Washington (GGM) Analysis | August, 2021 by Noreen Wise, climate journalist and author
As we race to restore our habitat, as well as dramatically improve soil health on every acre of land in the US, let’s review the top tricks used to naturally divert deer from our yards. Habitat restoration is also wildlife restoration. Our gardens and no mow lawns will become magnets for deer, birds, pollinators and a few furry rascals.
Remember though, our primary goal in this urgent effort to drawdown legacy load carbon from the atmosphere is to save what’s left of our two icecaps. “Without our white icecaps, less of the sun’s energy is reflected back out to space, and the speed of global warming increases,” warns Sir David Attenborough in his documentary A Life on Our Planet.
Heart of the matter. Deer seem to be perpetually ravenous, and able to devour an entire backyard garden plot in one visit, which can be incredibly distressing after so much time is spent planting and nurturing our landscapes. Thankfully, many determined gardeners across the decades have masterminded clever techniques to help us out.
A combination of several diverse tips may net the most effective results. Diversity seems to be the best solution for everything. As Gabe Brown says, “Follow nature’s ways.” Nature loves diversity.
Top Seven Deer Repellent Tips
- If your budget allows, fences are extremely effective in keeping deer out of the garden. In fact, since we’e trying to maximize habitat restoration, and need as many diverse species of shrubs, perennials and grasses in the ground as possible, the best option may be to plant a natural fence around your garden or yard using native species like wintergreen box shrubs, holly, etc.
- Deer are similar to humans in having preferences in what they do and don’t like to eat. Their strong sense of smell makes them finicky about certain species. These particular species tend to be our favorites like lavender, mint, basil. This works perfectly with no mow tapestry lawns made up of a variety of herbs in the mix. Perhaps lining the lawn entrance and outside border with the most fragrant species. Deer are also fussy about texture. They tend to stay away from prickly, fuzzy and thorny. Roses are a great natural barrier, fragrant and thorny.
- Deer have favorite plants, too. These should be placed as close to your house as possible. When buying seeds or seedlings, the packaging may highlight whether the species is a deer fave or repellant. A quick online search will also clarify. For example, deer love hostas and daylilies, so you might want to choose these to line the walls of your house, and / or placed below tees or shrubs that line your house.
- Scare tactics work and can be a fun creative project to enjoy with your children. Effective scare tactics include: objects that move such as flags or unique garden ornaments, also wind chimes, or motion activated sprinklers, as well as motion activated garden lights. You can visit Amazon or Google to find a list of products for your particular setting. I hope you’ll consider several, or one of each of these options for maximum effectiveness.
- Deer may be extra nimble out in a meadow or flat lawn, but they’re actually quite clumsy when it comes to garden levels and sunken gardens. If you’re overhauling your lawn and have the budget to create tiers, this may be the ideal natural way to keep deer at bay.
- Creating DIY smell repellents to fend off deer is another solution. Some gardeners are jazzed by how effective hanging bars of soap or fabric softeners from a tree, fence or post works. There are also rotten egg or garlic mixtures, as well as hot pepper spray.
- And then there’s the ultra simple DIY deer repellant hack, stringing clear fishing line two or three feet above the ground, tied to stakes surrounding a particular garden bed that you may be worried about.
We’re all set. Oh, one more thing. I strongly encourage you to stay away from chemical solutions. These products may seem ideal in the short run, saving time and energy, but they kill the microbes in the soil that are working so hard to drawdown carbon. The goal in switching to no mow tapestry lawns and adding extra layers of shrubs and perennials, is to improve soil health, increase carbon drawdown, conserve water, and reduce carbon emissions.
Best of luck in greening up. Let’s maximize carbon drawdown and save our planet.
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