Plant Health Alert – Preventing Deer Damage

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In the two years I have lived in my neighborhood the deer have gotten worse. They ate my pansies the first night I put them out and the plants were in pots on my porch. BOO!

backyard deer

This rascal has been eating all of my flowers!!!

Deer Control Options:

There are a few options for preventing plant damage caused by deer. For a full list, see this site.

Deer Sterilization – Sterilization is a great idea and has been studied as a possibility but to my knowledge nobody sterilizes deer on a neighborhood or city-wide scale.
Fencing  – there is no better way of keeping deer from eating your plants than building a fence!

Hunting  – Every wildlife management agency both federal and state say that hunting is the best deer control method. Establishing neighborhood wide hunts is always controversial but it is the best way to manage deer. Neighborhoods often implement bow hunting rather than rifle hunting for safety.

Repellents  –  deer repellents are usually a home gardener’s best option to prevent deer damage to landscape plants. Fertilizing with milorganite fertilizer does a good job repelling deer because it stinks for weeks.
Deer resistant plants  – deer dislike some plants. Search the NC Plants Database for landscape plants that resist deer feeding.