Ok, the fence is up!

So I don't get busted, I meant "taut." Can I blame the keyboard? : )

You didn't mention deer before. You may have to run another wire a bit higher, if they become a problem. :(

Here is one of those funny/wierd things that I have heard, deer do not like the smell of original Irish Spring Soap and will avoid eating plants near were it is placed. Now not having a garden, I don't know how accurate it is, but the guy on the gardening radio show seemed to think it was great. Ken

Ken, Don't want to burst your bubble but that ain't gonna work. Been there, done that and it doesn't work. The little ones jump right between the wires if the big ones don't jump over it. The fence I have which works great is a system which uses the fencing you get at homw depot. 7 ft high. You string 2 wires between 2 posts , one at 7 ft and the other at ground level. Get "turnbuckles to tighten the two wires and then "hand the deer fence with plastic ties. You need to brace the end posts on the inside, 2X4's will do into the ground. It's easy to put up, it works and if you stain the posts a gray you can barely see it.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

Bob

Opps,

"Hang the deer fence from the top wire to the bottom tying at top and bottom. make sure the wires are tight .

That may well be a problem. If it is, Ken may have to add another wire.

That might keep out the deer, but the raccoons will climb right over it. If you are going to go to those lengths, (which I don't think are necessary), you may as well use chain link, or "field fence" (which has a fine mesh at the bottom for small animals, and an increasingly wider mesh as you move to the top). T-posts are easier to drive, stronger, and more durable than 2x4s. And they don't require corner braces.

I did some more googling before doing the fence thing. I found folks who claimed the fence works. And, if it's on the internet, it HAS to be true, right? ; ) At least it only cost me under $30. In the OP picture, to the right is a row of first year Cab Franc, Riesling and Chard are further over. Those are Niagaras I'm trying to save this year, but by next year I'm gonna want to have something effective in place to control critters. There's got to be a way, or my name's Elmer Fudd.

Hi Ken, it looks pretty weird. No offence, but this ain't work as you wish. If you put loose hanging piece of cloth (tags, tatter) to the wires, it should do. Do you rember in former times how the reindeers to be kept in the forest? Same thing here to keep them away. Keep is informed if you succeed. Good luck. Ri

Hi

Maybe I missed something, but is that an electric fence? If it is you should mark it for people. If it isnt a deer will a)walk over it b)walk thru it like it wasnt there c) jump over it or d) all of the above.

Deer fence is usually 7 feet high and if you are truly paranoid has a string of barbed or electric running along the top. Racoons are crafty and will find a way if they want to and well turkeys will probably stay out but they are usually dumb enough to find their way in by accident.

I have found that Milorganite works to keep deer away from my gardens and it makes everything grow nice. But anything we really want to save is in a "compound" like i described above.

Good Luck!

Sean

a number of the deer hunters I work with have mentioned something to that effect. One guy is trying to drive out a rival hunter by sprinkling it around the other guy's stand. hoping to keep the deer away from the other guy and over to his. Several other hunters have agreed that Irish spring will drive deer away like nothing else, except maybe gasoline. They say that will keep them away too, but is hard to keep in a spot. Gas is better for a temporary solution, but Irish spring is good for the long haul.

email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com please respond in this NG so others can share your wisdom as well!

My vegetable garden was destroyed by Deer this year, so next year I will be creating a compound like Sean suggests. I am also starting a small vineyard (24 vines) next spring. Will the deer bother the vines or do they wait until the fruit appears? Basically, should I fence the vineyard from the get go.

Thanks

Ken I hope this doesn't discourage you, but I suspect that fence will not discourage deer. Clearing it would present no more problem than a tip toe through the tulips. I hope I'm wrong and hope your deer are less agile than those we find in NE Pennsylvania. Regards, Bill.

I know in some places if the winter is harsh enough deer will eat twigs and strip bark...ive heard fruit trees/etc are favourites I am hoping to buy a new house soon and the new place will be getting 12 new vines in a nice compound with room for more vines. No messing around from the start!

Sean

Yes, deer will bite the ends off your new vines! I used something called "Liquid Fence" with good success. Also, if you have Japanese beetle problems like I do, get an aerosol can of houseplant bug spray and spray your plants whenever you see beetles. 24 vines will only take a few minutes. Incredibly handy! Ken A.

When's deer season open? Mix up some Dawn dishwashing detergent in your sprayer, and use it instead. Far less toxic than bug spray, and works just as well. Household bug spray will be absorbed and retained by the vine. If you use poison on an food plant, use a non-systemic substance like carboryl (sold as Sevin). But the detergent is safer.

No need to worry about food toxicity on first or second year vines. You just want to keep 'em healthy so they'll develop a strong root system. And the bug spray is still more convenient than mixing up dishwashing liquid. Easier aerosol application, too. Some people avoid all such things on principle alone, but I'm not one of them. ; ) Ken A.

Ken ,

Like Sean said, if that fence isn't electric it will do nothing. Trust me. Deer will rowse in June and then in later summer usually around Sept/Oct. What I have are 4X4's with the wires attached to with 2X4's for inside bracing. THe fencing is $49.99 at Home Depot for 100ft. The whole fence if you were going to fence in a 50 X 50 vineyard would probably cost you about $175. Chain-link fence ain't that cheap for

200ft. The other thing I do is the fence is only 5 ft from the trellis system so they won't jump it if they can't land on the other side. For the ends of the rows the fence is also 5 ft away and I have a rope strung along the top of the trellis posts so they would have to jump on to that to get in on the ends. If you have a tractor this obviously won't work and you also , if your really paranoid , have to put ropes in the corners, from the end trellis post to the end fence post to keep that access blocked. Deer are VERY smart and I will guarantee what you have there will break your heart when you wake up and see the deer damage.

Bob

Well, I did a dumb thing and started this new thread, forgetting to mention that indeed the fence is electrified. Electric fences were mentioned in a recent previous thread. I apologize. Good God! Looking at that little fence must have given some people a pretty good chuckle! : ) About the fence, it pegs my meter at 1000 volts AC, so I believe it's the 1200 volt version. Incidently, the bottom wire is 6 inches off the ground, and the second one is 6 inches above that. This morning, I noticed a deformation in the wire, as though something had bumped it pretty good. A deer ankle maybe? Poor deer. (Not) I'm keeping an eye out for moist, barren stems, which tell me they were freshly eaten. Didn't notice any this morning. I will post more results. I don't expect I can let these grapes go any longer than two more weeks. Haven't checked TA or pH, but the best bunches are only at 16 Brix. I can expect better than that can't I, here in NE Ohio? Ken A.

I think you forgot to mention that the original problem was raccoons, and that's what determined the fence height. :)

The transformer's output should be stamped on the unit somewhere. They may make a 1000 V version. The deer can step over it, but the may be afraid to do so. If you notice, the wire emits an audible hum, and a visible vibration. This is enough to make some animals wary. So they nose around, and get shocked, and (hopefully) go elsewhere.