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Deer netting

Immolated

Immolated

Hey guys. Woke up this morning to find deer had gone at my Reaper and Brown Moruga plants. Immediately went to home depot and bought some deer netting. I draped the nets over the plants and fastened them around base of plant. Now said plants are deer proof. All plants are mature as it is late in grow season here in NJ.

Want to use it earlier next season but am afraid I will restrict the plant's growth. Anyone used the netting before on young plants and did it stunt the plant's growth?
 
The pods were not mature, but the plants themselves are. They left the unripe pods on the branches, lol. Hopefully theyre off somewhere dropping fire pellet poops.
 
I have been experimenting a tad with deer-preventing my plants, and have been talking with a lot of people about it. One thing I've heard from several is that deer aren't likely to do any kind of contortions to reach your plants, but they are going to take advantage of easy-to-reach plants. What this translates into is that you don't have to entirely wrap the plants, but just cover the tops of them. In other words, you could build a frame around all the plants as a whole and put the netting on the top of the frame, like a canopy. Just make sure the top of the frame is either height-adjustable, or tall enough for your mature plants yet low enough that the deer would have to stoop to get to them. 
 
Thanks Geeme. Sounds like excellent advice. Spent the day wrapping all the plants already. Next year I'll give your suggestion a shot since I'm not allowed to do the same to the deer.
 
Sprinkler with motion detector - has been tried by some, with only very short-term positive results. The unexpected activity does surprise them at first, but if they are hungry enough and have no other ideal food source, they will eventually get used to the sprinkler and ignore it. 
 
Netting each individual plant, while a pain and possibly stunting to the plant, stopped Bambi last night and probaby will continue to going forward.

The thing that bummed me out with netting my guys was that they were by far the largest, bushiest plants I've grown in 3 years of doing this, so I hate to restrict them (this has been a pepper growing dream summer here in NJ because of the abnormal heat and humidity we've had since May)

Still, it beats the alternative of having them destroyed. Setting up the motion detecting sprinklers is a little too MacGyver for a dummy like me.
 
Well, I am jealous of your heat and humidity. We've had a few hot days here and there, but as late as last week we had to wear long sleeves and even light jackets in the evenings. And we've had way too much rain for the chile plants to be happy. But there's always next year to look forward to! Best wishes on your grow!
 
Those yard rats are a huge problem here too.  I currently have 7 foot bird netting setup like a fence around the plants.  It is working so far.  When I was landscaping I was taught that deer won't usually jump a fence if it can't see that there is a clear spot to land.  When we did new housing landscape installations we planted hedgy, bushy type of things along the fence line.  I don't know how effective it was because we didn't follow up.  I've never tried soap, but from first hand experience, human hair and/or urine made no difference at all.  I've never tried store bought deer repellent, I really don't know whats in that stuff.  I tried cages around tomato plants, but after I saw a buck trample it to the ground and eat the plant from between the links, I abandoned that method.  My only luck deterring them has been with tall fencing and a loud dog.
 
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