motion activated sprinklers to battle deer!

[datgh]

Has anyone ever tried one of these with success?  I am thinking of getting it for dh for Father's Day.  We have lived on our property for over 20 years but in the last couple the deer have discovered us!  Last year they mowed through all our gardens.  I spray the  perennials with a home made deer repellent that works well but I don't want to do the vegetable garden so I am thinking the sprinkler might be an idea. It is a lot cheaper then a fence! Loved to hear if anyone has tried it.

[Laurie4b]

What is your homemade deer repellant? I have flowers to protect, too. Sometimes Irish Spring soap stuck out in the garden has helped, but not always.

 

For a vege garden, my dad had success with a simple, one wire electric fence. The trick was that he folded strips of aluminum foil hanging down over the wire. On the strips of foil, he smeared peanut butter. Deer apparently like peanut butter (go figure) and they get the zap from the electric fence in the mouth, where it apparently makes an impression. They don't mind the zap on the hide and can jump over a single wire anyway. This is the cheapest way I've heard of to deter deer. He had a pretty sizeable backyard garden.

[datgh]

Laurie4b I might have to look into your Dad's idea. That might not be to expensive. As far as my homemade deer repellent, I mix six eggs, 3 T of hot sauce and 3 T of minced garlic with a little water in a blender.  I recommend highly mixing this outside because the first time I did it inside I about asphyxiated my whole family. I then strain the mix to get out any stray garlic pieces and pour it into the sprayer.  I add enough water to make a gallon.  I usually spray it in the evening. The whole place smells like an Italian dinner when I am done.  It needs to be repeated after a hard rain or every couple of weeks.  The deer didn't touch the plants I sprayed like the hostas and phlox that I know they love so they turned to the vegetable garden.  I am just not sure what kind of flavors my veggies would pick up from all the garlic. 

[Walking-Iris]

The spray you mixed will kill aphids and mites. Fine to put in the garden.

 

I have deer in our yard. The only thing they seem to want to eat is our strawberry plants. Other than a privacy fence, I'm not sure what to try. I don't mind it when we see them. But we seem to be a regular path for them from one stand of trees in the neighborhood to another next block over. 

 

Deer are really skittish...so scarecrows with noisy moving parts? LOL I can see my kids going for that one.

 

Also you could plant smelly herbs around your garden, maybe in containers---garlic, mint, lavender. Deer don't like smelly plants. 

 

Sprinkler could work...and then you can thank the deer for watering the garden for you. ;)

 

 

 

 

[Baseball mom]

No idea but I had never even heard of the motion activated sprinkler until this morning.  They had a thing on the weather channel about it.   After they talked about it one of the ladies on there said she wanted to set one up out front by the sidewalk.  Then sit on the porch with a drink and watch the action  :lol:  :thumbup:  :rofl:

[Vida Winter]

Motion sensor sprinklers work up to a point. The only thing that has really worked for us is a *tall* fence.

[Mango]

My uncle (avid gardner & hunter) leaves a radio on low all summer long in his garden. It sits on a chair, covered with wheelbarrow. He says he's seen deer walk into his garden, and then out--without eating anything because they're too nervous about the people noise. 

 

Its on, but you can't hear it unless your standing right there in the garden. 

 

Bunnies, that's another story. He takes a roll of chicken wire, or small holed cattle panel stuff, and bends it into a bottomless triangle. He places that over the row.

 

 

His garden is beautiful. 

 

[In The Great White North]

 

 

Deer are really skittish..

 

Not around here, they're not.  Must be able to read all the Posted - No Hunting" signs my neighbor has up.

[datgh]

My uncle (avid gardner & hunter) leaves a radio on low all summer long in his garden. It sits on a chair, covered with wheelbarrow. He says he's seen deer walk into his garden, and then out--without eating anything because they're too nervous about the people noise. 

 

. 

 

This might be worth a shot!

[G5052]

Motion sensor sprinklers work up to a point. The only thing that has really worked for us is a *tall* fence.

 

Yes, in my area the deer either figure out a way around, or they run so fast that they don't get wet in their rush to the "banquet."

 

When we put in the garden, we put up a 9' fence from day one.  It looks ugly, but ours is the only garden on our road that never gets eaten by deer. We had a chipmunk problem a few weeks ago, but he'll never be back  :glare: .

[Aspasia]

The reviews on amazon are really positive, so I'm going to give it a try. Here's hoping...

[Mango]

Don't know.  Just thought I'd throw this out there... My FIL used to hang CD's around the yard.  The shiny reflective nature of them supposedly helped to spook the deer away.

 I stock up on those pinwheels sold at Easter time. I stick those on the end of rows. Keeps my chicken out! 

Otherwise they walk down the rows and pull out my onion sets.