Easy Homemade Deer Repellents

Tap to Read ➤ Chandramita Bora

Making deer repellent is perhaps the easiest way to keep deer out of your garden. So, here are some simple and easy recipes for making deer repellents at home.

Owning a house near the woods can no doubt give you the pleasure of living in a serene and calm environment. You would also get a rare view of those beautiful deer roaming freely in your garden, which would give you the exalted feeling of living so close to the nature.

But the moment you realize the harm these lovely creatures can do to your garden, you would be desperately searching for ways to keep them away from your beautiful garden.

Their invasion will be more intense during winter when most of the plants become dry and gray. So, the green shrubs and bushes of your garden may suddenly look quite alluring to them.

Making Deer Repellents at Home

There are several methods to keep deer away from your garden, though their effectiveness can vary significantly from one region to another.

The use of commercial deer repellents have also increased significantly in the recent times. But many of these repellents contain chemicals that can carry some health risks to your pets and children. So, many people prefer to use homemade animal repellents, as they do not contain any harmful chemicals.

The main ingredients required for making homemade deer repellents are, eggs and warm water, though many other substances can be added to these basic ingredients to make several types of deer repellents.

First, strain the white portion of the egg and blend the egg properly with about ¼ th gallon of warm water. Then pour it into a spray bottle, and sprinkle it on the leaves of your garden plants. You can also add pepper to this mixture to make it more effective.

Many people have been able to keep deer away from their gardens by applying a mixture of milk, water, eggs, cloves, garlic, and cayenne. First, you have to take equal parts of milk and water, and then blend the eggs properly.

Once all the ingredients are blended, add cayenne and crushed cloves and garlic to it, and mix them completely. Leave the mixture for a few hours, and then spray the garden with this mixture. To make it spicier, you can add pepper and hot sauces as well.

Another effective repellent can be made by using dishwashing soap. First, blend an egg in about ½ cup of milk, and add cooking oil and dishwashing soap to it. You can also use dishwashing detergent in place of soap. Then add about 1 gallon water to this mixture. If you have hot chili oil, then add 1 teaspoon of it to enhance the efficacy of the repellent.

Now, you can spray this mixture on your garden plants once or twice a week. It is important to apply the repellent regularly. Though it does not get washed away completely by rains, the intensity of its smell or taste may fade to an extent. So, it is better to reapply it after a heavy rain.

As mentioned, the efficacy of different methods can vary significantly from one region to another. In some regions, where population of deer is not very high, a simple homemade repellent like a mixture of egg and water can be effective, while in other places you may need to add more ingredients like pepper, garlic, hot sauce, liquid dishwashing soap, etc.

You may also need the help of deer fences to protect your garden. Usually, a 7-foot tall garden fence is sufficient, though in some regions fences up to 10 feet tall can be required. Double fencing can be more effective than single fencing due to the fact that deer cannot jump high and wide simultaneously.

Thus, placing a second fence of about 4 to 5 feet inside the first one, can help prevent the entry of deer. To sum up, you will need to combine the various methods to protect your garden from deer, instead of relying on a single method.