[BACKCOUNTRY]

Protecting your plants from Deer can be a hot topic for outdoor growers, so I compiled some good info for those it may concern.

Why do Deer eat Cannabis?
Deer are selective in what vegetation they eat, unlike most livestock(Cows, Sheep) who eat mostly coarse grasses. Deer are a high energy predator evading machine, to fuel this machine they concentrate on eating the most nutritious vegetation they can get. Deer tend to eat tender young growth of trees and bushes, the tops of grasses containing young seeds, and other rich tender vegetation and fruits.
In areas with little or no rain during the Summer months, the Deers primary feed can become scarce. In my home of south-western Oregon, the rain stops typically from late June to late September, its not rare to have less than 3" of rainfall during that period of months. During this time, Deer become desperate for rich, moist sources of food, they may start eating things that they would normally pass by. Many of you may have experienced Deer damage in your gardens and landscaping, despite the obvious smell of humans, and even dogs near by. Starvation is a powerfull force.
As a child, I remember my fathers fight with deer who raided our vegtable garden. We used human hair, and various homemade sprays to try and stop them, we even tied our dog in the garden hoping that might help, the sprays didn't phase the hungery deer, and they simply ate up to a few feet of the end of the dogs chain. We eventually built a 9' fence, and that stopped the madness.

How much your plants are in danger, and how well various methods of deterring Deer will work for you depends on how hungery the Deer roaming your area are. If desperate enough, they will eat plants sprayed with nasty tasting stuff, surounded with human urine, or any number of other homegrown or store bought deterrents. When Deer deterrents are tested by Agricultural researchers, the effectiveness is messured in percentage of damage, not complete lack of damage. Over and over again, the only proven method of stopping Deer damage is fencing.

Some growers provide no protection for their plants, and they may not need to if they live in a climate where it rains in summer, the Deer will probably concentrate on their normal food. I also think this is the reason some old standbys like Human hair(and urine), Mothballs, and Soap seem to work for some folks, if the Deer are fed well already, these deterrents may be all that is needed, but I can assure you they will not work in my dry summer climate. I have to depend on fences/cages.

Many outdoor growers shun fences as a secrity risk, considering wire fencing is not vegetation, and may stand out like a sore thumb. In my experience, properly conditioned Chicken wire fencing(Poultry netting) actually disappears well into the surounding vegetation(more on that later).

First lets see what some Deer deterrent tests have revealed about their effectivness-

Soap
Bars of soap are used sometimes with varying effectiveness, shavings are spread around the plot or bars are hung from nearby tree branches. Anyone who decides to use this method should avoid soaps with a Coconut oil base, Deer seem to be attracted to them!

Originally Posted by University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science

In the category of offensive scents is one of the easiest controls -- hanging bars of smelly soap in the garden, the stronger the scent the better. I actually buy them in bulk at the grocer, then cut them in half and hang in burlap or cheesecloth stapled to stakes in the garden in early spring. I find they are still scented going into the winter....
Studies actually have been done on soaps to repel deer, finding that those containing coconut oils may attract deer. The repellent factor seems to be tallow, that part derived from animal fatty acids. Studies have also found deer can feed to within three feet of soap in the garden. This means a 100-foot border may need over 30 bars of soap! I tend to use less, one about every ten feet or near special plants, and hope for the best. But then I don’t have high deer pressure either.

In the only University study I could find, soaps rated a 34% reduction in Deer damage, not great, but not bad. It may work well in places with low Deer pressure.

Human Hair/Urine
I found no studies evaluating urine, but I did find two that tested hair. The same study that rated the soap above, rated human hair at a 15-34% reduction in damage. A second study giving captive deer a choice between Corn with Human hair and corn without concluded that their was very little difference in the Deers preference, and dismissed it as a effective method.

Considering that Deer regularly raid Human tended gardens, its easy to see that Deer have little problem overcomming our scent if it means a good meal.

Mothballs
Mothballs scored low in tests, the same study that fed it in corn rated it about the same as Human hair.

Predetor urine
Coyote urine rated high compared to most deterrents, it could be assumed urines from other carnivors would also be effective.

Chicken eggs
Sprays made using chicken eggs rate high, the smell and taste of the eggs seems to put Deer off.

Originally Posted by Colorado state University

A spray of 20 percent whole eggs and 80 percent water is one of the most effective repellents. To prevent the sprayer from clogging, remove the chalaza or white membrane attached to the yolk before mixing the eggs. The egg mixture is weather resistant but must be reapplied in about 30 days. See Table 2 for a list of commercially available repellents and their ratings against deer and elk browsing in Colorado

Hot sauce
Sprays using hot sauce seems to be moderately effective.

Commercially available spray repellents
Various brands of repellents exist, all seem to be effective in some areas, and can be down right usless in others. Some require frequent reaplications, some can't take the rain, and many are not rated to be used on plants meant to be consumed. Brands include Liquid fence, Hinder, Millers’ Hot Sauce, Deer Stopper, Plant Pro-Tec, and Deer buster deer and & rabbit repellent are all rated safe to use.

Originally Posted by University of Minnesota

Six repellents were tested in a recent Connecticut study. Generally, repellents were more effective on less preferred plants. Here are the findings:
Big Game Repellent also known as Deer Away, made from putrescent (rotten) whole egg solids was 46 percent effective.
Hinder, made from ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids was 43 percent effective.
Thiram, a bitter tasting fungicide, now commonly used in repellents, was 43 percent effective.
Mesh bags of human hair, collected from hair styling shops, was found to be 34 percent effective. (Hair should be dirty, not collected after a shampoo.)
Magic Circle deer repellent, a bone tar oil which was soaked into 10 by 30 cm. burlap pieces, was 18 percent effective.
Miller Hot Sauce, containing capsicum, an extract of hot peppers, was 15 percent effective.

Originally Posted by University of Maryland

Growers who use repellents should understand some basic principles:
• Repellents do not eliminate browsing, only reduce it; therefore, repellent success is measured by the reduction, not elimination, of damage. If even minimal damage is intolerable, 8-foot fencing is the best option.

• Rainfall will wash off many repellents, so they will need to be reapplied. Some repellents weather better than others.

• Repellents only reduce antler rubbing to the extent that they keep deer out of the area.

• Repellents work by altering deer behavior. Therefore, they work best if used before feeding habits become established in a certain area. Deer establish their feeding habits in the late fall and spring.

• The availability of other, more palatable deer food dictates the effectiveness of repellents. When food is scarce, deer may ignore both taste and odor repellents.

• If you use repellents, do not overlook new preparations, products, or creative ways to use old ones. New products are constantly appearing on the market.

• Growers who are facing a long-term problem should compare the costs of repellents and fencing over time.

• A repellent that works in one area may not work elsewhere, even if the crop and conditions are similar to the first site.

As you can see, scent deterents can be effective in some situations, but they are not 100% effective, and effectiveness depends on the ammount of Deer pressure in a given area.

Here are some links-

Colorado state university-Preventing Deer Damage (one of the more informative sites)

Deer damage prevention efforts in Pennsylvania(The study where deterents were fed to capative deer

University of Vermont -DEER DETERRENTS--SCENTS

University of Maryland

Auburn University

Clemson University

Oklahoma state University

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Protecting your plants with fences/cages
By far the most effective way to protect your plants is to build a a fence. Chicken wire(Also known as Poultry netting or fencing) is the material used most often by Cannabis growers.






I use Chicken wire rolled into a ring, and attached to itself, it can free stand on its own to some extent, but I usually secure it to surrounding bushes or trees, I can lift the ring off the plant if I need close access. Secured tightly to the ground, it should also protect from Rabbits.






Some folks use posts(made from wood native to the area) to secure their wire, or run it between surounding trees or bushes, using them to fasten the wire.

If you use a ring to surround your plants, allow extra slack wire so the ring can be expanded as the plant grows through the season. Also keep in mind you may need to add wire to raise the level of the ring as the plants grow taller, wire can be attached by breaking the ring, laying it flat on the ground and adding a new layer of wire that overlaps the original and securly attached. The ring can then be rolled up again, and put back in place.

A alternative to wire is plastic netting, usually sold as deer netting or bird netting. Netting will not bear its own weight, so it will need to be attached securly to something. It will also need to be fairly taunt to be effective, this will also reduce the chances a deer will become snagged in it, and destroy it. Keep in mind this netting is light duty, and could become snagged in a Deers antlers, destroying it.

Shiny wire
Its important to make sure the wire you use is not shiny, as most new wire is. Sometimes wire pre-coated with paint can be purchased. My wire is old and rusted by time, but most people don't have 20 year old rolls laying around.
Some folks paint their wire, either with spray paint or by dipping their wire in paint. Some folks soak their wire in various acids to quickly weather them.
One of the best quick weathering methods I have seen involves placing your roll of wire in a fire, this will quickly deaden the shine.

Yet another method(If Rabbits aren't a concern), is to plant in a thick patch of thorns, it is possible to use the vines in such a way that the Deer will loose interest in entering the thicket. Keep a eye out, natural fences do exist.

Hell ya man hope this helps alot of people. I get rain i the summer and not much trouble from dear, but i am moving to a deer frequent location. Ima have to spend some time out there gettin to know where there at. So i know where not to plant.
keepin it simple. had a bit of trouble with a coon or something diggin up a plant... that and some moles or voles.. but he left the ones a few feet away alone.. guess the critter decided nothing should be there hehe

nice pup dude looks like a real trail buddy there

[mtnjohn]

i have had good luck with a product called "deer off"...it's the only thing i found that worked.....i tried most of the methods listed above

the deer off is jst like the deer away...made from putrescent egg solids

[kush07]

Just be careful with soap. Soap can attract rats which is not good either. You may end up trading one pest for another.

Happy Toking

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Hey there NeptHaze! Did you put any animal products like Fish, Bone or Blood meal in the soil, animal based fertilsers can attact scavengers like Racoons. My dog(net handle Cannabis critter) has been with me through lots of outdoor adventures, the best grow buddy ever!

mtnjohn-Hey there! Yeah, it seems products based on rotten eggs are one of the better detterents, you might like to try the homemade version, looks like its pretty good.

kush07-Yeah, I ran into that in my research too, rats eating the soap. Deer also will eat some soaps. Some sources also recemend using only deodorant soaps, Irish spring being the more popular. Most non-Cannabis growers also tend to hang the soap off the ground, partly to discourage access to rodents, but also to help the odor get in the air. I could see how hanging something may be a security hazard though.

[mtnjohn]

Originally Posted by kush07

Just be careful with soap. Soap can attract rats which is not good either. You may end up trading one pest for another.

Happy Toking

truthfully , i have never seen a rat use soap...they are dirty lil bastards
hahahhaa

[Sinfuldreams]

I put out a few clones this last spring.. kind of late.

Deer all over this area near a lake. When they where still soft and short the deer loved them. I lost a few but some made it. I used Irish Spring Bar Soap...Nothing.
Pee = not much help.
Old STINKY Tee Shirts placed around the aera helped a lot. But these need to be sweat stink for at least a few days... no showers :(
Deer Away worked well.
But after the plants got growing well and got woody the deer left them alone 100% I then put a few more clones out and they did FINE for some reason the deer just didn't give a hoot.
But food was abundant water as well.

These deer never got gun shy either, I shot off a small .22 they just looked at me, " Man whats your problem.. just looking for spot to bed down.damn."
I can't kill them just not my nature.

In the Veggy Garden they ate the Bell Peppers and leaves off the the hot peppers.. but not the HOT Peppers them self. Passed over all the tomatoes.

2 small cats, house cats SCARED the hell out of em! Young deer would stomp thier front hooves and snort, turn and run.
The cats actuly stocked them! was funny to see.

So I'm thinking hmmmmm Deer Away/Bell Peppers/ Stinky Tee Shirts and a few cats tied up near by would keep em at bay very well.
Plant the Bells near by but in a different part so they would rather eat those I think.
Deer Away around the Plants and Tee Shirts along the Deer Paths, of course I'm joking about tieing up cats near them

What about Gophers? Tons of them where I grew, I even use some of thier Holes for dirt and planted right in the holes. Makes for EZ Diggin but I was never sure it was wise.. they might of got some leaves when the plants where younger. or the roots?

Thanks Back Country learning a lot about OD Grows from you.

Sin

nope didnt use any ferts actually cured very nice i repeeatedly put this plant back into the ground and it kept getting dug up again but just the one. Despite all logic it was clear the critter wanted that spot to be bare I dont doubt theres a good reason either heh
simple solution was "dont plant there" and i never had another problem

[pipeline]

Originally Posted by BACKCOUNTRY

One of the best quick weathering methods I have seen involves placing your roll of wire in a fire, this will quickly deaden the shine.

I knew there was an easy way around this problem, it was right here in front of me! Thanks for the summary/tutorial BC!