Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about how Elaine and I tried a new way to keep the mule deer from eating her flowers and vegetables. We live in a small, comfortable home (circa late 1940's) in a quiet neighborhood on the older west side of Carson City.
Last year, we created and planted five new flower beds in the front yard. Those flower beds are Elaine's pride and joy, and she had devoted an enormous amount of time and work (and also a lot of money) into making them showcases of Mother Nature's beauty.
However:
During the fall, in the winter and into our current spring, they devoured all of her flowers (Pansies, Salvia, Geraniums, Daisies, Columbine, Dianthus), plus her small vegetable garden (tomatoes, squash, onions, lettuce, etc.) and miniature rose bushes on the side of the house. She was not a happy camper.
Trying to discourage the deer:
As I reported several weeks ago, we tried many different things to discourage those darn deer from eating our flowers, vegetables and bushes, plus trying to keep them from tinkling and leave their "Calling Cards" on our new front lawns.
Some of those things included:
1. Yelling at them. Not effective.
2. Spraying them with the garden hose. Not effective.
3. Running at them to chase them away. Not effective.
4. Leaving the porch light on all night. Not effective.
5. Buying and planting "Deer Resistant" flowers. Not effective.
6. Spraying "Deer Deterrent" on our flowers and bushes (which washes off when the flowers and bushes are watered or it rains). Not effective.
7. Placing netting around our tiny vegetable garden on the south side of the house. That garden contains lettuce, onions, squash and tomatoes.
The netting has been the most effective deterrent but it makes that garden look like a miniature prison yard and detracts from the ascetics of the yard.
The Deer Deterrent:
Then we discovered a new way to try to keep those darn critters away. Elaine was told and also read on the Internet that deer do not like the smell of Irish Spring soap. That's true — Irish Spring soap.
We decided what the heck, we have nothing to lose, so we bought a small cheese grater and a number of bars of Irish Spring soap. Elaine grated flakes from the soap bars and sprinkled those flakes on her freshly planted flowers as an experiment. And, it is working!
This last month:
It's been more than a month since she started grating soap flakes on the five flower beds. In all that time, there has been only one set of deer tracks on the far end of one of the five flower beds. That one deer found about 4-5 Pansies and one small rose bush that Elaine missed with the soap flakes and they were eaten.
The pansies have been replaced, more flowers have been planted, and everything in the flower beds has received many flakes of Irish Spring soap.
In addition, she has also scattered soap flakes around the perimeter of our front yard: The curb, the gutter and the driveway. It's working. Yahoo! I think we are winning the war! We are showing those darn critters who is boss at this address.
Bet Your Favorite Pigeon:
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you if a human can smell of the Irish Spring Soap on our flower beds.
If he grins and says, "You bet, and at times, the pungent aroma of the soap flakes is very intense," he is someone who has been here to see and smell our latest deer deterrent.
Special Note, The good news:
Is that it sure smells clean in our front yard and in the flower beds, and the deer are avoiding our property.
The bad news:
Is that I have personally used Irish Spring Soap for many years when cleaning up, showering or shaving.
I am now sadly beginning to realize why I have had such miserable luck when deer hunting. It's that darn soap!
— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.