Protecting Plants from Deer Damage in Central Texas

The white-tailed deer is a familiar sight to anyone living in Austin and other areas of Central Texas. It is not unusual for Austinites to find families of deer lounging in their front yards during the night and early morning, even in developed residential communities. Unfortunately, deer can also be a major nuisance in urban areas due to the damage they often cause to trees, landscape and garden plants. The overpopulation of white-tailed deer in Central Texas means more competition for food, leading deer to consume plants and shrubs that may otherwise be left alone.

With an overpopulation of deer and a shortage of other food sources, deer in Central Texas often turn to garden and landscape plants for nourishment, much to the dismay of property owners. One method that may help reduce or prevent damage to plants is the application of deer repellant, which can be applied to individual plants or an entire area of a lawn.

Another option is to experiment with using plants that deer tend not to prefer, though a hungry deer will eat practically anything and this approach may take some trial, error and luck. Flowering plants such as geraniums, daffodils and begonias as well as shrubs like boxwood, butterfly bush and most thorny bushes are generally avoided by deer as long as more attractive food sources are available. If you want to landscape your yard with the preferences of deer in mind, consult with neighbors and perform some background research on plants that deer seem to avoid in your local area. Remember that even if deer do not prefer to eat certain types of plants, they can cause damage by trampling them en route to other, more desirable vegetation.

If deer are a particular nuisance in your area, you may consider other means of keeping them out of your yard altogether.
Fencing in your entire yard is one way to protect all of your landscaping plants and trees from damage and consumption by deer. Even still, a fence may not be the perfect solution. Bear in mind that deer can jump over high fences, and that an angled, wire fence will provide a more effective barrier than will a vertical, wooden one.

Munching away your hard-earned landscaping plants is not the only way deer may cause damage to your property. Bucks also rub the trunks of trees with their antlers, which removes the protective outer bark and leaves the animal’s scent behind. This behavior serves to remove velvet from the antlers, mark territory, show dominance, attract does and possibly prepare the buck for battle with another buck. Deer seem to prefer smaller trees with smooth bark over larger, rougher ones for rubbing. If you have a tree that has incurred such damage, a sturdy barrier such as a wire fence should help protect your tree from future deer rubs. Though extensive damage can result in the death of a tree, the good news is that tree damage caused by deer rubs can often be repaired by a tree’s natural healing process. A qualified tree service expert can advise you as to the extent of damage present and provide guidance as to the actions that should be taken to protect the tree and prevent it from becoming hazardous.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and tree trimming Austin trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

Damage Control for Deer and other Animals

Deer, rabbits, squirrels and other mammals can enjoy a feast in your garden and yard. It is a common problem and people have been trying different remedies for years to stop this kind of damage. Deer feed on leaves, stems, flowers, and bark. They crush flowerbeds with their hooves and chomp off the tops of day lilies. Males often rub their antlers on tree trunks, causing bark to shed and trunks to splinter or even split. This type of deer damage often occurs during the fall season between the months of September and November. The one thing that has proven best to prevent this damage is a spray repellent which is easy to use, biodegradable, and non-toxic.

Deer Away Deer & Rabbit Repellent is designed to protect plants, trees and shrubs from browsing damage caused by deer, big game and other animals such as rabbits & squirrels. Deer Away contains a latex binder that resists washing off. It is designed so that under normal conditions, Deer Away will protect your trees and shrubs for up to three months. In some cases it has been proven to last even more than three months. This depends on the deer population density, the eating patterns of the animals and new plant growth. An example of one of these factors coming into play would be if the deer population was limited but the food supply was plentiful, deer would simply change their browsing area because of the repellent. More frequent application may be required if extreme conditions happen, such as continued heavy rainfall, or if there is rapid new growth on the trees, shrubs, and plants.

Because the repellent is non-toxic, it can be sprayed on fruit bearing trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, conifers, and plant seedlings. It is safe, efficient, biodegradable, and easy to use. It is a food-grade product, but since it is formulated for long-lasting repellency, it binds to the plant and will not readily wash off edible products and may therefore affect the taste. It is not recommended for use in vegetable gardens or on edible crops. However, it is listed for use on citrus and fruit trees in their dormant stages before the fruit is set.

Developed by the Weyerhaeuser Corporation for use in reforestation to protect Douglas Fir seedlings from deer browse damage, Deer Away became commercially available in the late 70’s. In the United States, it has been university tested and proven an effective repellent against deer, rabbits and elk. In Canada, it has been proven an effective repellent for deer and big game, as well as squirrels. It is used as a repellent by the U.S. Forest Service and is guaranteed effective by the manufacturer.

The active ingredient in Deer Away is putrescent egg solids. It repels by both odor and taste, so the deer do not even want to try to eat the foliage turning away first by the smell. A deer’s nose has hundreds of millions of odor receptor sites unlike the human nose which has only five million. The odor is mild and not objectionable to most people.

A knowledgeable tree service expert can look for the signs of which culprit is causing damage to your trees, shrubs, and plants. If it is deer, an expert will know and may suggest applying Deer Away. Apply only to dry plants and only under favoring weather conditions to insure prompt drying of spray, which would be lightly breezy, mild dry weather with low relative humidity. Protection may be only partial if spray is used on wet plants or in damp, cold, foggy and misty weather.

Health note: Another reason to keep deer away from your property is that they are host to deer ticks, which may carry Lyme disease. Transmittable to humans through tick bites, Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that you do not want. Signs of Lyme disease include a ring-shaped rash, flu-like symptoms and muscle aches. Contact your doctor for diagnosis if you have any of these symptoms.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading Austin Texas tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas). Central Texas Tree Care offers services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management and fertilization. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.