Kate: I am sorry you got a visit, the Hell Beasts love roses almost as much as they love begonias! I live in an area of NJ with many deer, whose pop is growing every year. They are the scourge of my life. My roses are my obsession, and I live in fear of another attack. The problem with those solutions is they have to be re-applied so often and they can get really expensive. Also you usually have to keep changing what you use, since they get used to the smell. I tried all of the "home" remedies, and they never work. I have four motion activated sprinklers that works great. It scares them off and they never get used to it. I also use "Havahart" Deer Repellers around the perimeter of the yard & my roses look great. I keep "Deer Out" spray, with a peppermint scent for annuals and other plants that are outside the perimeter of the sprinklers. It works but unlike the devices, you don't have to constantly repurchase. You do need to buy "lure" for the Havahart Repellers, but it lasts a long time. A multi-pronged approach is the only way to win the war. That, or a 9 Ft Fence! Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Scarecrow Device at Amazoncom

Thank you for all that information. I'll definitely check out your link plus the Havahart and Deer Out.

It's strange because normally we get one or two deer during winter but I've never heard of them eating on people's plants in our neighborhood. Maybe because its so dry here this year they are wandering more.

Hopefully I can find a solution to the critters trying to turn my roses into a cafeteria.

Kate

I feel for you Kate! Right now, even my concoction isn't working! I think because of the fires around here, the deer have lost a lot of their usual food sources, so they're eating anything they find. They ate all my tomatoes, squash, and peppers last week. I had just sprayed a few days before. I sprayed again and they hit again and got more roses too. They were coming every night for about 6 days there. Then I bought this new electronic thing that I ordered at Ace. I've moved it to the main area where they come into the yard, and so far I think it "might" be working. I might just have to put another one at the other end of the yard tho. It's a motion-detector thing that sets off high pitched sounds that the deer don't like. You can set it for other animals too. There's several different ranges of sound. It takes either 4 C batteries or you can plug it in. It's called DEER GARD or YARD GARD. They are virtually the same item, same price, just the deer one is a brown plastic box and the "yard" one is dk green. It's put out by Bird-X.

OMG, I just looked up this link to show you the product, and they sell it online on their own website for $125!!! It's only $54.99 at Ace!!! Anyway, it's at least another option. I'll keep ya posted as to whether it really IS working.... or if the deer just have left the area for awhile. LOL Not likely tho.

As for the homemade repellent.... I mix up a two gallon batch, and it waaaay more than does the 1600+ roses I have and the veggies too. I whip up 3-4 eggs (don't have to be "rotten", but it helps!), about a couple tbs garlic juice, a squirt of any HOT sauce, and a cup or so of water from a bar of Ivory soap that I keep in water in a quart Tupperware container. You have to strain it as you pour it in the sprayer, because the egg albumen and the soap goop are thick and gooey. It usually works for me for several weeks, even with overhead watering. But, like I said.... I think the fires have made the deer unafraid of eating stuff they normally wouldn't touch. And they normally won't touch anything that's had this stuff sprayed on it! This is the first ime it hasn't worked in over two yrs.

Well, good luck. Hope you can find something that works

Here is a link that might be useful: Yard Gard

Thanks Beth.

I was hoping you might see my post.

You know I bet you summed up the problem perfectly. With the fires and all. Like I said in all our years here I have never had a deer enter the garden until last night. I was actually really counting my blessings this morning as the nibbling was so minor.

Thanks for the tips on your anti deer brew and the Deer Gard/Yard Gard thingy. I'll check into that. My current hope is that I don't wake up tomorrow morning to my yard having become a nocturnal cafeteria. My husband said he was impressed with how calm I was this morning after last nights grazing but they could have done much worse. Must have been only one or two and not a herd.

Appreciate your time Beth.

Kate

Well, the first day I discovered the deer had eaten my tomatoes and the pot ghetto roses, my husband heard me screaming and cussing outside from 50ft away, inside the closed-up house with the a/c running, and the TV Surround-sound blaring!! LOL Needless to say, I was majorly pissed!

Kate right now, there are three deer in our front garden, they live here - and that's OK, because we put a deer fence around our back and moved all our roses there and now keep expanding them. It feels like a gift from heaven.

But believe me, I had years of deer torment in our front, before this. Egg spraying definitely works, but you need to do it often. I did four eggs to a gallon of water every five days - it was time consuming and a pain in the neck. It was definitely a deterrent, yet ocasionally, they still whooped me! and that was always so devistating. I found the spraying difficult to keep up...For some reason, the most fragrant buds and roses went first...and often constant attacks finally killed off several roses. So I feel for anyone now in this situation. I think the sprinkler and "light" devices sound promising. We had an electric fence at one time, that worked like a hot damn, but Oh so unsightly!

Sad thing is, if they have found you once, then watch out. Sorry to say. I would definitely give the egg spray consideration if I was you. It does work, though fails occasionally. Good luck.
Pauline - Vancouver Island

Kate, we also had deer graze down my roses in early summer this year - for the first time in 20 years. I was just sick. My husband bought two "Scarecrows" (motion detector water sprayers) and they have worked like a charm. We will put up a tall deer fence for the winter, since we don't want them to get used to coming through the yard once it gets too cold to use the hose/Scarecrow device.

Dogs work beautifully too.

Not all dogs work. Ours sits on the front porch sleeping while the deer sneak in the back side area. Now, if she hears a squirrel scurrying down one of the pine trees, she's off like a bolt of lightning tho!

Thanks again everyone.

Beth I certainly can understand the urge to vent loudly under those circumstances. If expletives come from around our garden normally they do come from me also:)

Pauline: I appreciate the information. I am going to look at some of those devices certainly.

Karen: I'll look for the Scarecrow. Your system for now and this winter sound great. I am worried about winter. As Pauline also noted once they get a taste for your yard they can be hard to deter. All these suggestions are great.

Peggy: We have considered a dog. Not as a deer deterrent but just because dogs are so great. However we have three cats, one of whom is a confirmed dog hater. I suspect any dog at our house would be so pampered also that at night when deer are primarily on the move it would be sleeping on my bed:)

Kate

Kate.........

I don't know what county you live in NOCAL, but in Trinity County, it is actually illegal to have your dogs chase deer ! It doesn't make sense, but you can actually get fined for having a dog that chases critters.

I want to move my few roses that I have out front to my back yard, but I have to dig rose holes in almost pure rock, so it will not happen until next spring.

Lyn