I am having problems with either rabbits or deer eating my Monkey Grass. I have tried a commercial spray that stinks. Does anyone have a "home" remedy?
Just purchase some moth crystals. Crystals and not the moth balls. Both smell the same yet the crystals can be used outdoors and don't break down as quickly as the moth balls. Place them around your garden, trees or any area you don't want the animals to touch. The smell will keep them away. I first heard to use moth crystals when I had problems with porcupines in my trees. Yes they can do quite the amount of damage and I lost one tree that way. Now I just place the moth crystals at the base of my trees every two to three months and have never seen a porcupine again.
I have heard that you could ask for hair clippings from your local barber or beautician and spread them around the plants to ward off deer, but I don't know if it would keep away rabbits.
This sounds gross, I guess, but if you can collect human urine, and distribute it around the perimeter of the planted area, it should discourage deer and rabbits from the area.
Most of those of us who live way out where the deer and other creatures roam just cage anything we don't want destroyed. Sort of takes away from the beauty of the thing but at least it lives.
Long ago I read you can use hot pepper spray, (& have even mistakenly recommended it in the past) but NOT if you have pets because it can get in dogs & cat's eyes & these precious little creatures can even dig their own eyes out from the pain & burning! Hot pepper spray is very, very dangerous so if you read about using it, don't!
A product that's recommended specially for this is "Predator Urine". It's supposed to be the safest & best for product, maybe this is what you've use in the past. For keeping birds from garden's, they also sell fake Owls with moving heads & motion detectors with recordings are another product for this problem.
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Request: How To Keep Deer and Rabbits From Eating Your Plants
Archived on 05/19/2009
I like to use this recipe to help deter deer from eating my plants.
This makes 1 gallon of spray.
Beat 1 egg in 1 cup of water and sieve to get out white strings or clumps. Add to a gallon jug, add
1 Tablespoon of regular dish soap,
1 Tablespoon of cooking oil,
1/2 C milk
Fill jug partially with water, shake to mix, finish filling gallon jug with water.
I keep this in an extra refrigerator, it can get smelly, but that helps deter the deer and rabbits. Mark your bottle - deer repellent, so no one drinks it. Fill your spray bottle and spray your trees, lilacs, and plants. Don't spray on anything you want to eat, but I do spray my peas and beans before they start to blossom. Spray after every heavy rainfall.
I find after doing it 3-4 times the deer get the hint and quit coming. If you have a problem with deer eating young plants and trees, begin spraying early in the spring, before damage begins. But spray it during the day, so it has a chance to dry on the plant before it would freeze.
By Marcia from New Auburn, WI
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RE: How To Keep Deer and Rabbits From Eating Your Plants
Another trick is to put fishing line around the garden/flower beds. It works for deer. But I don't know about rabbits as they don't come near my dogs. (07/31/2007)