Oh Deer, spring is almost here
Exhibit A. Deer - waiting for me to go inside so he can eat in peace
Deer are magnificent creatures. Native Americans considered deer as vessels of the soul. In Hinduism, deer symbolized nature's interconnectedness, and to the ancient Celts deer were sacred. Deer have a certain peaceful energy about them when they’re not eating everything in sight.
Though deer seem like they're everywhere, over 96% of the worlds mammalian biomass is made up of people and livestock. Only 4% of mammals are naturally wild, and deer have found a way to coexist with us despite the fragmentation of their ecosystem. When you see a deer, just think of how lucky you are to be able to see the wild earth up close.
Deer are a keystone species and for better or worse, have a huge impact on our local forests. Deer help forests by dispersing seeds, fertilizing soil with their waste and managing undergrowth through grazing.
However, too many deer can harm forests (and by extension your yard) by overgrazing young trees and plants. We are all too aware - one day your plants are thriving and then overnight, your yard is reduced to stubble. You may be trying to grow native plants, pollinators or beneficial trees, but your efforts are challenged by this indiscriminately hungry group of wildlings.
The basics of protecting new plantings:
Sapling cages (bark protectors) and garden fences
Why? Deer not only eat plants, but they like to rub the bark off young trees as a way of marking their territory. Bark rubbing is a behavior that tends to remove the cambium layer (the living moisture transport layer) of the tree. Cambium damage is severe and if too much is removed from the diameter of a tree (more than 1/4 of the perimeter), the tree might never recover. This is called "girdling" and the tree will dehydrate and die.
Fortunately the solution is easy. Place “armor” around the first 3-4 feet of the tree or shrub. This can take the form of a cut length of wire fencing, or it could be a purpose built bark protector from a popular nursery like Kirkpatrick Nursery on 352.
Typical use of 4 and 5 inch bark protectors available from most nurseries. You can cut to length with scissors and secure with zipties. These protectors only need to be in place until tree diameter is about 3 inches.
Multiple shrubs protected with a small 4’ garden fence. Although deer can jump, I’ve never seen them make the effort when lazy grazing is available. The fencing can be removed after the plants have had a couple years to get established. Deer are less interested in mature woody stems than they are tender green shoots that are so vulnerable on new plantings.
Incorrect use of bark protector - Trees over 2-3” diameter do not require protection. This tree should not have a protector around it anymore. The base of the tree is slowly growing into the wire fence and may slowly die as it’s girdled.
Deer repellent
After physical protection, this should be your second line of defense. Repellents are effective because deer are opportunistic foragers and have sensitive noses. Repellents are available as a spray or pellet you can buy at your local hardware store - and while these are typically safe and effective even on garden vegetables, you can just as easily make your own (I recommend any recipe that uses garlic and sour milk).
Liquid repellents don’t need to cover every leaf of a plant you are trying to protect, they just need to change the smell of the area. Most repellents will make your yard smell vile for a few hours but after that only the deer will be able to smell it.
Repellents should be applied once a month, or after a major rain, whatever happens first. Repellents do need to be reapplied, but are actually more effective over time as the deer remember which areas are off limits.