We have half a dozen apple trees on our property on one of the Gulf Islands and are visited frequently by deer. Currently we have four-foot high rings of fencing propped up around each tree, but the deer sometimes knock them down, and they are a pain to dismantle and re-erect when we mow, pick the apples, rake leaves, etc. My main concern is protecting the trunks from being stripped; the apples themselves are mostly out of reach -- unless they get up on their hind legs, which they don't seem to be doing (yet). I'm sure I have seen, in Japan I think it was, some kind of wrapping around tree trunks to protect them from deer. Do you know how I might do this in a way that won't itself damage the trees? Thank you. Lewis James
In the past I have used blood meal around the perimeter of my vegetable garden to deter deer. They do not like the smell, and because it's a dark reddy brown color blends in well with the dirt. It does need to be re-applied as the rain washes it into the soil - but one application usually lasts a good 2 weeks. Regarding the wrap, I can't help you on that. Good Luck!
The problem with deer in this case is usually that they rub velvet off their antlers against the trunk.. an easy way to provide protection is to wrap chicken wire around the trunk. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, however. A few years ago I found some hard plastic spirals which were being marked for this very purpose. They expand nicely as the trunk grows, and have given good protection. I have not seen these in stores recently. Good luck.
Blood meal is literally dried blood. It is a byproduct of the meat packing industry. It can be discouraging to prey animals and it is used as a fertilizer.
