By Kelly Kretschmar
The wild deer population in the U.S. has increased over the last 100 years from an estimated 300,000 to about 35-36 million. While these seemingly harmless animals can add beauty to our landscape, they can also pose a threat to your home, garden, and family. Read on to learn why you should repel deer from your property and natural ways to accomplish this.
Reasons To Keep Deer Off Your Property
Deer get hungry. And they feed on over 500 different kinds of plants, including many ornamental plants that are in your yard. Overbrowsing by deer can cause permanent damage to ornamental landscapes and forestland alike.
Antler rubbing can damage trees. Deer antlers have a velvet covering that assist bucks in growing larger antlers. Right before the mating season in the fall, deer are known to rub or polish this velvet coating off using trees to do so. This habit tends to rub bark off of trees causing permanent damage.
Deer can carry and spread ticks. This can lead to serious illnesses (like Lyme disease) in your family and pets. Limiting the number of deer passing through your property may help reduce tick infestations.
Their droppings can burn your lawn. Thanks to their high nitrogen content, deer droppings can cause unsightly damage to your lawn. Some manures can make for great fertilizers but unprocessed deer droppings are not beneficial for a lush lawn.
Ways to Repel Deer
Like many of us, deer do not appreciate strong odors and will avoid them at all costs. Many gardeners use common household items like a bar of soap, human hair, or rotten eggs to ward off deer. But if you're not trying to handle rotten eggs, or don't want to spread human hair around your yard, America Natural has some alternative solutions for you!
The pungent aroma of garlic in Garlic Gard not only repels deer, but also repels other pesky critters like mosquitos, ticks, and rabbits. What we love about the Garlic Gard formula is that a few minutes after the application of this product, the garlic aroma becomes completely odorless to humans while still working to repel deer.
Fend Off is another solution that uses strong odors to naturally repel deer. In addition to garlic, this product also harnesses the power of chili pepper extract to further enhance its repellent properties. These clips are easy to use and we love that it's made using biodegradable plastic.
As you can see, there are several natural and effective solutions available if you suspect deer are causing problems in your area. Let us know in the comments if you have used any of these products or solutions yourself!