Deer can be a huge pest in any garden, uprooting plants and eating fresh greenery. However, there are ways to keep the animals out without using poisons.

If you’re looking for a natural way to protect your garden and landscape from deer, you may want to consider making your own sprays and repellents. These solutions are non-toxic, effective, and safe for your children and pets to use around your home or yard.

Garlic and Egg Solids

If you’re looking to repel deer from your yard or garden, there are a few different options that can work. One of these is garlic, which can be used to make a homemade deer repellent that will help keep the animals away from your plants. Garlic is a plant that has a very strong smell that can repel deer.

Another option is to use putrescent egg solids, which can be used as a DIY deer repellent. These egg solids are more than cooked eggs that have been dried and ground into a powder.

These putrescent egg solids can be a very effective deterrent for deer and keep other pests like raccoons, rabbits, moles, mice, and rats away from your garden. They can be used as a spray to protect your plants, flowers, and fruit trees, and they can also be spread around the lawn in your yard to prevent these pests from destroying your landscaping.

Adding milk or yogurt to the mixture can also make a more powerful, sticky deer repellent. These dairy products will add a nice odor to the repellent and help it stick to the plants it’s applied to.

This type of repellent will help keep deer and other wildlife away from your garden and property year round. The ingredients in this repellent are all natural, and it’s safe to apply to your vegetables, fruit trees and ornamental shrubs.

Other herbs can also be used to create an effective deer repellent. Mint is an excellent choice for this purpose, and it can be used in a variety of ways to repel deer from your garden.

A deer’s heightened sense of smell makes it easy for them to detect food, which is why some plants with a pungent scent are more appealing to them than others. Marigolds are one of the best plants to use to repel deer.

Tansy is another herb used to repel deer from your yard or garden. Its yellow flowers can be a pleasant sight to humans, but they can cause irritation to deer.

Oils

When it comes to protecting your landscape and garden from deer, many homemakers are turning to homemade repellents. These are made with ingredients you may already have around your house and are effective, inexpensive, and safe to use.

Oils are a great option for homemade deer repellents because they have a pleasant, fresh scent that won’t attract deer. In addition, these oils are able to cling to your plants and keep them protected while repelling deer.

The most common type of oil used in deer repellents is peppermint oil. This is because deer are extremely sensitive to smell, and peppermint can be a very effective way to scare them away.

Another popular option is garlic oil. This can be mixed with an essential oil to make a deer repellent that has a pleasant, fresh scent.

A few drops of this oil can help keep deer out of your garden, and it can also be added to a spray bottle to protect the plant’s leaves. It’s important to note that you need to reapply this repellent after heavy rain or irrigation.

This homemade deer repellent is especially effective against rabbits, skunks, groundhogs, and deer. In fact, it is so effective that you can even try it on a variety of birds to discourage them from roosting in your yard.

You can easily mix up this homemade deer repellent in a blender and pour into a gallon jug. Just add water and seal it up, then shake it to blend the ingredients thoroughly.

If you want to take things a step further, try adding an extra ingredient to your deer repellent to make it even more effective. You can combine garlic and eggs with cayenne pepper to add a spicy kick that makes the garden’s contents less appealing to deer.

You can also mix dish soap with a little bit of hot sauce to make a more concentrated deer repellent. If you choose to make this recipe, be sure to sanitize the blender first and clean it thoroughly after mixing.

Herbs

Herbs are an excellent way to deter a variety of pests from visiting your garden. They are easy to grow and require very little care. They can also help you create a deer-proof landscape.

Some herbs have a smell that repels deer, making them a good choice for homemade deer repellent. They are especially effective if they have an aromatic or spicy scent.

Dill is a resilient, self-seeding herb with a strong, pungent odor to keep deer away. This perennial herb is also used for pickles, and it’s a tasty and nutritious addition to your kitchen garden.

Other scented herbs that repel deer include thyme, sage, and lavender. Sage, a perennial, is a very strong-scented herb that grows up to 3 feet tall and is hardy through zone 5.

Thyme, a small, shrubby plant, is hardy through zones 5 and is also a good deer repellent. Its leaves are scented with a piney aroma that is very unpleasant to deer.

Another scented herb that is hardy through zone 5 is oregano. The foliage of this plant is a little thicker than that of sage, but it, too is a great deer repellent. It grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and prefers full sun.

Rosemary is a drought-loving Mediterranean herb with a piney scent that deer dislike. This culinary herb is hardy through zones 5 and will thrive in a sunny location.

Perennial chives are another herb that deer do not like to eat. This plant is a perennial that forms a clump of blue-green leaves and yellow flowers. It can be planted in annual gardens or alongside perennial herbs for a year-round supply of fresh, delicious chives.

Horseradish is another perennial Brassica that repels most pests including deer. Its large bushes have a spicy flavor that deer do not find very appetizing.

Mexican or French tarragon has a distinct anise-like odor that deer will always avoid. It is an 18-36″ weedy bush that can be grown as a perennial in zones 4 and warmer.

Other fragrant herbs that are a good deer repellent include oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, and lavender. These herbs can be blended and diluted with water to make an excellent spray for your garden. You can spray the mixture on plants to protect them from deer or you can sprinkle it around them for extra protection.

Soap

Soap is one of the best ingredients for homemade deer repellents. It is a cheap, easy-to-use, and effective way to keep deer away from your garden.

Soap repels deer by causing their scent receptors to go off, which causes the animals to avoid the soap and its surroundings. This can be a great solution if your neighborhood is experiencing high levels of deer pressure or you just don’t want to use a more expensive spray deer repellent.

Most bar soaps will do the trick, but if you’re looking for something stronger that works even better, look for a tallow-based soap like Irish Spring Soap. This type of soap will smell much stronger than other types and can deter the deer from coming near your yard and garden.

Another thing that can make your soap more effective is grating it into small flakes and scattering them throughout your yard and plants. This will not only help prevent deer from stealing your flowers and foliage, but it also helps to reduce soil erosion.

The flakes can be easily created by using a cheese grater or by cutting the soap into small pieces and then sprinkling them around your garden or yard once a month.

If you have any leftover soap after your sprinkling, putting it into cheesecloth bags and hanging them in the trees and plants most often visited by deer will work well. Just make sure you space the cheesecloth bags at least 3 feet apart to maximize the effect and refill them as necessary.

Alternatively, you can create a simple spray by mixing a quart of Dawn dish soap with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle. You can add a few drops of essential oils, such as cinnamon or garlic, to the mixture to confuse the deer even more.

This inexpensive and highly effective homemade deer repellent can be used year-round. You can use a sprayer or a sprinkler to apply it to your gardens and landscape. You should reapply it every 6-10 days and right before rain or wind storms.

Liquid Deer Repellent

As a backyard and garden deer repellent, you can create your masking agents, which will work like the commercial product “Liquid Fence.” The homemade version would go something like this:

• Boiling some rosemary, garlic, and Onion (in not too much water, you want it strong to place in a sprayer or squirt bottle)
• Let it cool, pour it into a garden bucket or other none food container, then add the following:
• Hot sauce, the hotter, the better (e.g., Habanero or ghost)
• Add a couple of tablespoons of dish soap (it will not hurt your plant)
• Mix well at a low speed
• Fill your sprayer and squirt bottle and spray the plant and the surrounding area.

Caution: Protect your eyes and skin before spraying – hot sauce in the eyes is not good.

You must reapply after rain and periodically, even during dry periods.

Other Options To Consider Are

• Hang or place a couple of strong-smelling bars of soap near your plants and put a few shaving around the plant, but not too many.
• If you are serious, a small electric fence is effective and can be acquired from your local farm supply or online (no animal cruelty intended).
• The best long-term defense is a good privacy fence six feet or taller.  Under normal circumstances, deer will not jump over something they cannot see on the other side.