When deer aren't dear
By Betty Pettis Jackson County Master Gardener Volunteer
Are midnight visitors chomping on the bark of that nice, carefully planted and tended crab apple tree? Wondering why those lovely roses disappear overnight? You might have an "en-deering" problem shared by farmers, homeowners and small gardeners.
For homeowners, damage by deer to ornamentals and gardens is an increasing nuisance and can be expensive. If hunting the beautiful brown-eyed creatures in not an option, other control methods have been researched and are detailed in IFAS fact sheets. Coping with Deer Damage in Florida, (Main, Schaefer, Allen, l999) describes several types of fencing, varying from temporary electric systems, useful for small gardens, to more complex devices for larger areas. Also available are commercial devices such as cylinders of various materials and sizes principally used to reduce damage to the trunks of individual trees and shrubs.
Chemical controls, along with safer methods like the hair bag and bar soap, are detailed in this information. Numerous testimonies and recent studies show these two non-chemical controls do work to some degree. For hair, just place a couple of handfuls in a fine-mesh bag, hang on the outer branches of targeted trees no more than three feet apart. For larger areas, hang several bags on a cord or fence around the perimeter of the area to be protected. Inexpensive soap bars can be applied in the same manner by drilling a hole in the bar and suspending with a twist tie of soft cord. Attach these controls in early spring and replace them monthly through the growing season.
A simple, effective way to discourage deer from using your yard as a dinner table is simply -- plant what they don’t like. Believe it or not, they don’t eat everything! Using flowers, vines and shrubs that have been identified as resistant to deer around more desirable ones may also lessen the damage to those. IFAS fact sheet Ornamental Plant Susceptibility to Damage by Deer in Florida (Main, Schaefer, Allen, l999) is a valuable source of information, The sheet contains lists of ornamental plants known to grow in Florida and rates their resistance to deer damage. Crape myrtle, camellia, juniper, pampas grass and petunias, all old favorites, flourish with little damage, as well as many others you might like to try.
To obtain these fact sheets, contact the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Service on Pennsylvania Avenue in Marianna or your local extension office. ou may also obtain publications through the EDIS website of the University of Florida at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
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