How To Stop Deer From Entering Your Garden
Deer are a common pest that can wreak havoc to your garden, eating plants and destroying carefully cultivated lawns. However, unlike insects and rodents, you can't just set out traps or apply chemicals to exterminate a deer population. Instead, you need to take steps to repel deer from entering your garden and to prevent them from entering again anytime in the future.
Deer Repellents
Deer, like most animals, are extremely sensitive to the smells that are around them. This means that you can spray something that they find unpleasant to encourage them to stay away and protect your plants. You can make a solution of hot chili juice and water in a spray bottle and apply it to particularly fragile plants that you are worried about becoming deer food. Further, most hardware stores will sell commercial deer repellents that can act as an effective deterrent to deer by mimicking the scent of common deer predators, such as wolves and coyotes. These repellents can be sprayed around the edge of your yard and on your plants to keep them safe.
Deer Fencing
While repellents will discourage deer from coming into your garden, they can wash away over time and will require constant reapplication to ensure that they remain effective. Another good effective way to deter deer is to have fences high enough to keep deer out installed. Keep in mind that fences have to be at least 8 feet high to prevent deer from jumping over them: having angled chicken wire on the top will also act as an added deterrent to other intruders. Alternatively, electric fences will provide a solid barrier and deterrent to deer and all other animals that may want to enter your garden, but will represent an increased initial investment (as well as a safety hazard, if you have pets or small children).
Let the Dog Out
Finally, a simple thing that you can do to discourage deer from eating your plants is to let your dog roam free in your yard. Dogs are close cousins to wolves and coyotes, which are natural predators to deer. This means that the simple presence of your dog, as well as the scent left by its fur and urine, should be more than enough to act as a natural deterrent for any deer that may be in the area. Of course, the barking that would result from your dog seeing a deer would be an effective second line of defense as well.
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