Deer and Hostas

I just bought a new house where the deer are prevalent and planted a lot of hostas last year. The deer seem to feed more in the early winter months but was wondering about hostas.

In winter they're out of luck because they die back but do they go after the spring shoots?

Please -- only someone who has experience with the matter -- no "guessing".

THANKS.

Reply to
mkr5000
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Hostas, sometimes called "deer lettuce".

They love the stuff.

They won't dig out the roots but they eat hostas whenever they can find it. Spring, summer, fall, it doesn't matter.

You can try deer repellent, soap flakes, netting, other home remedies. Ultimately, nothing will work except a fence.

I put up a six footer and finally experienced a year where the deer did not eat all the hostas:

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Reply to
despen

Thanks.

What a shame -- I have nothing but shade around here and they love to eat when I'm SLEEPING, the SOB's. Also, found out this year they love Yews, but not Junipers?

Maybe I can just rig up something with auto on lighting and some audio to scare them -- electronics is my business.

Reply to
mkr5000

And rabbits love hosta too, so if you erect a fence make sure its openings are really small because in early spring baby bunnies get very hungry. In areas where one would normally have hosta (edges of wooded areas) I've since learned to plant ferns instead.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

Sorry, tried lighting.

They can see the plants better.

Audio, I don't know but I doubt it. If it's loud someone will complain besides the deer. My guess is that the deer will get used to it.

Reply to
despen

I'm not sure rabbits can go completely out of control like deer. I'm in New Jersey, not Australia. I get small amounts of damage since I built the fence but I'm not having whole rows of plants devoured.

Of course I'm not growing vegetables.

Reply to
despen

I use netting. Electric fences will work. They can easily jump a 6 foot fence when they have to. Smaller fences will deter them but not stop them. Not much deer won't eat but when they're eating evergreens they're starving.

Reply to
Frank

Deer love yews, they only just like junipers. You need to know that when deer are hungry they will eat most anything. If it's rural where you live and winters are cold and snowy you will note that folks don't have many plantings that aren't fenced. There are lists of plants noting their relative susceptibility to deer browing.

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Maybe I can just rig up something with auto on lighting and some audio

Deer hardly notice when my motion sensing outside lights come on. There are all sorts of electronic gadgets available that claim success but don't actually work. All those chemicals that claim to deter deer don't work either. And there are all sorts of old wives myths, none work. The only reliable deer deterrent is a good tall strong fence.

Essentially you need to decide if you want to live in the country or the city... whether you want to share your environment with hoodlums or deer... I choose the four footed critters anytime. Deer will never mug you, they have no pockets, they take only what they need to eat. Good luck in your new digs.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

I've heard their limit is around 10 feet.

The 6 footer I put up seems to be working but the deer have other places to eat and finding take off and landing spots isn't that easy. There are bushes in most spots on both sides of the fence.

I have a neighbor that swears 2 fences a few feet apart always works. They don't even have to be high, maybe 4 feet.

Reply to
despen

I think it's in the area of 8 to 10 feet. Any obstacle will deter them but if pushed they will get around it. I've never gotten a chemical deterrent to work. It may put them off for a while but after a while they will ignore it. Netting would not hold if they wanted to crash through it but I've only had this happen once when the herd was after my chestnuts and took out netting around my hydrangeas.

Reply to
Frank

I ran barbed wire up my bird feeder poles and the squirrels don't even think about it anymore. Maybe I can mingle some into the hostas after they have gained a bit of height -- or some electric fence -- easy enough to do that.

I love the Deer but they're all over the place where I'm at.

Plan B -- Ferns.

I read where most ferns don't appeal to them and I enjoy them as much as Hostas.

Reply to
mkr5000

You'd best check your local ordinances, barbed wire is illegal in many places... if some visitor, especially a child, is injured by your barbed wire they will probably end up owning your house. I strongly urge you to learn how to live in a rural area or leave.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

Barbed wire is old technology. Today's home owner uses razor wire ;)

Reply to
Frank

When moose colonized Isle Royale in Lake Superior in the early 1900's, one of the first trees to disappear from virtually all areas accessible to the moose was the Canada yew. All deer love it.

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Reply to
Chris

Why the hell move into the deer's territory in the first place?

Reply to
Bud

I'm in central New Jersey. There were a lot less deer here in the past, then it was the settlers territory. Before that, it was the Indians territory. Before that bears, wolves, Sabre tooth cats.

So the deer haven't owned the territory any time in the past I can think of.

They are probably doing better now than they ever have in the past.

It would be nice if we could devote more territory to wild animals but I don't see that happening in the immediate future.

Reply to
despen

No problem so long as one respects their right to exist too.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

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