how to keep deer away from your plants

[Salty Thumb]

Frogleg wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I agree except I don't think having a discussion indicates the useful / uselessness of a folk remedy any more than having a discussion about a manufactured herbicide (use full strength, use 2x concentration, 2x doesn't work as well, RTFL, use a paint brush to apply, doesn't work at all XYZ plants, etc) indicates that herbicide is a folk remedy.

While this discussion turned out to be as lively as a bottle fish emulsion, does the fact that we are talking about it affect the validity of your assertion (while not a folk remedy per se, but could be considered as folk wisdom)? Perhaps everyone else in the universe is silently nodding their head at you (lack of discussion), in which you would be right. On the other hand, everyone may think you are wrong, but lack the time, wherewithal or conviction to say anything.

For what it's worth, soap is also recommended as possibly effective for "minor deer damage problems" on p.11 of Rodale's _All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening_, 1997. If it doesn't work, you can take a cold shower afterwards.

[Salty Thumb]

[e-mail] (an eclectic garden) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I don't rememeber every hearing about that one either. I doubt it is magnetism but you never know. Supposedly certain lobsters can use the earth's magnetic field to orient themselves, but it would probably take more teslas (or whatever the unit is) than can be had from a simple non- electrified wire.

Probably the deer just can't see or resolve the wire and get spooked. Sort of like birds that never heard of glass and keep pecking at their reflection.

Or maybe they do see it and are smart enough to think "I'm likely to garrote myself if I need to run away, so I'll just stay away".

[S. M. Henning]

It is not magnetism. A nylon rope is just as effective. Even a fence lying on the ground will work. The deer are afraid they will get their feet caught in it and not be able to escape. However, as with anything, if the deer get hungry enough, fear is overcome by hunger.

[Frogleg]

What I mean by "discussion" is an ongoing thread that includes "my uncle always..." and "the pieplates worked/didn't work for me..." introducing all the mythological fixes we've read dozens of times.

Obviously, "discussion" doesn't mean folklore, or there'd be rec.gardens.folklore and rec.gardens.RTFL.

How would *you* distinguish between passing along the 'fact' that soap on a rope will keep deer away from your azaleas, and the information that RoundUp *doesn't* work on plants with thick, waxy leaves like ivy and Vinca?

Well, at least we're not discussing the many and varied ways to get around the serious business of putting up a deer fence. :-)

"Minor deer damage"? Fawns nibbling daintily at just the *tips* of the asparagus? :-) *I* think it means "not very hungry deer."