

The most effective method to keep deer away from your garden and even to protect plants is to install a physical fence.

Black mesh deer netting is the most prevalent fencing type to deter deer, which is used by affixing to wooden four by four ones, or a rolled metal beam known as a t-bar. 

Besides, using a stockade fence made of wood boards and positioned firmly in a sequence is an excellent technique to keep deer away, as deer don’t usually jump over the fence when they are unable to see what is on the other part of the fence.

Installing Fence Around the Garden

Installing plastic netting or floating row covers can be another great option if you want to protect your plants at the minimum cost. But no matter what kind of fence you use, make sure that it is placed above eight feet, as deer can jump over eight feet from the ground. 

Moreover, don’t forget to maintain a suitable entrance when establishing a wall around your garden because you will need it to go near your favored plants.

If you find this method to be one that is highly suitable for your livelihood, then you should provide maintenance every two years, so that it would stay still no matter the circumstances or the weather conditions. 

– Using Deer-Repellent Spray

Deer repellant spray is an ideal method to deter deer from your garden, as deer don’t like spray deterrents because they have a disgusting scent and awful taste for them as they try to bite it. You have to apply the spray regularly to get a good result and see your plants are growing healthy. 

There are two types of deer repellent sprays; one is commercially made, and another is homemade. You can choose what is convenient for you, and we will talk about three homemade deer repellant sprays precisely.

The first one is soap deer repellent, made of deodorant bar soap which is needed to be cut into pieces and put into a sock; then you need to install the pouch made of sewing the sock binding with a wooden beam in the garden which will repel the deer due to having a foul odor. 

You can make deer repellant using the stinky smell of rotten eggs and spoiled milk by mixing one tablespoon of cooking oil, one tablespoon of dish soap, and half a cup of milk with an egg along with eight-ounce of water in a 16-ounce spray bottle and spray the mixture in the garden. 

You can make another homemade repellent by mixing eight ounces of white vinegar, six bubbles of peppermint, and four bubbles of rosemary essential oil in the 16 ounces of a spray bottle which you will need to spray around the garden to keep deer away.

Apart from homemade repellents, some famous and popular commercial deer repellents from different brands are available in the market to save your plants from the deer population. 

You can buy them from different places such as a gardening store or an online store. These are ones with chemical substances that when you spray, they would repel the deer from your plants. However, there are a wide variety that you can choose from, what you must know is how to pick the one that is most effective to your need.

 

– Plant Deer-Resistant Plants in Your Garden

You may like to adorn your garden with plants that are not deer resistant, but it would be best if you plant deer-resistant plants as the border around the plants which are not immune to the deer.

Some popular and effective deer-resistant plants are lavender, butterfly bush, catmint, bleeding heart, Iris sring, lamb’s-ear, Russian sage, forsythia, ageratum, daffodil, etc. Planting them in your garden is an influential technique to make deer unwilling to eat your plants. 

The reason why they will be revolted by this is because none of the plants listed have a smooth texture not a smooth foliage that they would be attracted to. On the contrary to the latter, these plants have a hairy texture in addition to a strong scent that they would hate.

– Use Your Dogs to Keep Deer Away

The dog is not only your best companion, but also you can use your beloved pet to keep the deer away from your garden. Let the dog roam around your park, yard, or garden; their natural deterrent will work fine to scare the hungry deer into not eating your plants

Use your Dog to Keep Deer Away

The dog’s bark will also prevent deer from eating your outdoor plants as it creates fear in them. However, when the deer is coming towards your garden in the evening or night time, you can always leave your guarding dog outside to sleep, and after two to three times when the deer get barked, they won’t approach anymore. 

Moreover, you can use fox urine in your garden if deer eat your plants frequently. You cannot utilize foxes physically like dogs to guard your plants, but their urine will make an impression that there are foxes around, and deer will step back.

– Installing a Motion Activator

Installing a motion-activated device will protect your plants effectively from the deer population. A floodlight, wooden wind chimes, flashing and strobe lights, water sprayers, or sprinklers started by motion sensors virtually scare deer away and save your plants.

Either one will trigger them, and they will sense that the environment is not peaceful, as a result, the deer will run and not get the chance to bit off the garden’s features.

– Add Natural Deer Repellents 

Deers are sensitive to certain smells and will avoid odors such as coffee grounds, vinegar, oregano, cloves, garlic, eggs, marigold, lavender, sage and mint. You can place them in various ways, such as on cotton balls or hanging these scents through sponges and from trees, which would revolt them.  

Add Natural Deer Repellents

Basically, these things have a very pungent smell that helps to keep deer away.

Conclusion

Deer is an adorable animal we all love, but we also want to protect our outdoor plants from them.

You already know five effective methods to stop deer from eating plants after reading the article but before wrapping up the piece, let’s revise the main points of the discussion.

  • Deer populations like to eat outdoor plants as their meal, and if you don’t take the necessary precautions, they will ruin your garden.
  • There are plenty of effective methods to keep deer away from your plants; you must apply them according to your convenience and budget.
  • Installing a physical fence around the garden is the most effective way to prevent deer from eating your plants. You can install a net, iron, or wooden fence, but the fence height should be more than 8 feet, as deer can jump over 8 feet from the ground.
  • Using deer repellents with disgusting odors and tastes, which can be commercial or homemade, is another excellent method to stop deer from eating outdoor plants.
  • Planting deer-resistant plants such as lavender, butterfly bush, etc., using a dog to guard the garden, and installing a motion activator to scare the deer away are other fruitful techniques to keep the deer away.

We understand you have been worried about protecting your plants from deer so far, so we have shared five valuable methods to prevent deer from your plants. If you follow our recipes to keep the deer away, you must see a positive result very soon.

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