Grrrr! Deer or rabbits are eating my begonias!

[i.love.lucy]

I thought it might be snails when I noticed my red waxleaf begonias were being munched. Then this morning I go out and a couple of the begonias I put in are pulled up and almost completely eaten! :cursing: Everything I read says that deer AND rabbits will leave them alone, but I am certain now that I found a nice fresh pile of droppings. Is there anything I can do other than replant with something else? Any kind of fencing is not an option.

 

I remember as a kid doing all kinds of tricks to keep the deer off the plants and it seems like trying to trust "guides" that tell you lists of plants they won't eat is unreliable. They have so far left alone all the lantana and vincas. Guess maybe I'll just plant more of those!:banghead:

[Aunty Social]

You might try some garlic and hot pepper spray. I don't know if it would work on the deer, but it's supposed to keep rabbits away. Take a full head of garlic and either 4-6 hot peppers or else some cayenne and grind it up in a blender with a couple cups water. Let it sit a day or so, strain and dilute with about a gallon of water, add a tsp - tbl of liquid soap (not detergent) and spray the plants.

 

I just sprayed my carrots and squash with this a few hours ago, so I can't give you any personal results yet...but I'm hoping!

[Melissa in FL]

Sounds gross, but as long as it's not something you are going to eat try this: Have your dh go out after dark and "water" the plants. The animals will smell the human scent and stay away from those plants. If it is something that is going to be eaten then dh could go around the area without hitting the plants. I used to have dh do this around some of my plants in MI and it always worked.

Melissa

[i.love.lucy]

Sounds gross, but as long as it's not something you are going to eat try this: Have your dh go out after dark and "water" the plants. The animals will smell the human scent and stay away from those plants. If it is something that is going to be eaten then dh could go around the area without hitting the plants. I used to have dh do this around some of my plants in MI and it always worked.

Melissa

:lol: I now have a visual of dh in the front yard of our suburb trying discretely to "water" the plants. :001_huh: That's hilarious, but possibly worth a try.

 

I can remember my grandmother trying to make some kind of hanging packets with urine and human hair and cayenne. Lovely. And it didn't work. But maybe around here they will be so timid as to be deterred by this!

[lisamarie]

I think my DS would LOVE to try this out. I have issues with rabbits in my garden all the time. They are eating my black-eyed-susans that my mom transplanted to my garden that they never touched in her garden ever. I live 5 doors down from her. Something about my garden says "step right up, it's dinner time." :glare: I do have my kids trained now. If they see a bunny out the window, they run outside screaming to chase it away.

[MotherGoose]

In my experience, deer LOVE begonias. They don't like lantana, and vinca, as you have indicated. Also salvias and herbs. There's a product called deer Scram that is in powder form that you put out & it works as long as you continue to apply it. My dh also used to "water" the plants as a previous poster suggested--he does love it so much that he continued even after we installed an electric fence...

[Mejane]

We have scattered our dog's hair around after we brush him.