How to deal with deer in your vineyards
I received this email from Casey yesterday, and would like to share it with you…..
Danie,
Let me first say that I absolutely love your book (The Complete Grape Growers Guide), and I want to express how helpful it was in starting my first few vines. The information was very a relief as many other books I’ve read lacked the quality information about pruning. Following your instruction I was able to get my vines on track and they were growing very well.
Unfortunately, I’ve had a run in with a few deer that really took a lot of my vines out. The deer proceeded to eat all of the leaves on my main shoot and they’ve nearly stopped growing completely. I was wondering what my plan of attack should be next, should I choose a new shoot to train or should I wait for a new growing point to start on the main shoot I have now.
Also, is a good trick to keeping deer away? I’ve tried spreading my dog’s hair around the area, and it seems to keep them away for a bit of time, but my dog can only shed so much haha. Any information will be helpful.
Thanks Casey, and all of you, for so many kind words I so often receive in my emails. Showing your appreciation really makes my day and motivates me to keep on sharing useful grape growing information – Thanks a million and I will try my best to keeping it up! 😉
To get to Casey’s email …
Problems with deer in vineyards is becoming a bigger problem year after year, since we all strive to preserve mother nature and all wildlife. On the other hand, as much as most of us love the wildlife and working outside, we also love our grape vines and anyone who is having problems with deer, rabbits and other leave eating animals in their vineyards, can tell you how much damage they can cause to new vines – even devastate a young vineyard.
I once read an article about the proliferation of deer in North America because of the so called “Bambi Syndrome”. We all know the movie Bambi and how cute the little deer is and how his mother was killed by a hunter and the struggle to survive.
The result was, humans started preserving these deer at all cost and even lured them to their houses by feeding them. Unfortunately, more and more suburban home owners started having problems with deer destroying their gardens as their numbers increased dramatically.
The point is; no matter what your feelings about deer are, it is a fact that you can’t allow them in your vineyard as they will for sure damage the vines (especially when young). I think you will agree that if it wasn’t for the fact that deer devour young vines right down to the the cuttings, it would actually be nice having them around!
So now what? You have problems with dear, like Casey has, but you also don’t want to loose deer?
There are a few other option available except stripping your dog from all it’s hair 🙂 LOL
1. Fencing
Although the best way to keep deer out, it’s also the most expensive method as deer can jump as high as 8 feet you will need a fence of about 8 feet high. If your land (vineyard) is quite big, this method will cost you a significant amount of money, not to mention the labour involved.
2. Electric fences (single strand and multi-wire)
Electric fence is much cheaper than other styles of fencing and is much easier to setup as well. The only problem is the availability of power, but solar chargers are also available these days.
A single strand of wire is stretched 3 to 4 feet above the ground and supported with a non-conducting material poles. Once the deer touch the wire a non-lethal electric impulse will shock the deer and spook it.
Milti-wire electric fences is also used and is about 5 feet tall. A slanted support will stretch the wires at different angles which will confuse the depth perception of the animal. The deer can easily jump over the fence, but the angles of the wires confuse the deer as they approach to jump and will touch the electrified wires before they actually jump – clever hey?
3. Animal repellant sprays
Using repellents is another option you could consider. There are many products on the market but I’ve heard that some grape growers are sceptical to use these products as they are affraid that the smell and taste products could be picked up in fruit and wine in the end. There is however no proof (as far as I know) that this is the case. In fact, if your vines are still young, it won’t bear any fruit so this is an option for young vineyards.
Products you can try are:
4. Egg spray or garlic juice
Although I never tried it myself, there are grape growers that claims to get great results from this method.
A mixture of 20% blended eggs and 80% water is sprayed on the vines. It is said that the eggs contains a sulfur compound that is chemically close the sent that alarms deer when they feed. If all fails, try this method.
5. Electronic Deer Repellers
I haven’t tried out this method, but some gardeners have great success with this product. Simply place a few drops of the acorn scented deer lure onto a cotton ball and stake it in your yard. When the deer repellent is properly placed near a deer path, the lure will attract deer to the posts. Upon contact, the deer receive a gentle static shock (likened to static electric shock received from carpeting, etc.), conditioning them to stay away from your vineyard!
6. Hunting
For most people this is not an option (me as well, as I love wild animals). If you do decide to hunt the deer, just keep within the laws of your state or country.
Okay people, this is all for now, but I would like to hear some comments about how you keep deer from YOUR vineyards. Click on the comments link below this post and leave your 2 cents value.
Will talk to you soon.
Danie
I would like to express my thanks to you again, as some of my vines have already reached the bottom wire on my trellis, and I have another month or two left in the growing season!!
Thanks again.
Casey
Filed under: deer damage • growing grapes • how to grow grapes
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Bloodmeal works too- they dont like the smell and they dont come across the line around the perimiter- so be it that you have to reapply especially after a good rain but it works and I used to sell a ton of it for that purpose at a nursery I worked at many years ago- not to mention how good it is for the garden area!
Interesting, I will try this myself
Thanks Gwen
Hi Danie,
Just last week deer did a job on a few of my newly planted grape vines. Last year they did not bother my more mature vines, but I guess the young vines proved too appealing. I am now using a Deer spray, a mix of herbs, onions, garlic and other stinky stuff. Fingers crossed!
PS: Is it wise to trim the vines back during the growing season? I am doing this-hoping that the energy will be focused on the grapes. And, I have left a good amount of leaves too, simply too many tendrils, or little vines all over the place. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Pete,
This will not harm your vine, especially if it grows too vigorously. As you said, it is important you retain a balance between the amount of grapes and leaves on the vine. A grape vine needs at least 8 to 10 mature leaves to fully mature one bunch of grapes per season!
Hi grape growers!
Thanks for the response on this post. Some great ideas from you guys (and some weird ones as well 🙂
Loved it!
Have a grape day!
– Danie
I read your suggestions and one you might try-although you may find it a little off the wall is human urine. I do not recommend “going” in your vineyard unless you live in the country, but the scent seems to have an effect and will deter deer from coming into your garden or around your vines. It works in Billings Montana and I do not have trouble with deer in my yard anymore.
WOW!
I’d rather not! 🙂
I export my grapes and I don’t think people will appreciate me “going” in the vineyards.
I was having trouble with deer eating my flowers and hosta plants. Someone told me to spread blood meal around my plants and work it down in to the top soil (deer don’t like the scent of blood). So I tried it this year and I am happy to report that I haven’t had any deer eat my plants this year. Don’t know if it would work the same for grapes plants but it might be worth a try.
I hang perfumed bath soap (in mesh bags) in and around my 2 acre vineyard and so far I have not had problems with deer.
Also human hair from the local barber work as well.
Mary Watkins
Mangum, Ok
ps. Thanks for all the great info I have gotten from your site.
Good Luck with your vineyards and keep up the good work.
Danie,
I want to add one suggestion to your blog on Deer.
You can use a moderate size fence…4-6 feet and then at the upper edge of the fence or the posts holding the fencing use Deer Fortress units at 6-8 feet distances. These units can be purchased from Repelit out of Cedar Rapids. You can purchase them online or from your garden stores..i.e. Southern States.
This seems to work for me and I live in the country.
Also, I also enjoy you e-mails and blog.
Roger
Hi Danie,
I too have problems with deer in my yard. They are a big problem in our region of northern New York state, where the deer population has risen as small farms get swallowed up by large farming operations in the midwest, trees grow in local fields, and people resist reintroduction of wolves and coyotes. Our two German Shepherd dogs keep deer away during the day, and the dogs are contained by a big semicircular radio fence that goes around the house, garden and vinyard. But we bring the dogs in at night, when the deer do most damage. We are going to put up an electric fence which is what most people in our area use for their gardens.
Another ingenious solution that a girlfriend of mine came up with is to use some simple parts from Radio Shack. She used a motion detector, a timer, a solar battery system, an old radio, and has it set up in her garden. When wildlife come near, the radio goes on, and the deer spook. It was much cheaper than an electric fence and she has used it for several years without a problem. She lives in an even more rural and mountainous area than I do.
-Mary