Are you a gardener eager to keep deer away from your perennials and vegetable gardens? If you don’t want to (or cannot) build a tall fence, you may think about using organic deer repellents. Keep reading to learn about organic deer repellent.
Let’s talk about some of the best organic deer repellents on the market, how and why they work, and instructions for their use. We will also talk about the general effectiveness of organic deer repellents, their drawbacks, and some alternatives that homeowners can consider. Let’s get started!
What is an Organic Deer Repellent?
Put simply, an organic deer repellent is any natural substance that deer don’t like and that will keep them away.
There are many kinds of organic deer repellent, including things you may already have in your kitchen as well as commercially prepared formulations.
Homemade Deer Repellents
There are several different homemade deer repellents you can make yourself in the comfort of your own kitchen. Here are some of them below:
Chili Pepper Spray
Deer hate the smell of hot chili peppers, so a chili pepper spray can be effective at keeping them away.
Here are the ingredients you will need to make a chili pepper deer-repellent spray:
- Habanero peppers (several, probably four)
- Vegetable or olive oil (two tablespoons)
- Milk or yogurt (three tablespoons)
- Water (one-quarter cup)
You will need a blender for this recipe. Put the chili peppers and water in your blender, and blend until you have liquified the peppers.
Grab a cheesecloth, and use it as a strainer to put the mixture through it. After that, add in the yogurt or milk, as well as the olive oil.
Dilute the mixture with water before putting it in a spray bottle. Aim for a concentration of 10 parts water to one part chili pepper mixture.
Apply this spray generously to plants and areas of your garden where you want to keep away deer.
“Rotten Egg” (Eggs and Cayenne Pepper) Spray
This mixture creates a rotten egg smell that deer detest.
To make a rotten egg deer-repellent spray, you will need:
- Raw eggs (three)
- Garlic cloves (three)
- Cayenne pepper (three tablespoons)
- Yogurt or milk (three tablespoons)
- Water (three cups)
Use a blender to mix together the cayenne pepper, water, milk, garlic, and eggs.
Transfer the mixture into an appropriate container. It must have a lid.
Put this container outside for a few days, so the mix has time to ferment.
Once you’ve left the mixture outside for a few days, strain the liquid. Transfer it to a spray bottle.
Go into the garden and apply this spray to all the areas where you want to repel deer.
Peppermint and Rosemary Essential Oil Mixture
You will need vinegar as well as peppermint and rosemary essential oil, as well as a spray bottle, for this recipe.
Here are the ingredients for peppermint and rosemary deer-repellent spray:
- Vinegar
- Rosemary essential oil (four drops)
- Peppermint essential oil (six drops)
Put the vinegar in a spray bottle, and then put in the specified amounts of rosemary and peppermint essential oils. After you’ve securely replaced the lid, shake thoroughly.
There is one important caveat to this recipe: Don’t use it on plants that may die as a result of being exposed to vinegar.
Ask for advice at your gardening center if you aren’t sure if this recipe is safe for the plants in your garden.
What are the Best Organic Deer Repellents on the Market?
There are many excellent organic deer repellents available to purchase. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
Fend Off
Fend Off odor clips are designed to repel both deer and rabbits. They’re easier to use and just as effective as sprays.
You just attach the clips to wherever you feel is most effective and important to ward off deer, such as on specific plants or on your fence. These clips have a garlic odor, and deer are known to detest that smell.
Find This on AmazonLiquid Fence
Like the Fend Off repellent we discussed earlier, Liquid Fence Repellent keeps away both deer and rabbits.
This spray is simple and easy to apply to plants in your garden. It is waterproof and will stand up to rain.
You can apply Liquid Fence any time of year.
Find This on AmazonDeer Out
Deer Out is a deer repellent liquid concentrate. A great thing about this highly effective deer repellent is that it has a pleasant smell.
It has a mint scent, so it won’t bother you and guests in your garden. It stands up to rain and it is made with completely natural ingredients.
Find This on AmazonI Must Garden
I Must Garden Deer Repellent is one of the most popular organic deer repellents on the market. This is a spray with a mint spray.
It’s extremely effective at keeping away deer with the smell of botanical oils that they can easily detect. You just spray this deer repellent to plants in your garden.
Find This on AmazonReasons to use Organic Deer Repellent
If you have a garden in an area with a lot of deer, you will want to use deer repellent. After all, deer are prone to come into your garden and eat your flowers and other plants.
There are certain plants that deer especially like to eat and if you have them in your garden, you will have to be especially attentive with using deer repellent.
If you have tulips and some other bulb plants in your garden, if there are deer in your area, they will probably come into your garden to eat your flowers.
Other flowers that will probably make deer a problem in your garden include buttercups, violas, pansies, and certain kinds of lilies.
Deer will even eat bulbs, so there is a danger they will try to dig them up after you plant them. Ensure you use deer repellent before you plant bulbs on your property.
Deer also enjoy eating flowering trees, such as plum trees, pear trees, cherry trees, crabapple trees, and apple trees. If you have these trees on your property, ensure you use plenty of deer repellent.
How and Why Do Organic Deer Repellents Work?
Organic deer repellents work because they contain scents that deer hate. When deer smell these repellents, they will probably stay away from your garden and won’t eat your plants.
Unlike their chemical counterparts, organic deer repellents don’t contain potentially harmful ingredients.
They harness the power of nature, including natural and safe ingredients with smells that deer happen to dislike and will stay away from.
Instructions for Using Organic Deer Repellents
The correct way to use organic deer repellents depends on which organic repellent you use. Make sure to read the directions that are listed on the bottle or packaging.
With spray deer repellents, you usually spray them on the plants and other features of your garden.
Make sure you use enough so that deer will be able to smell the repellent from a distance, so they don’t come on your property.
If you go with a clip deer repellent, position the clips so that you create a sort of fence around your garden. You can also clip them directly to individual plants that you don’t want deer to eat.
Final Thoughts On Organic Deer Repellent
As we’ve seen here, there are plenty of organic options when it comes to deer repellent.
You can make a homemade recipe in your kitchen, or you can buy one of the great commercial organic deer repellents available on the market.
No matter which deer repellent you use, make sure you do so correctly and regularly.
