any ideas of how to keep the deer from eating my flowers. no chemicals. don't want to harm them.?

Question

would a scarecrow work? would windchimes work? help.

Answer 1

All of those answers sound good but I would go with the cayenne pepper. It will be the least noticeable and wont bother you with a nasty smell like pee would. It would also keep you from collecting hair. cheap and easyway to go, buy it sprinkle it and kick back and relax.

Answer 2

Deer will eat about anything, not all of it, just enough from each plant so that it dies or production is halted. Growing up, my parents grew every plant imaginable. The only things the deer didn't eat off of were the hot pepper plants. I don't know if it is the hottness, or spiciness of the plants, but they never touched them, but my parents never tried any tactics related to this, so maybe a product with some cayenne or other "hot" ingredient might work if sprinkled about the perimeter of your garden. Things that I know failed them: scarecrows; dogs(we had collies that realized they would still get fed even if they didn't chase off the deer); human hair(sprinkled about & hung up in stockings); predator urines(wolf, fox, coyote, etc); hanging up aluminum pie pans(worked for crows for a year, but they got used to them & returned the following year); Lava soap(yes, this was really weird-my dad bore holes into the soap & hung it around the perimeter of the garden); and even a dead deer(yes, it was nasty-it laid there on the ground while the rest of the deer casually ate around it)-although, this method did work very well for the crows; after hanging one up, we never saw then in, near, or around our garden again). My uncle had an electric fence, but they were still able to jump it. He even fed them far away from the garden, each night, so that maybe they'd be full & wouldn't eat his stuff. Didn't work, they're grazers. Good luck, and I would think you're best bet would be a pepper-like solution. It would be discomforting, but wouldn't harm them.

Answer 3

Make a solution with 1 quart water, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon cyan pepper, blendit in a blender and then spray it on with a spray bottle. They won't like the taste.

You can also take a bar of dial soap and poke a hole in the middle. Thread a string through the hole and hang it near the plant. If there is nothing to hang it from, make shavings of the soap with a knife and spread then at the base of the plants.

If you have a dog, have him use an old towel for a week as a bed then place that in your flower garden covered in his hair. Deer hate dogs.

Answer 4

Scarecrow def. wouldn't work. But deer ARE sensitive to sound. You could try windchimes, but that may only be effective a couple of times. Get an automated movement detector that makes noise when deer sneak into your garden! :)

Oh, and please don't put pee in your garden! That can leave a nasty odor and you may never have another human visitor again ;)

Answer 5

At our previous house, we had herds of deer and honestly tried everything that is suggested to deter them. They worked for a short time and then the deer got wise. I gave up on flowers except on my deck and planted lots of ornamental grasses. So far we've found the grasses to be the only thing on the planet they will not eat. Some of our neighbors bought electronic boxes that emit a sound only an animal can hear and that seemed to work.

Answer 6

My wife used to have all of her roses chewed off by the deer.We got a tip from a farmer friend that worked.About 6 feet from the borders of your flower bed tap some stakes about 3 feet tall and string monofilament fishing line all the way around.The deer can't see the line and are frightened away when they bump into it.A cheap and simple solution!

Answer 7

You should probably put up a fence. I really dont know of any other ways that would be safe to the deer.

I found this site that gives a list of flowers that dear tend to dislike. Maybe that would help because I know you may not be able to put up a fence for miscellaneous reasons.

I have heard of doing the hair clippings thing. I know it works to keep squirrels out of fruit trees.

Answer 8

Not sure if your flowers stand tall or are low to the ground. If they stand tall you could try posting several stakes so many feet apart in your flowers. Then tie a mesh bag (to let the smell come through) like a potpourri bag, with moth balls in it.
The smell will repel them away. Also, if you have low lying flowers, you could try Cedar Mulch. My husband seems to think that will work.

I hope this helps.

Answer 9

Here is a sure cure for your ailment . It is a common household item, non-toxic, and very in-expensive..........


Baby powder

Yep Baby powder,,, It will dry the mouths of vermin chewing in your garden. The only drawback is that you will need to sprinkle it over your plants after every watering or every rain. After a week or so the pests will find another snack

Answer 10

Get hair from the local barber and spread it around the area you don't want the deer. The human scent will scare them away. You have to add more hair every once in awhile.