Deer vs Lemongrass

zeroma · February 13, 2015

My son's house is in 'the wild'. He is going to start a garden. The deer live here and have eaten most of the landscape succulents and flowers he planted the first year living here. The only new plant he added that the deer didn't bother with was lemongrass. He is thinking it would make a good deer deterent. Have any of you tried this? Like planting a whole hedge worth of lemongrass around the table top height raised bed.

Fencing is in the works, but it is time to get the garden going. I think the deer will just lean over the lemongrass and eat freely on the mouth high plants he wants to protect.

Starlight · February 13, 2015

I don't know about lemongrass for deer, but spraying your plants with watered down tabasco sauce helps. Once they get a bite they usually stay away. Edging with things like wooden pallets, even if they are broken helps , or laying other pieces of wood or material that would be dangerous for them to walk on or around. The won't walk in an area if they feel it is not safe usually, even if they are hungry.

Fishing line works good too. You just have to remember it is there, so you don't trip and fall on your own face. Put out some stakes several feet back from edge of garden , about 6" off the ground and run fishing line all around. The deer sense it is there, but since they can't see exactly what it is, they generally won't take a chance on crossing the line.

Lemongrass does work good on keeping cats out of those garden areas you don't want them in.

dustdevil · February 13, 2015

Maybe he should try a propane cannon in the interum.

Cole_Robbie · February 13, 2015

Where I live, there are ten times as many deer as people. An electric fence is the only thing that really works here. Everything else is just a deterrent. In a drought year, the deer become extra aggressive, so the weather plays a part as well.

Okra is the one thing they don't seem to eat here, but I have read people in other states say that their deer will eat okra. They have taken bites out of kohlrabi while grazing through, but they don't like them enough to stand and eat one, unlike tomatoes, sweet potato vines, pepper plants, and just about everything else.

disneynut1977 · February 13, 2015

I loathe the deer in our area. We did put up a fence, but the front portion is only 4ft high. I do have a row of privet, but it take a few more years of growing to be an effective height.

In the past I have tried many things and the only 2 that really worked was fencing my veggie garden 6 ft high and Deer off has been very effective for my flowers. I am trying something new this year, Deer NoNo bars. I hope these are effective. Also we have added into our dog family, we now have 2 dogs and hopefully will be adopting a 3rd this summer. I'm hoping the dog smell will deter them from jumping the 4ft section into my yard.

Tracydr · February 13, 2015

The most effective method I've seen is a sprinkler system set on a motion detector.
I doubt lemon grass would keep them away from the good stuff but not surprise they don't like it. Bunnies probably don't, either.

marthahill · February 13, 2015

I don`t know if it would work for deer but I can tell you how we keep coyotes and raccoons out of our watermelons. I go to the dollar store and buy a bottle of that really cheap $2. a bottle mens after shave and a bottle of the brown mouthwash similar to the old Listerine. When the watermelons are close to ripe I put about three good squirts of the aftershave and a cap full of the mouthwash in a spray bottle with a squirt of dish soap then fill with water. Spray every evening using the stream setting on the spray bottle. I spray the plants but you can try just spraying it around the area. It doesn`t hurt my watermelons and the smell is gone by morning. But it masks the smell of ripe watermelons and coyotes do not eat green ones. As long as they can`t tell by smell when they are ripe, they leave them alone. Its worth a shot. Deer are wary of smells they do not recognize.

Worth1 · February 14, 2015

I had no idea lemon grass would survive the cold.
My sweet kitty Smokey is welcome in my garden she doesn't hurt anything and doesn't go to the toilet in it either.
Rosemary and my prickly friends the agave and cacti keep the deer away most of the time.
That and the water I keep out for tbem
Worth

zeroma · April 15, 2015

It's been a while since I check my thread. Thanks everyone for the help about deer. I'll let my son know.

Zeroma

zeroma · April 15, 2015

Worth1,

Lemongrass wouldn't survive here in SW Ohio, but in Central Florida, it has don't great. That is where son's garden is........

bughunter99 · April 16, 2015

If there is a lot to choose from, deer avoid lots of the highly fragrant things like lemongrass, catamint, garlic and sage. If there is not a lot to choose from, they will eat anything.

Fragrant plants will not stop them from eating the good stuff. They, like my son will happily pick out what they want and avoid the rest.

As someone already suggest, the motion activated sprinkler is probably the cheapest most effective deterrent I have found. It is called The Scarecrow and is highly effective at not only deterring the deer, but also deterring the raccoons, cats and two legged tomato thieves. Also quite effective at heron deterrence around the koi pond.

Another way that is generally 100% protective and is cheap, is to drape your plants with row cover at night. It is light weight, and actually can be left on all day long but I don't like the way that looks so I only put it on during deer hours or if I am going out of town.

Sign Located on a deer highway.

bottomfeeder · April 28, 2015

I have lived in the same house for 50 some years. Up until 3-4 years ago we never saw a deer. Then the they came into the area. Now there are about 20 living in the woods behind the house. I have spent hundreds of dollars on all kinds of repellent. They seem to work for awhile, but they get use to the smell, or the rain washes it away and it has to be reapplied.
This year I put up a deer fence. It cost a good chunk of change, but I think this might finally do it.

Kazfam · June 7, 2015

I know that Lemongrass is an excellent bug repellent (mosquitoes, gnats...). Pick it and release the oils, rub on the skin.

Deer LOVE to eat privets...the new leaves and small fruit.

We have 10 acres of woods, lots of deer. About 3 acres of our property is open, grassed, vegetable garden. The garden is fenced (6 ft high wire), I highly recommend you fence it ASAP - they do not go near the fenced area. But they do eat the privets that grow wild here - we watch them from the kitchen window. I do believe if the deer have plenty of wild to eat from they will leave a fenced garden alone.

When the Fall comes and food is getting scarce that is when they will go after anything that is not fenced or protected. For example we have a type of bush planted away from the house (I forgot its name, supposed to be deer resistant) that the deer never bothered...until the Fall when they ate them down to the ground. Gotta move 'em now...or protect them some how.

We have managed to keep plants that deer like (daylilies, for example) unmolested because they are in beds next to the house where humans and outdoor cats (3 of them) mingle.
I think that deters them.

How is the fence coming?

zeroma · June 8, 2015

So far my son hasn't had any deer problems with eating any of the garden. He has a short fence around it, 4 or 5 feet high. But like you said, right now there is plenty for them to eat.

They did like the day lilies!

February 13, 2015	#1
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	Deer vs Lemongrass My son's house is in 'the wild'. He is going to start a garden. The deer live here and have eaten most of the landscape succulents and flowers he planted the first year living here. The only new plant he added that the deer didn't bother with was lemongrass. He is thinking it would make a good deer deterent. Have any of you tried this? Like planting a whole hedge worth of lemongrass around the table top height raised bed. Fencing is in the works, but it is time to get the garden going. I think the deer will just lean over the lemongrass and eat freely on the mouth high plants he wants to protect. Last edited by zeroma; February 13, 2015 at 02:48 PM.

February 13, 2015	#5
disneynut1977 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: CNY zone 5 Posts: 179	I loathe the deer in our area. We did put up a fence, but the front portion is only 4ft high. I do have a row of privet, but it take a few more years of growing to be an effective height. In the past I have tried many things and the only 2 that really worked was fencing my veggie garden 6 ft high and Deer off has been very effective for my flowers. I am trying something new this year, Deer NoNo bars. I hope these are effective. Also we have added into our dog family, we now have 2 dogs and hopefully will be adopting a 3rd this summer. I'm hoping the dog smell will deter them from jumping the 4ft section into my yard. __________________ Melissa1977 Zone 5 CNY

June 7, 2015	#13
Kazfam Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Upstate South Carolina Posts: 113	I know that Lemongrass is an excellent bug repellent (mosquitoes, gnats...). Pick it and release the oils, rub on the skin. Deer LOVE to eat privets...the new leaves and small fruit. We have 10 acres of woods, lots of deer. About 3 acres of our property is open, grassed, vegetable garden. The garden is fenced (6 ft high wire), I highly recommend you fence it ASAP - they do not go near the fenced area. But they do eat the privets that grow wild here - we watch them from the kitchen window. I do believe if the deer have plenty of wild to eat from they will leave a fenced garden alone. When the Fall comes and food is getting scarce that is when they will go after anything that is not fenced or protected. For example we have a type of bush planted away from the house (I forgot its name, supposed to be deer resistant) that the deer never bothered...until the Fall when they ate them down to the ground. Gotta move 'em now...or protect them some how. We have managed to keep plants that deer like (daylilies, for example) unmolested because they are in beds next to the house where humans and outdoor cats (3 of them) mingle. I think that deters them. How is the fence coming? __________________ God Almighty first planted a garden, and indeed it is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment of the spirit of man, without which buildings and palaces are but gross handiwork. Francis Bacon Last edited by Kazfam; June 7, 2015 at 01:07 PM.

February 13, 2015	#2
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	I don't know about lemongrass for deer, but spraying your plants with watered down tabasco sauce helps. Once they get a bite they usually stay away. Edging with things like wooden pallets, even if they are broken helps , or laying other pieces of wood or material that would be dangerous for them to walk on or around. The won't walk in an area if they feel it is not safe usually, even if they are hungry. Fishing line works good too. You just have to remember it is there, so you don't trip and fall on your own face. Put out some stakes several feet back from edge of garden , about 6" off the ground and run fishing line all around. The deer sense it is there, but since they can't see exactly what it is, they generally won't take a chance on crossing the line. Lemongrass does work good on keeping cats out of those garden areas you don't want them in.

February 13, 2015	#3
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Maybe he should try a propane cannon in the interum.

February 13, 2015	#4
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Where I live, there are ten times as many deer as people. An electric fence is the only thing that really works here. Everything else is just a deterrent. In a drought year, the deer become extra aggressive, so the weather plays a part as well. Okra is the one thing they don't seem to eat here, but I have read people in other states say that their deer will eat okra. They have taken bites out of kohlrabi while grazing through, but they don't like them enough to stand and eat one, unlike tomatoes, sweet potato vines, pepper plants, and just about everything else.

February 13, 2015	#6
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	The most effective method I've seen is a sprinkler system set on a motion detector. I doubt lemon grass would keep them away from the good stuff but not surprise they don't like it. Bunnies probably don't, either.

February 13, 2015	#7
marthahill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NE Texas Posts: 13	I don`t know if it would work for deer but I can tell you how we keep coyotes and raccoons out of our watermelons. I go to the dollar store and buy a bottle of that really cheap $2. a bottle mens after shave and a bottle of the brown mouthwash similar to the old Listerine. When the watermelons are close to ripe I put about three good squirts of the aftershave and a cap full of the mouthwash in a spray bottle with a squirt of dish soap then fill with water. Spray every evening using the stream setting on the spray bottle. I spray the plants but you can try just spraying it around the area. It doesn`t hurt my watermelons and the smell is gone by morning. But it masks the smell of ripe watermelons and coyotes do not eat green ones. As long as they can`t tell by smell when they are ripe, they leave them alone. Its worth a shot. Deer are wary of smells they do not recognize.

February 14, 2015	#8
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I had no idea lemon grass would survive the cold. My sweet kitty Smokey is welcome in my garden she doesn't hurt anything and doesn't go to the toilet in it either. Rosemary and my prickly friends the agave and cacti keep the deer away most of the time. That and the water I keep out for tbem Worth

April 15, 2015	#9
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	It's been a while since I check my thread. Thanks everyone for the help about deer. I'll let my son know. Zeroma

April 16, 2015	#11
bughunter99 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: zone 5 Posts: 821	If there is a lot to choose from, deer avoid lots of the highly fragrant things like lemongrass, catamint, garlic and sage. If there is not a lot to choose from, they will eat anything. Fragrant plants will not stop them from eating the good stuff. They, like my son will happily pick out what they want and avoid the rest. As someone already suggest, the motion activated sprinkler is probably the cheapest most effective deterrent I have found. It is called The Scarecrow and is highly effective at not only deterring the deer, but also deterring the raccoons, cats and two legged tomato thieves. Also quite effective at heron deterrence around the koi pond. Another way that is generally 100% protective and is cheap, is to drape your plants with row cover at night. It is light weight, and actually can be left on all day long but I don't like the way that looks so I only put it on during deer hours or if I am going out of town. Sign Located on a deer highway.

April 28, 2015	#12
bottomfeeder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2	I have lived in the same house for 50 some years. Up until 3-4 years ago we never saw a deer. Then the they came into the area. Now there are about 20 living in the woods behind the house. I have spent hundreds of dollars on all kinds of repellent. They seem to work for awhile, but they get use to the smell, or the rain washes it away and it has to be reapplied. This year I put up a deer fence. It cost a good chunk of change, but I think this might finally do it.

June 8, 2015	#14
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	So far my son hasn't had any deer problems with eating any of the garden. He has a short fence around it, 4 or 5 feet high. But like you said, right now there is plenty for them to eat. They did like the day lilies!