How to Keep Deer From Eating Your Plants - Deer Repellent Review

Deer are a common nemesis of gardeners. While they might look adorable frolicking around, they can be destructive with their large appetites and trampling hooves. Because of this, many gardeners seek to keep these animals away. But how to keep deer from eating your plants? And how can we keep deer away from the garden? In this article, we’ll look at various methods for keeping deer out of the garden. We’ll explore some physical barriers, some home remedies, some sound options, and we will look at several of the best deer repellent commercial sprays on the market.

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How to Keep Deer from Eating Your Plants

Deer can drive gardeners crazy. Months of work growing and nurturing your plants, from seedlings to flowering beauties. And bam, the deer come to snack on your plants, and you’ve got little left.

Problems Deer Can Cause in Gardens

Deer can be a huge problem in gardens. They will destroy plants and trample things over in order to reach things they want to eat. They are so strong that sometimes they can even knock down small trees! Sometimes deer can even bring diseases into your yard which can affect plants, local wildlife, and even your own health.

Plants Often Loved By Deer

These animals like to munch on practically anything, but there are a few plants they particularly love. Three plants they tend to enjoy the most are hostas, roses, and daylilies. They also can’t resist azaleas, pansies, violets, and tulips. Unfortunately, these plants and flowers are what many gardeners enjoy growing which is why deer can be such a problem.

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Keep Deer Away from Plants

Home Remedies to Keep Deer from Your Garden

In this section, we’ll look at several non-chemical options for keeping deer out of your garden. We’ll consider fencing options, including some home remedies for keeping deer away, soaps, motion lights and sensors, and other mechanical pest repeller systems.

Install a Fence

This method is perhaps the most straightforward but has obvious significant downsides. Fences are often unsightly, are expensive to purchase, and can be quite expensive to install. They block views and often require ongoing maintenance. If you don’t care about the view and don’t mind putting in the work, a fence will be an excellent way to keep deer away from your plants. But most gardeners don’t want fences directly around their garden, and most don’t want to go through the expense of installing a fence.

Try a Fishing Line Fence to Keep Deer Away

If you aren’t totally against the idea of a fence but don’t really want such a significant visual presence, you could install a fishing line fence. A fishing line fence is basically a series of standard wooden or metal fence posts, placed around the location you intend to fence in, with several strands of fishing line run between each post. The fishing line is essentially invisible to humans, and will not obstruct views (though you’ll still see the posts!) But the fishing line will create a barrier that deer will not cross. This sort of design is a good middle ground for those who are ok with some sort of fencing option, but who don’t want to spend a lot of money, time, and effort for something that ends up being visually unappealing. To make a Fishing Line Fence, you’ll need:

• Fence posts, stakes, or any other method of securing the fishing line.
• A large spool of clear fishing line, at least 30 lb test
• 4-6“ PVC Pipe to act as a sleeve for your “gate”

To set up a Fishing Line Fence:

• Place your posts in the ground at intervals of 15’ or so. Bury them deeply enough that a reasonable push doesn’t topple them over.
• Right next to the first post, where you intend to place your gate, bury a PVC pipe in that location, wide enough to slide the Gate Post inside the PVC pipe. You want the sleeve to be 6“ or so deep at least, and sticking out of the ground a bit. This will allow you to pull the gate post out of the PVC sleeve, and replace it.
• Tie the fishing line to the first post, about 1’ off the ground.
• Run it to the next post, and wrap it around the post 3-4 times. Be sure to leave a little slack for wind and pressure.
• Continue to run to subsequent posts, wrapping it around each time.
• When you reach your last post (the “gate post” inside the PVC sleeve), bring the fishing line up 1’ or so, and follow the same path back to the beginning.
• Continue around until you’re at the top of the fence. Tie off the line at the top.

To access the area, simply lift up the gate post out of the PVC pipe sleeve, and walk inside. When you’re done working in the garden, replace the post in the PVC sleeve, and you’re good to go. The 30lb test fishing line hits the sweet spot for this system, in that it is strong enough for the deer to be aware that the wire is there, but it is thin enough that they cannot easily see the line. They have no idea how high they would need to jump to get over the fishing line, and typically won’t try to jump over it.

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How to Keep Deer Out of Garden

Sounds that Scare Deer Away

If you’re in a relatively urban area, there may be no sounds that concern deer. They have grown up near civilization, and are used to the sounds of cars, people, and the like. If you’re in a rural area where deer may not be so familiar with the sounds of people and their things, loud noises may scare off deer. A solar motion-detected noise-alarm may do some good, though this is doubtful for the long term.

That said, many deer get used to noises once they understand that they can’t get hurt by the noise, and will ignore the noise in the future.

Ultrasonic Deer Repellents

Ultrasonic pest repellents (UPR) are interesting products, though most of them don’t work very well. We took a deep look at ultrasonic pest repeller products here. Unfortunately, deer generally don’t hear in the ultrasonic range, so UPR products will not likely work very well. That said, ultrasonic pest repellers that include motion lights and auditory signals may still be quite effective. Though the deer won’t hear the ultrasonic portion of the repeller system, it may well be spooked by the lights and motion signals. An option like the PredatorGuard system here may be of some use. It’s a good idea to change the location of the UPR every so often, so the deer don’t get used to it.

Solar Motion Lights

Solar motion lights may help keep deer away. Deer are often concerned when sudden events occur (like the turning on of a light) and may flee such events. By placing a solar motion light or two at the perimeter of the garden, you may have some success keeping deer away. It’s a good idea to periodically move the locations of the lights. If the lights are left in the same area, the deer will become desensitized to the light and will not be concerned by it.

How to Use Soap To Keep Deer Away

Deer don’t tend to love strong scents like those commonly found in tallow-based bar soaps (think Irish Spring and the like). You can use these soaps to create a scent barrier to keep deer away from your garden. To do this technique, you’ll want to place a bar of soap near each plant you want to protect. You can mount the soap in different ways, by inserting a stick into it and sticking it into the ground, by tying it to a nearby tree branch, or whatever. You generally want one bar of soap, approximately, per plant, and you want to pick a strongly-scented soap like Irish Spring.

Keep in mind that rain and weather will slowly dissolve your soap, and the scent will lessen over time. Also, don’t place your soap directly over plants, as the soap will dissolve onto your plants and will potentially harm them.

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Commercial Deer Repellents

Sometimes the home remedies and traditional techniques work, but sometimes more drastic measures are called for. And many wonder how to keep deer away without fences. In these cases, it may be time for a chemical deer repellent. There are several chemical deer repellents on the market, and almost all of these use various natural scents that deer don’t like to keep them away. Some scents you might find in the mix are garlic, mint, and various animal urines. In this section, we’ll look at five of the best deer repellents around.

Why Use a Deer Repellent?

Many might be a little skeptical at first to use repellent for many reasons. Some might not like the idea of spraying a liquid on their plants. Others might find that the incredibly strong scent of certain deer repellent isn’t worth the investment. Despite this, deer repellent is a great way to help keep deer out of your yard and away from your plants. Most of the repellents on our list are made from natural ingredients and are safe to use near and on most plants and flowers.

Benefits of Commercial Deer Repellents

Besides keeping deer out of your yard, deer repellents have plenty of other benefits. Below are a few your yard can experience.

They Often Work to Prevent Other Animals From Destroying Your Plants

Not only will deer repellents work to help prevent deer from chewing on your plants, but they can sometimes help to prevent other animals from doing so as well. You’ll find that many repellents work just as well with preventing rabbits and squirrels from getting into your garden.

They Can Work as a Fertilizer

For organic options, many of the deer repellents can sometimes work as a fertilizer. This is due to their natural ingredients seeping into the ground and nourishing local roots with vitamins and minerals. So, in addition to keeping the plants safe from animals, you might find that they are flourishing quite well thanks to the repellent.

They are Easy to Use

Another great thing about deer repellents is that they are very easy to use. While they come in various application forms, they are simple to use in your yard. This makes them perfect for all gardeners to try.

What to Look for When Shopping for Deer Repellents

When it comes to shopping for deer repellents, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. Below are some vital things to consider.

The Smell

Many deer repellents come with a strong scent. This scent is due to the ingredients and is one of the ways it helps to prevent deer from eating your plants. However, this scent is not only disgusting to deer, but humans as well. Some deer repellents can be very strong and almost nauseating. If you don’t want to deal with this, make sure to check how strong the scent is.

If it is Rain-Resistant

It can be a little annoying when you finish spraying your plants with repellent only to have it washed away by rain a few hours later. It’s a good idea to check to see if a repellent is rain-resistant. This way, the spray will stick on the plants even in harsh conditions. A rain-resistant spray will help to save you both time and money as you won’t have to keep going out and constantly re-spraying the area.

How Safe it is on Certain Plants

Sometimes repellents can be dangerous to use on certain plants and could cause their leaves to burn or destroy their roots. You’ll want to check to make sure it’s safe to use on any plants you have in your yard to make sure it doesn’t cause a problem.

How to Apply It

Deer repellents come in a few different application types. One of the most popular options is a spray bottle as it tends to be easier to transport around. Another option you’ll find are granules which you can pour on the ground. You’ll want to consider which application type is best for your needs.

The Ingredients in the Formula

While most of these products are made with natural ingredients, some might contain chemicals. For those who want an organic option, you’ll want to pay close attention to this. Otherwise, you might accidentally spray some harmful particles in your yard.

Deer Repellent Reviews

In this section, we’ll look at five different commercial deer repellents. We’ll start with a comparison table to get oriented, and then move onto individual products. We’ll conclude with our favorites.

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1. Epic Deer Scram - The Best Deer Repellent

Key Points at a Glance

• It comes in granule form.
• It’s made with natural ingredients.
• It can be safely used on different plants.
• Will provide about 1,440 linear feet of protection.

Dimensions and Specs

The product weighs 25 lbs.

The EPIC Deer Scram Repellent comes in granule form so you can sprinkle it around on the ground rather than spraying it. The granules are made out of natural ingredients like blood meal, garlic, cloves, and red pepper. These ingredients are well-known for being detestable to deer. You can use this product near many plants without fear of it burning the roots or leaves. It is possible to use the EPIC Deer Scram on snow, and on wet ground, though water will dilute the scent over time. You’ll need to reapply approximately once per month, depending on your environment and circumstances.

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2. Deer Out Repellent - Runner Up Choice

Key Points at a Glance

• It is a natural option.
• It has a fresh mint smell.
• It stays on the plants.
• You can use it year-round.

Dimensions and Specs

The bottle is 1 gallon in size.

The Deer Out Repellent is 1 gallon and is designed with a strong formula that will prevent deer from munching on your plants. This formula is made with all-natural ingredients so there’s no need to fear harmful chemicals seeping into the ground or on your plants. The spray also has a fresh mint smell so your garden won’t have a strong odor.