A week or so ago deer got to my tomatoe plants. Since they did not mess with the rest of my plants and since I'm not really caring much about the tomatoes (a story behind that I won't go into here) I did not think much of it. However, I found a few days later that they about decimated my next-door neighbor's raised beds. This neighbor is on the other side of my house from where my tomatoe plants are. The neighbor on the side where the tomatoe plants are is a nurse who often works nights. When she works, she keeps her outside lights on, but when she does not work she has a motion-sensor light. My neighbor with the garden installed a motion-sensor light as he heard the light coming on might scare the deer away. I don't know if my other neighbor's motion-sensor light is what saved the rest of my plants or not, but let's say I'm skeptical. I've been told here that a mix of hot pepper and anise sprayed on the leaves will deter deer, so that's one of my weekend tasks over the next couple of days. So cut to last night…..
It was about 10pm and I needed to run to the grocery store. I got in my car, backed out of the drive and started down the street. However, a couple houses away, on the other side of the street, I saw a doe munching on one of my neighbor's plants. She clearly did not care about a car coming down the street, and she was heading in the direction of my house. I stopped the car, pulled out my cell phone, and called my son. (He's with me while he finishes up college, so we're not talking about a kid here.) Convo:
There's a deer on the street and it's heading in the direction of our house. Would you go outside and make sure it doesn't get to our plants?
Are you serious?
Yes.
I'm not going to go outside and fight with a deer!
It's a small female. You don't have to fight it, just make some motion so it won't want to come near.
You're kidding.
No, I am serious.
You really expect me to do that?
Yes.
What do you think I'm supposed to do? It's a deer!
I don't know - act like a boogy-man or something.
Sigh………… fine. [click]
Yes, the chile plants MUST BE SPARED!
So what about you? Yeah, I know peeing around your plants is supposed to help, too, but that's not going to happen here. I'm growing in containers on my back porch, and I just don't want that aroma around my house. Other than pee and cap and anise sprayed on the plants, is there anything that you've tried that seems to have worked? Anyone had motion-sensor lights ignored by deer?
It was about 10pm and I needed to run to the grocery store. I got in my car, backed out of the drive and started down the street. However, a couple houses away, on the other side of the street, I saw a doe munching on one of my neighbor's plants. She clearly did not care about a car coming down the street, and she was heading in the direction of my house. I stopped the car, pulled out my cell phone, and called my son. (He's with me while he finishes up college, so we're not talking about a kid here.) Convo:
There's a deer on the street and it's heading in the direction of our house. Would you go outside and make sure it doesn't get to our plants?
Are you serious?
Yes.
I'm not going to go outside and fight with a deer!
It's a small female. You don't have to fight it, just make some motion so it won't want to come near.
You're kidding.
No, I am serious.
You really expect me to do that?
Yes.
What do you think I'm supposed to do? It's a deer!
I don't know - act like a boogy-man or something.
Sigh………… fine. [click]
Yes, the chile plants MUST BE SPARED!
So what about you? Yeah, I know peeing around your plants is supposed to help, too, but that's not going to happen here. I'm growing in containers on my back porch, and I just don't want that aroma around my house. Other than pee and cap and anise sprayed on the plants, is there anything that you've tried that seems to have worked? Anyone had motion-sensor lights ignored by deer?
