Has anyone used this - http://www.niteguard.com/ to keep deer away from their plants? If so, how did it work for you? Otherwise what are some thoughts on using this? Does it look as if it will really work? The deer have discovered my Hibiscus finally this year and had a good time the other night.
Is it simply the flashing light that's supposed to deter the critters? I would have thought that a loud sound as well would have been a better idea. Deer are very skittish creatures and strange noises spook them easily. Not so sure about a flashing red light though. If it's not too expensive I'd give it a try - after all nothing ventured, nothing gained. If it doesn't work for you though would it be possible to return it and get you money back?
Supposedly Eileen, they recommend using it with their holographic tape also for deer - http://www.niteguard.com/animal/deer-deterrent They're $19.95/ea however for deer they recommend using four of them. My problem is that living in town they say to point them away from what you want them to stay away from. That would mean I'd have to point the lights at houses on either side of me and the one across the street. I don't think they'd appreciate having the lights flash into their houses. Same problem for the backyard. The tape might work during the day but our deer only come out at night foraging. It's all because of idiots in town that think it's cute to feed deer. The only warranty I saw was if it didn't flash you were able to exchange it not if it didn't keep the deer away. I'm currently using Milorganite in all my Hibiscus pots hoping that will keep them away.
Hi Chris,..i have come across every kind of suggestion from gardeners as how to keep Deer away,..so far nothing seems to work for very long,..the only solution was fences,..needing four of those red flashing lights would have your neighbors hopping mad,..including yourself,..you would close your eyes to go to sleep and still see red flashing lights,..i know you must be desperate after the Deer discovered your Hibiscus,..however spending nearly $100 on four flashers and the Holographic Tape could well be money down the drain and you may still have the Deer.
I agree with you Philip who knows if this would work or not. I've have to buy 7 actually, 4 for the back and 3 for the front if I was going to use them. I've been using Milorganite however I haven't been able yet to figure out how often to apply it. http://www.milorganite.com/using-milorganite/deer-deterrent It's not expensive, a large bag is about $13.00 or so.
I'll have to reply to my own thread here, putting the Milorganite down around all my Hibiscus was a failure. It's been on them a little over a day and last night they feasted on my Ft. Myers yellow and they found the big one in the backyard which the also decided the buds tasted really good. I'm wondering if just some kind of a motion activated bright light, not the red flashing thing, would frighten them away?
This link has tips on what might deter deer from eating your garden plants Chris. Some may work on their own or in conjunction with others. Some might prove too expensive - like fencing but other could prove to be quite cheap. Anything is worth a try before they completely denude your yard. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20368362,00.html
Thanks so much Eileen, I've looked through them and some look like they might work. As they say though the deer will eventually find out that the smelly soap or the bright light that comes on doesn't bother them. I think first off I'm going to hit the stores and find some of the commercial stuff to see how that works and move on from there.
Chris,..reading all the ideas and even about that Milorgranite ,..it looks like the latter would have to be reapplied every 5 weeks,..though as you found it seems to be a failure,..thank heavens we don't have a Deer problem here,..just the odd slug the hedgehog missed out on eating.
Phillip I would love to have Hedgehogs here. They would get so fat eating all our slugs. Chris-we don't use Milorganite anymore for just that reason. Our little dog loved to eat it. Have you ever thought of trying a few strands of electric fencing? If they stick their wet noses on one of those electrified strands they would never try it again. Just a thought. They have solar powered electric fences so you do not need a power supply.
I guess I could give the fence a try. I'd have to make sure I turn it off in the back before my two dogs go out. Not sure what I'd do about the front though. The photo was caught in my front yard last night.
Chris,..lol that is really rubbing it in,..to see them on camera,..'We was here'. Patti,..i only spotted one slug since the start of spring,..the Hedgehog family is two adults and at least one youngster,..oh they don't eat my snails,..so its pellets for snails.
And there will be lots of photos every night now. My Ft. Myers Hibiscus is getting pruned more and more every night.