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Old 05-21-2014, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
36,499 posts, read 53,926,720 times
Reputation: 47912

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Off the top of my head these are the methods I've tried which did not work
1) hair (no pun intended)
2) Irish Spring soap
3) sent DH around to pee all over the place
4) moth balls- bad for the environment
5) I Must Garden- made here in Chapel Hill
6) about 10 other deer repellents
7) coyote pee- just brought more coyote to our property
8) motion detector sprinkler head- UPS man was not amused!
9) bird netting over low growing ground cover-deer got antlers stuck in it and tore it all to shreds
10) 7 ft deer fence- Hooray! something which finally works but we've had to have repairs twice where deer tried to break through
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Old 05-21-2014, 08:35 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 30,237,801 times
Reputation: 10516
Quote:
Originally Posted by no kudzu View Post
Off the top of my head these are the methods I've tried which did not work
1) hair (no pun intended)
2) Irish Spring soap
3) sent DH around to pee all over the place
4) moth balls- bad for the environment
5) I Must Garden- made here in Chapel Hill
6) about 10 other deer repellents
7) coyote pee- just brought more coyote to our property
8) motion detector sprinkler head- UPS man was not amused!
9) bird netting over low growing ground cover-deer got antlers stuck in it and tore it all to shreds
10) 7 ft deer fence- Hooray! something which finally works but we've had to have repairs twice where deer tried to break through
Yeah, short of putting up a fence, I've given up on trying to keep them out of my yard. I've w oaken up in the middle of the night to see 6-8 just roaming through the yard. They'll even walk up by my porch and garage. At this point I'm only interest in plants they don't eat or even nibble.

Oh how I miss growing sunflowers. Haven't seen one of them in my yard for 8 years.
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Old 05-21-2014, 10:23 PM
 
1,036 posts, read 1,950,099 times
Reputation: 1261
I've never seen the grazing pressure as high as it's been this spring, probably due to the single-digit temps we had last winter that killed all the deer food in the woods. We finally put an 8-foot-tall fence around the shade garden, which solved the problem there, but they still come into the front yard and chow down. Commercial repellents work for a week or so, or until the next time it rains, but it's hard to keep up a regular spraying schedule when you work for a living. We tried Deerscram, a granular product that you sprinkle around ornamental plants, and it worked - but gets very expensive very quickly. Right now I'm just putting up wire barriers around the shrubs deer like best; may continue the fence all the way around the yard eventually. It seems to be the only sure thing out there.
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Old 05-21-2014, 11:18 PM
 
1,994 posts, read 5,952,567 times
Reputation: 2047
My neighbor swears by I Must Garden deer repellent (spicy version...made in Chapel Hill!). We live in the woods surrounded by Duke Forest (aka bambi land), and she has beautiful unmolested hostas. I'm testing it out on a plot of impatiens surrounding our mailbox, they've lasted a week so far which is saying something in these parts.
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Old 05-22-2014, 01:23 PM
 
119 posts, read 200,864 times
Reputation: 172
Irises, crocuses, and daffodils are the only nice-looking flowers we've seen survive--but they will still munch on them. The only reason our crocuses and daffodils usually escape is that that they are around for a short time. The deer ate our irises's leaves over the winter, but the irises come back stronger and haven't been touched since flowering.

Other than that, the only sustained success we've had is with herbs (mints, lavender, cilantro, rosemary) and a few other basic plants without attractive flowers (lamb's ear, ajuga/bugleweed). Any bushes with tough, thick, or spiky leaves are also often (but not always) safe.

And remember, what the deer won't eat...the rabbits probably will!
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Old 05-22-2014, 02:28 PM
 
2,464 posts, read 4,156,612 times
Reputation: 2350
I never seen any of the repellents work. My wife grabbed a bunch of plants off of those "deer won't eat it" lists, and they still ate them! A fence is about the only thing that keeps them out.
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Old 05-22-2014, 03:03 PM
 
363 posts, read 1,210,862 times
Reputation: 247
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluewillow2 View Post
Deer don't bother our knock out roses either. Almanac Gardener mentioned a spray called "Bobbex", I think, that would repel the deer. I would like more flowering shrubs also.
I guess our deer are just hungrier because they devour our knock-outs
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Old 05-22-2014, 04:26 PM
 
1,231 posts, read 3,143,985 times
Reputation: 1461
Like you I have tried a repellant and cant afford a fence. I tell you what works 100% in the summer. A motion activated sprinkler. Look up contech scarecrow on amazon. Obviously disconnect in winter.

Works for me plus 2 year warranty. Amazon.com : Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler : Lawn And Garden Sprinklers : Patio, Lawn & Garden
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Old 05-28-2014, 06:50 PM
 
1,246 posts, read 4,181,849 times
Reputation: 1069
I was told Milorganite (Milorganite | Home) will repel deer, but no longer than 30 minutes after I applied it ALL OVER the yard tonight, I saw a deer in the yard. I am looking into archery classes now.
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Old 05-28-2014, 07:30 PM
 
Location: My House
34,937 posts, read 36,163,891 times
Reputation: 26547
Deer love petunias. Just FYI.

Don't ask me how I know.
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