Avoid Deer Damage By Plant Selection
Resistance of Seedlings and Nursery Stock to Deer Damage
The best way to avoid deer damage to your landscape plants is
with the proper selection of plants that the deer will naturally
avoid. Sprays will over time wash away and fences do not enhance
your landscape if they are 8' tall.
Damage to seedlings and nursery stock by deer will increase as
it has over the past 20 years. We don't believe that there are
any 100 per cent effective methods to stop deer damage except 8-
10' high woven wire fences are that to costly for most small
growers. Human populations moving to rural areas will continue.
Loss of huntable land will increase as will deer populations.
Deer having multiple births coupled with increasing gun
regulation is likly to continue. There are few natural controls
for deer populations. Opening your land to hunting is an
effective practice for lowering deer populations. Since deer are
nocturnal, hunting may not be totally effective. This means that
you must have an integrated pest management plan. This plan
should include the following: popualtion management(hunting),
repellants, selecting resistant plants, fencing, knowledge of
deer habits for integrating your management plan.
Deer Feeding Habits
Deer feeding will occur on fertilized and unfertilize plants.
Most browsing of seedlings will occur at night. By planting
less-preferred seedlings in unprotected areas and surrounding
preferred seedlings by less-preferred seedlings, deer damage is
lessened. Susceptible plants shoud be fenced or planted near
occupied structures. Backyard dogs are effective in keeping deer
away.Your knowledge of deer feeding habits should be your first
line of defence. A plan based on this knowledge will provide
seedlings growers with less expensive alternatives to dangerous
chemiacls repellants and hard to maintain fences and physical
barriers. Deer are creatures of habit. Some deer in certain
areas will eat holly and white pines, while deer in other areas
won't. Therefore plant preference lists are only rough guides to
deer damage susceptibility. In general browsing damage to
seedlings will be highest when snow or extreme weather reduces
food availability. Succulent young growth is an attractive deer
attraction in the spring time. When food is in short supply deer
will feed on less desireable plants. Always try and reduce deer
herds. We once had a deer hunt where hunters paid 100 dollars
each to a police gun fund for the control of deer on our nursery
that is located next to Peace Valley Park. For weeks the control
worked and deer damage was controlled.
Seedlings and Liners We Recommend
Boxwoods Red Osier Dogwood Russian Olive Rose of Sharon Hollies
Leucothoe River Birch Trees Japanese Cedars Blue Spruce trees
Austrin Pine Barberries Andromeda
You can see other articles by Bill Hirst at the following web
site http://www.seedlingsrus.com