Hello! Needless to say, it’s been a very interesting week! There are many super-sad snow bunnies out there. The rest of us “normal” people are actually surviving this winter quite nicely. But there are some things out there that are not surviving so well. So let’s get to them and come up with some practical solutions. So if deer are now devouring your trees and/or ornamentals, give some of these home remedies a try. And make plans to use some of these remedies to deter those deer later on in the growing season.

Let’s nose into some of those deer repellents: Mothballs
Some folks swear by them either thrown on the ground where the deer are browsing or put into little bags made from mesh onion bags, netting, or even old panty hose. You can tie these mothball bags to the branches of those trees that the deer are chowing down on. The smell of the mothballs just may work to repel them. You can also use moth crystals. However, both of these evaporate or melt away over a period of time, so check on them every once in a while, and replace them when necessary.

Another smelly repellent – little bars of soap, like the kind you get when you go away and stay at some motel. You can even leave the bars in their wrappers. Just force a hole through them and then hang these little bars on those branches that you want to protect. And, if you are not in the habit of spending your nights in motels, then you can use those runty little pieces of once regular sized bars of soap. They are too small to use but too good to throw away. Some folks recycle those little soap pieces by grinding them down and reshaping them into larger sized bars.

Well, good news – now you can get extra mileage for those small pieces by using them to repel those darned deer. Hopefully these soapy things will be putting some extra mileage between those deer and your plants. Some people claim that deodorant soap works best; others say just plain old soap will do. I say whatever works to keep those marauding munchers away from your yard or garden.

Still another home remedy to consider – old eggs. If you have some outdated eggs, or even cracked ones, instead of putting them into your compost pile, consider using them to keep the deer away. Beat up some of these unwanted eggs; add some water; and then spray or sprinkle the mixture around your plants. No, the deer will not be dying from all the cholesterol in the eggs; those deer will be dying to get away from the smell of those eggs as they start to decompose (the eggs will decompose, not the deer!). And, no, that rotten egg smell will not be strong enough for you to smell, but it will be strong enough to send the deer sailing!

Then there is always the smell of human hair. Make hairballs – not from cats, but from human hair. Give your family members a good scalping! Or make friends with your favorite neighborhood barber or hairdresser; beg them for their hair clippings. Do keep in mind that men’s hair seems to work better at than women’s hair. Perhaps men don’t use as much fancy shampoos or hair conditioners. At any rate, the smell of human hair might work as a deer repellent. Some folks even swear that dog hair works just as well.

There are some commercial sprays that work well at repelling deer. But they vary in price; they are not cheap. And they only last for short periods. So before you plunk down lots of money for these commercial products, give those home remedies a shot.

Keep in mind, browsing deer are creatures of habit. Once they have established a browsing pattern, they might be very difficulty to discourage. And if some of these home remedies don’t seem to work, then give another one a shot. And even though you might want to give those damaging deer a shot – please don’t! It’s not hunting season anymore!

Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D