Your bountiful gardens are delicious temptations for deer in summer. Take some steps to safely reroute the deer, so they don’t devour your plantings.

Deterring deer in summer does not have to be complicated or costly. You can easily and safely train deer to stay away from your property. Read our blog to learn about deer behavior, and how to keep them from turning your gardens into buffet stations.

Habits of Deer in Summer

Weather and lush summer landscapes bring deer out in force. Their groups may include offspring now, as birth rates are highest in spring and summer. And deer who are nursing fawns are motivated to fortify themselves with garden goodies.

Deer in summer will trade tree bark for flowering plants and edibles. Dense garden blooms make it easy for deer to eat, hide and bed-down.

The Summer Menu

Pay extra attention to the flowering plants deer love. Favorites include daylilies, hostas, hydrangeas, and the ever-sought-after rose bush.

Deer may choose to munch on grass, including wintergrass, sedges, and rushes, as well as wild and cultivated rye, oats, and wheat.

Produce preferences include apples, beans, berries, cabbage, leafy greens, lettuce, pears, spinach, sweet corn and turnips.

Once deer have a satisfying meal, they will return for refills, until you make it unpleasant or inconvenient for them.

Redirect The Deer

Good garden hygiene makes it less attractive for deer to dine and hide. Keep bushes, grass, plants and trees trimmed, and harvest produce often.

Create obstacles, so deer can’t reach their desired foods. Move planted containers to decks, as deer don’t typically climb structures. Place unplanted pots, garden chairs or other “props” near in-ground gardens, to hinder deer dining.

Surround the plants deer covet with edibles they don’t care for. Potent-smelling herbs that repel deer include fennel, garlic, and onion. Thorny cucumbers and the hairy peels of certain squash can also be effective at turning deer away.

Eco-friendly Deer Deterrence

Another key deterrence method is to treat the non-edible plants you want to shield. Bobbex Deer Repellent can be applied in almost any climate or temperature and will not wash off when the foliage gets wet. It is safe for humans, and all wildlife including pets, birds and aquatic creatures when used as directed. The secret is the odor that deer can detect for weeks, though people will only smell for about 24 hours!

For edible landscapes, Bobbex can be used around the perimeter, but not directly on the produce. Bobbex is made of natural ingredients, but is not for human consumption and may affect the taste of edibles.

Make the Living Easy

Summer is a favorite time of year for people as well as deer. But for very different reasons! Visits from deer in summer don’t have to be an inevitable fact of garden life, however. Follow the suggested tips in this month’s blog and add Bobbex to your storehouse of deer protection methods. Soon you can be singing “Summertime, and the living is easy”!