The Bambi complex, how to get your own back on the deer little things!

Living as we do in rural California, we suffer from predation by deer! It is nearly impossible to grow anything pretty where deer are. Deer love roses, not the plant so much, more the flowers, buds and new tender growth. In spite of the thorns, they will eat anything they can get their tongue around. Deer repellant is very expensive and, frankly, pretty ineffectual. However there is one thing they don't seem to care for. A mixture of whole eggs and milk (in about 1:1 proportions). For a half dozen rose bushes one breaks four large eggs into a bowl and adds about the same amount of whole or low fat milk. The mixture is then whisked thoroughly and then put through a fine seive (to remove the gelatinous connective tissue). The mixture is then poured into an empty spray container (Windex/Tilex/Resolve/etc sprayer). Or if you throw these things away routinely, then you can buy what you don't save from the supermarket as a "mister" often at a price close to that of a new product! Anyway the mixture is then misted all over the plants you want to protect, especially the flowers, buds and new growth. It forms a sticky film which rapidly matures to a protective covering. Up very close indeed, it smells pretty foul but from any distance at all, there is no perceivable odour. The young fawns will nibble at your beautiful plants but the mature animal passes on to greener more appetizing fare, preferably at your neighbour's garden.

I have also heared that Ivory soap shaved over the plants you want to protect and blood meal sprinkled around can have the same effect. The soap has a low ph and the acid in the meal will tend to counteract this effect but I have tried neither of these.

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