I've tried everything I've ever heard of to keep deer away from my plants. I finally found the only solution. Here's the recipe:
Whip up a raw egg and a cup of water in the blender. Pour that into a pistol grip one-quart spray bottle. Fill to the top with water, adding 1 tsp. dish soap. Set in the hot sun till putrified (about 3 days), and give a little squirt to those plants they love to eat. It doesn't take much either, just a small squirt. They absolutely hate it. But you must reapply after a rain. However, you will see your plants grow to fruition.
Source: I read some of the ingredients on a $17 bottle of deterrent at a hardware store and recognized albumen as referring to egg,so I invented my own $.10 version. The soap helps it stick to the plants.
By anne from Green Bay, WI
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I use a quart water, one egg yoke, one tablespoon of hot pepper flakes, one tablespoon baking powder, two cloves chopped garlic. Blend with wire wisk. Allow to sit overnight. Strain and spray on and around plants. Deters deer, groundhogs and rabbits. This really works.
I went to the garden this morning and saw where the deer had a party last night. A bunch of the green beans that had come up and were looking so pretty are only stalks now. We can replant however if this keeps up, we just might be eating deer next winter instead of vegetables from the garden. I'd much rather have the vegetables.
I mixed up your recipe for the spray and can't wait for it to get to smelling and tasting really bad so I can use it. Got it setting out in the sun now. I'll let Thrifty Fun readers know if it works.
Thank you for this idea and if anyone else has any suggestions, please post some feedback or tips on keeping deer out of the garden.
I'm going to pass this on to my friend and former neighbor. I had to move due to financial crises, but she still has her beautiful gardens in the mountains where the deer just love the plants and veggies! She had a big problem with them last year, couldn't find anything to keep them away, even having the dogs posted outside didn't help!
This recipe definitely does work as I have been using it for several years.
The deterrent mentioned does work and is safe to use, however, having to reapply can be a pain in areas where there is frequent rain. I have a couple of suggestions: Take unused fabric softener sheets and clothespin them to bamboo skewers around the perimiter of the garden.
Another way is to buy those little muslin drawstring bags from your local feed store and put a small piece of original scent Irish Spring soap inside and clothespin it to bamboo skewers around the perimeter. Both deer and bunnies have very sensitive senses of smell and will avoid the area. The reason the spray deterrent works is that it also is unpleasant to their little noses.
I am a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and have suggested all 3 of these methods and the main reason I like the latter 2 is because you don't need to reapply them for many months. In fact with the soap bags rain makes them work even better. The soap soaks into the bags and really makes the smell strong.
and garlic..they hate garlic. I let the garlic sit in then strain. I use Irish Spring as the dish soap plus the hot sauce. I add some epsom salts and miracle grow to feed while deterring
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