Welcome to fall! It’s the time of year that the leaves start turning and wildlife begins preparations for the cold winter months. In particular, deer will start moving beyond their normal summer habitats as winter sets in as they seek out new sources of food. Sometimes those sources may be sitting in your landscape.
Deer repellent sprays are often used for deer control. It’s one way to protect plants like azaleas, rhododendron and other nibbles that deer will eat during scarce winter food months. However, to generally scare them away from a certain area here is one chemical-free technique that has worked really well for me for a few years now – old CDs!
Yes, you heard that right. A great way to recycle those old compact discs you have lying around, I simply hang them like Christmas tree ornaments to section off areas of my property where I don’t want deer to go. Deer do not like reflective materials, since the CDs change colors rapidly as they move in a breeze, deer can never really adjust. They are scared of the rapidly changing colors and simply stay away from this unknown reflective object.
As I reported last year, the highway patrol in Germany has taken this concept to another level. In order to keep deer away from roadways, reflective blue color strips have been added to road posts. It has already reduced accidents involving deer by 80%. Deer simply do not like colorful reflective materials! Use it this winter in your garden and protect your plantings becoming deer food.
And this trick isn’t limited to deer. If you have fruit trees and berry shrubs, or just want to keep rodents and birds away from your gardens, hanging CDs among your plants will help keep a host of animals away. If you don’t have old CDs laying around, or just aren’t ready to sacrifice that vintage 80’s dance mix, simply do a quick search on Amazon for “Repellent Scare Discs” for several options you can buy.
