From DCS & PlantNative – a non-chemical Deer Repellent!

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DEER HATE EGGS!

In addition to the mixtures and products below, just egg and water will repel them – and eggshells are VERY good. I’ve spread crushed eggshells (not washed) into and in about a 2 to 3 foot area around a garden and this year I have gorgeous purple, and some pink, asters with the goldenrod. In previous years the asters have been eaten by deer just before they were ready to bloom – ouch!   Thankfully there is something they don’t like!

Here you go – I’ve included info about two purchased deer repellents and the homemade:

Use the homemade or Deerout on fruits and veggies and ornamentals and for the tree trunks to keep deer from rubbing antlers on the trunk and ripping up the bark and the tree.  …it works!  PlantSkydd is not for edibles, but good on the plants.

In a pinch just put an egg and water in a quart spray jar – shake and spray – the sprayer will clog so you will need to clean the intake…and spray a border around what you want to protect. Yes, will smell after a while so leave it outside.

Homemade version below – and DEEROUT – has repellent for deer, groundhogs, and rabbits (both work very nicely!!! for deer get the DEER version) …is a permanent, herbal based repellent… now says OK for directly on what you are going to eat – we use it on smaller plants, then shift to the egg based – works well! – but is a little expensive – but we buy the concentrate and it last quite a while – don’t let the Deerout freeze and you have what you don’t use for next year – the homemade can freeze and it doesn’t matter!

– we mix them as we have the whole crowd lining up to eat our stuff!…the homemade does work very nicely for deer and rabbits, but repeat after a rain or two.

DEER REPELLENT is also working to also repel rabbits!

This recipe will make up one gallon of repellent – re-spray plants after rains – best if you can spray allowing enough time to dry before nightfall. Will actually last through several rains – usually – – though we have been cautious about testing this too much!  It easily washes off the vegetables – and though before drying, it smells a little like your least favorite childhood uncle (or aunt) who smoked cigars – but it works!  …and the smell fades quickly to us humans.You do not need to refrigerate; we keep ours outside.  We have used a simple hand sprayer, and also larger sprayers for larger areas. Always SHAKE WELL before using.  Sometimes you have to clean the sprayer intake strainer.

in a blender mix

• one or two EGGS
• 1 cup MILK
• some water

put this mixture into your gallon container and add

• 1 teaspoon of dish detergent
• 1 tablespoon of  vegetable oil – OR instead of the oil and soap use some Spreader/sticker from a garden supply
• 1/2 teaspoon of Sausage Maker* smoke flavor

Shake well and then fill up to the gallon volume.

We have also successfully made this up as a 3 or 4 times concentrate to be diluted before use.  Use the undiluted concentrate to paint on the trunks of young trees to keep deer from using the young trees (stripping the bark) to rub the covering off their antlers in the late summer.  You can also just mix some eggs and water and paint on those small tree trunks – works!

*we used this particular brand of smoke flavor and do not know which ingredient is actually repelling the rabbits – we are not messing with success!    It is the egg that repels the deer and we added the smoke flavor so that the deer did not have to taste the plant again to decide if they still don’t like it – the smoke flavor was a scent to remind them that they did not like it before.

Sausage Maker is on the web:  www.SausageMaker.com