All fun and games until a deer finds your row of tall spindle trees! I planted a tall spindle row this year at my house just to experiment with. I saw a doe walk across my yard the other day. While we have plenty of deer around just rare to see one in my little town. Didnt spook her, wished I had now! She clipped off the tip of every branch on one side of my tall spindle row that she could easily reach, apparently last night. Put a radio out for tonight. I cant imagine she will hang around for long so I dont want to go to the hasle of fencing. Anyone have some good short term solutions?
Bounce dryer sheets and tape them about 3 feet apart on your trees. Deer hates that scent and they will leave your tree alone.
Tony
Good suggestion Tony. Added that to the aresenal tonight.
I’ve tried all the repellent and scare type items. The level of effectiveness is highly dependent on the attractiveness of alternative food sources. The only thing I found effective for a large area is a Gallagher-Style E-fence. I use these when establishing forage soybeans. The first several weeks is critical and after that they handle browsing pressure pretty well. I use temporary step-in plastic fence posts. This is a low three dimensional fence that is very effective. I remove it as soon as the beans can handle the pressure.
For individual trees, I’m using 5’ plantra tree tubes with PVC pipe as stakes. This seems to be working fairly well.
Blood or Bullets.
PlantSkydd is supposed to be effective and cheap.
7.62x39
10’ fence, dogs, or lead pesticide.
We are a hunting family but archery season does not start till Sept 1st.
I have 8’ fencing around the nursery. Might have to try one of the repellants if damage occurs again. This is the first time I have ever had damage here at the house. Not exactly great deer habitat and unlike major metro areas deer here know to generally fear humans.
My son said he saw the deer a couple mornings ago as he was leaving for work, so she obviously is feeling a little too comfortable in her surroundings.
My neighbor says milogranite works good. I haven’t tried it yet. You fertilize with it and it will keep the deer away.
http://www.milorganite.com/Using-Milorganite/Deer-Deterrent
I do pretty well with my motion detector sprinklers, Contech Scarecrow. But I use Plantskydd as backup. I was doing very good this year until a few days ago when one deer decided my yard was the place to munch. I had a sprinkler trained right at my mulberry but I think I had it aimed too high, it went over their heads and they munched it. Finally it has a few leaves taller than they can reach – three years of deer munching and its finally safe!
Going to do a major Plantskydd application this weekend. When they are starting to see holes in one deterrent you plaster them with a totally different one. I will be looking for milorganite as another dimension to hit 'em in.
I had that happen three times to my Stella cherry tree and its fenced in. It’s got no vertical growth. It looks more like a weeping cherry. This year it put some more horizontal growth on and it actually looks like it will make it easier for me to pick and net if I choose. I try to train all my trees to grow vertical unlike most people so I have trees safe from deer.