Looking to humanely discourage deer/critters from eating my greens
- Thread starter doit4fun
- Start date
Boondox
New Member
Re: Looking to humanely discourage deer/critters from eating my greens.
Human hair,spread it all around fairly thick.
Human hair,spread it all around fairly thick.
PrairiePoet
Well-Known Member
Re: Looking to humanely discourage deer/critters from eating my greens.
One way we keep coyotes away from the farm (so our cats can survive) is we play a CD that has mountain lion noises on it. We play out by the barn every night. I would bet that would keep deer and other larger critters away.
One way we keep coyotes away from the farm (so our cats can survive) is we play a CD that has mountain lion noises on it. We play out by the barn every night. I would bet that would keep deer and other larger critters away.
peanut0862
New Member
Lowe's sell a type of fencing 7ft x 100ft for $12.00 Hammer some limbs in the ground staple up the wire and your done. I use this around my vegetable garden it's cheep and very efective
MadMike
New Member
7' woven wire deer fencing is 100% effective. If you can't do that for some reason, try some Liquid Fence. It's advertized as 100% effective or your money back (save the receipts). I'm trying it out this year to see how it works. My biggest obstacle here are the damn gophers.
peanut0862
New Member
The liquid fence works realy good but you have to reaply after it rains and it's kind of expensive. I used it around my tomatoes until I put up the fence
Chicken coop 4 feet high wire works good too ........use 4 poles for the corners then bury the sides wire about 4 inches in the ground first ( before attaching the wire to the poles ),
AFTER that , then you WIRE a top " roof " wire piece to the side wire top edges to make a complete cage . When your plants get to the height of the top wire they then SCROG for you .
Works great .
AFTER that , then you WIRE a top " roof " wire piece to the side wire top edges to make a complete cage . When your plants get to the height of the top wire they then SCROG for you .
Works great .
MadMike
New Member
Why not use goat wire (woven wire 4"x4") so you can at least reach through the wire to tie branches if needed? Some plants need support or tie downs. Goat wire is only manufactured 4' high. Either that or use 5'-6' 2"x4" (hog wire/ no climb) for taller plants and make an arch if needed for the roof. Just sayin' in case someone doesn't want to inhibit plant growth but still protect them from deer. I'm not dismissing your post. I am trying different techniques as well.
Hahaha I thought I knew country wire but I aint never heard of 4 X 4 inch goat wire ! Moving to South Carolina soon , sur I will see some there .
One thing that Chicken wire DOES stop is Squirrels ! Maybe a 4X4 gap just might let them in ? I donno coz I aint never seen it .
MadMike
New Member
I've never dealt with squirrels around here. The problem is Deer, gophers, and those damn earwigs (pincer bugs). I use 1/2" hardware cloth to line my holes to keep the gophers out. I extend the wire about 18" above ground to keep them from climbing over. Then I use the hog wire 6'x 5'-6' wide to keep Deer away and offer support when the plant bushes out. I've used goat wire too but it isn't manufactured above 4' high. I used Liquid Fence for the first time this year. Man, that stuff is powerful...like concentrated urine!
BWC BayArea
Member of the Month: 3rd Place Winner
To repel deer, I read recently that spreading dog hair or dog excrement around ur area works. I also read (bar) soap shavings spread around the site work too.
How are u dealing with gophers HeartWW? Got a buddy the gophers are giving hell to. Told em bout the wire cloth but the seeds were germinated directly into the earth.
How are u dealing with gophers HeartWW? Got a buddy the gophers are giving hell to. Told em bout the wire cloth but the seeds were germinated directly into the earth.
o2much4me
Well-Known Member
Go to zoo & get some tiger and/or lion excretion (poop). This works very good & I even wrote a college paper on it back in the 80s. Make up a story like I did & say you need it for a college paper your writing on animal territorial boundaries. It helps to get in good with someone at the zoo. Bring your own trash can for them to put it in. It last a pretty long time too.
Let me know how this works for you.
I used a combination of Siberian tiger poop & lion poop because that's the way they cleaned out the cage. I remember once my dog got a whiff of the trash can & took off running!!!
Peace
Let me know how this works for you.
I used a combination of Siberian tiger poop & lion poop because that's the way they cleaned out the cage. I remember once my dog got a whiff of the trash can & took off running!!!
Peace
lovethestuff
New Member
Shave a bar of soap around your plants it helps but does not completely stop them.
My wife has had good luck with hanging Irish Spring and Coast soap around her flower gardens. The only issue was a stray Goat..Ate 2 bars befor we could run it off..Goats are amazing.
Gopher-Proofing
I concur with 2much - go to a local zoo and get as much dangerous critter pee (the scat doesn't do much) like from bears, cats, wolves & wolverines and spread it on the trunks of surrounding trees. You can make it last through rains, too if you cover parts of the tree where the pee is with a plastic sheeting flap stapled so that it protects against the runoff from above - the smell will still permeate for weeks+.
My suggestion to protect against gophers or any other tunneling critters is here; it works on guerilla grows, too: Armor-plate the roots!
1. Get a "bulb planter' from a home center - it looks like a 3"-4" diameter drill bit 2' long and is almost always green.
2. Get some PVC pipe with as many caps to fit as plants you will be planting - use the same size pipe & fittings as the drill bit - 3" and drill some 1/2" perforations in it to allow for drainage and horizontal root growth every 6".
3. Get a bag of Perlite.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the 3" PVC pipe into 24" lengths (or as long as the drill bit will penetrate - extensions are available in the electrical tools department) and drill some 1/2" holes all around it, all the way down - every 4-6 inches apart for drainage and root growth.
Drill 3-4 drainage holes in each PVC cap and install them onto the end of each pipe. DO NOT USE GLUE - it will hurt your plants! Friction fit works.
Bring together your plants, a charged battery-operated drill, the drill bit, the perlite and pre-mixed nutrient solution appropriate for the age of the plants - about a 1/2 gallon per plant (or more).
At the grow site, drill as many holes in the ground as needed and sink the prepared pvc pipes in each, filling it half-way with perlite, then top off with your preferred soil mix (which probably also has perlite in it) along with your plant. Pour in at least a 1/2 gallon of nutrient.
The perlite will absorb the nutrient solution to its capacity and hold it until the plant grows roots into it and will act as a buffer so that your nutrients (and any rainwater) will collect in it so the plant has a ready reservoir to draw on without having to worry about root rot because of the oxygen-rich environment and good drainage - it won't hold any more moisture than is healthy for the roots.
The PVC pipe will keep burrowing critters away from the roots and the chicken or goat wire recommended in the prior posts will keep them away from the plants' topsides. This method also provides for an ideal growth medium in an individual micro-climate container without your having to lift a shovel, dig holes, mix soil, etc. You probably don't even need a shovel.
An alternative to PVC pipe is to use some other similar components - even 1 or 2 liter soda bottles siamesed inside each other end-to-end could work - just don't forget the drain/root holes!
I concur with 2much - go to a local zoo and get as much dangerous critter pee (the scat doesn't do much) like from bears, cats, wolves & wolverines and spread it on the trunks of surrounding trees. You can make it last through rains, too if you cover parts of the tree where the pee is with a plastic sheeting flap stapled so that it protects against the runoff from above - the smell will still permeate for weeks+.
My suggestion to protect against gophers or any other tunneling critters is here; it works on guerilla grows, too: Armor-plate the roots!
1. Get a "bulb planter' from a home center - it looks like a 3"-4" diameter drill bit 2' long and is almost always green.
2. Get some PVC pipe with as many caps to fit as plants you will be planting - use the same size pipe & fittings as the drill bit - 3" and drill some 1/2" perforations in it to allow for drainage and horizontal root growth every 6".
3. Get a bag of Perlite.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the 3" PVC pipe into 24" lengths (or as long as the drill bit will penetrate - extensions are available in the electrical tools department) and drill some 1/2" holes all around it, all the way down - every 4-6 inches apart for drainage and root growth.
Drill 3-4 drainage holes in each PVC cap and install them onto the end of each pipe. DO NOT USE GLUE - it will hurt your plants! Friction fit works.
Bring together your plants, a charged battery-operated drill, the drill bit, the perlite and pre-mixed nutrient solution appropriate for the age of the plants - about a 1/2 gallon per plant (or more).
At the grow site, drill as many holes in the ground as needed and sink the prepared pvc pipes in each, filling it half-way with perlite, then top off with your preferred soil mix (which probably also has perlite in it) along with your plant. Pour in at least a 1/2 gallon of nutrient.
The perlite will absorb the nutrient solution to its capacity and hold it until the plant grows roots into it and will act as a buffer so that your nutrients (and any rainwater) will collect in it so the plant has a ready reservoir to draw on without having to worry about root rot because of the oxygen-rich environment and good drainage - it won't hold any more moisture than is healthy for the roots.
The PVC pipe will keep burrowing critters away from the roots and the chicken or goat wire recommended in the prior posts will keep them away from the plants' topsides. This method also provides for an ideal growth medium in an individual micro-climate container without your having to lift a shovel, dig holes, mix soil, etc. You probably don't even need a shovel.
An alternative to PVC pipe is to use some other similar components - even 1 or 2 liter soda bottles siamesed inside each other end-to-end could work - just don't forget the drain/root holes!
If you want to keep bugs away use ash from a fire pit. I learned this in Jamaica after asking the locals how to deal wit bugs. Jus basically sprinkle it over plant. As for deer try n grow in an area with thorn bushes but if u have a gopher problem your going to need a fence or just keep spraying really smelly animal sprays Everytime you go back.
