Hi, I'm Tricia, an organic gardener. I grow organically
for healthy and safe food supply, for clean and sustainable environment,
for an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
I love living in a rural area with wildlife
all around me. There is one wild creature
that takes some effort to get along with, and that's the mule deer.
The ancient Chinese general, Sun Tzu, said know thy enemy and know yourself
and the more you know about deer and understand how they react your gardening,
the better you're going to be able to get along with them.
Deer are browsers nd not grazers. They prefer woody or broadleaf
plants over grasses and they can reach up to 6 feet high.
30 percent of a deer's water comes from what they eat,
so they're more attracted to well irrigated plants and plants with new,
succulent, spring growth. When does are having their babies
and bucks are growing their antlers they have high carbohydrate needs.
So they're going to target plants that are nutritious
and those are the plants that are well fertilized. Deer are creatures of habit
past deer damage will predict future deer damage.
And there's three methods of control: repellents, fencing
and deer resistant plants. Repellents
such as these from Plantskydd, Liquid Fence
and Havaheart are effective but they require reapplication
throughout the season. Apply repellents before deer damage occurs
and at times on your plans are most susceptible to deer damage
such as early spring or late fall when food supplies
start to wane. There's only one sure-fire method
to prevent deer damage and that's fencing. I like this plastic
mesh deer fence it's quick to install and it does keep deer out.
For vulnerable plants like vegetable gardens and orchards
fencing is your best option. Fencing like this or at least
a tree guard is essential for small trees.
Deer don't have to eat a tree to kill it. When bucks are shedding their velvet
they like to use saplings to remove the velvet. Look at the damage that they did
to the trunk this small tree.
The last strategy is to plant deer resistant plants.
There's no such thing as deer proof plants. Resistance is highly regional,
seasonal, it's affected by the weather, the food availability,
and the deer populations. When planning a deer resistant landscape it's important
to get a list and deer resistant plants for your region.
In our area, which is the Sierra Nevada foothills,
the book "Deer in My Garden" by Carolyn Singer
is an excellent resource. You can also talk to your master gardeners and local
nursery professionals
for regional suggestions. Keep in mind that when deer get hungry
they will eat just about anything. Deer resistance is usually graded by:
rarely damaged, occasionally damaged, frequently damaged,
or dear candy.
Among the rarely damaged plants are aromatic plants such as
alliums, sage, mint, rosemary,
things like that. And they also tend to stay away from prickly
or fuzzy leaved plants. They seem to dislike plants with a latex, waxy sap
like figs. Another group of plants that the deer dislike
are palms an ornamental grasses and that's because they don't have a lot of
moisture content.
When planning a landscape many gardeners find a zoning approach works well.
That mean separating your garden into zones starting from your home and
working outwards.
In the farthest zone, plant the seldom damaged plants that require less
irrigation.
In the middle down place the occasionally damaged plants and be ready
with the occasional deer repellent
application at high risk times. Cozy
any deer candy plants right up to your house where you can keep an eye on them.
You can also add an extra layer of protection by planting a plant that
deer like,
like this crepe myrtle, amongst plants that they don't like.
Deer resistance is highly variable but the more you know about deer
the better you can plan your garden. So, don't get mad,
get informed, and organic for life.