For homeowners who take pride in their landscape, invading deer who love to graze on flowers, shrubs, and vegetables can be detrimental.

While their appetite varies depending on location and available food, they will eat almost anything if hungry enough. Before deer become an issue on your property, try these simple ideas below to help ward off these skittish creatures.

Odors and Flavors

• Deer rely on their sense of smell when searching for food, so hanging bags of strong odors like mothballs, fabric softener, and even human hair will deter them.
• Deer enjoy soft and smooth plants with rich flavors, so try planting coarse, prickly, thorny, or bitter foliage instead. You can check out a complete list of deterrent plants here.
• Planting herbs with potent scents like garlic will disguise the smell of more preferable flowers and fruit.
• Use a variety of repellents, from homemade solutions like hot pepper or soap, to nontoxic commercial formulas. Sprays that smell of sulfur and that are applied directly to plants are usually the most effective.

Barriers and Defenses

• A fence that encloses the garden and is at least 8 feet tall, or a natural barricade of thick foliage, is a most efficient solution.
• Constructing different levels with pallets or setting up multiple shorter fences will prevent deer from jumping over into your space.
• Deer hate bright lights, consistent or loud noise, and unfamiliar garden decorations. Everything from wind chimes, to fog lights, to sprinklers will help, and the more motion-activated the better.
• We have had a lot of success with PlantSkydd repellent, proven by independent research to out-last and out-perform all other repellents while safe for use in vegetable gardens, on fruit trees and food crops.

It's important to remember that most deer adapt to deterrents quickly, so combining different techniques will help distract them. Ensure your landscaping is left alone this season is by being consistent with your efforts, and switching up your products and methods often.

Contact Green Impressions if you need consulation on how to best manage invasive deer on your property.