Laura Walters
Homemade deer repellent can be a your best defense against beautiful, but greedy garden visitors. Deer can wipe out a bed of tulips or roses overnight, leaving you with nothing but some chewed stubs. But mixing up your own spray is simple and works wonders if you get the recipe right.
I'll share my three favorite homemade sprays that use everyday ingredients you can find in the kitchen to make deer think twice about eating your plants. All three recipes are cheap, safe for plants and pets, and easy to whip up. The key is knowing how they work and when to spritz.
Let's take a look at my top homemade deer repellent recipes, how and when to use them, plus some other products to combine with sprays for the best defense against hungry wildlife.
How Homemade Deer Repellent Works
Homemade deer repellent sprays work by coating plants in smells or tastes that deer can't stand. Many commercial sprays, like Liquid Fence from Amazon, work in the same way. Content Editor Laura Walters swears by Liquid Fence and says, "Deer used to destroy my garden until I discovered this spray."
Deer use their noses to hunt for dinner, so a blast of a smell they don't like can make them bolt. The spray sticks to leaves with an odor animals hate, but that won't hurt plants. There are few common ingredients in most homemade and commercial deer repellents: eggs, garlic, and chili.
Egg sprays stink like rotten eggs to keep deer away, garlic and chili mixes make their noses tingle, and soap sprays leave a soapy film that tastes terrible. Reapply homemade deer repellent after rain or every week or so to stop deer from eating plants.
The homemade sprays I'll share are safe for pets and kids, if you follow some basic guidelines, which I'll cover below. They're also a natural swap for store-bought products, which can help you cut costs and keep your organic garden free of chemicals.
Homemade Deer Repellent Recipes
Now that you understand how homemade deer repellents work, let's take a look at some of my favorite and most effective recipes that will keep your plants safe from greedy grazers.
1. Egg Spray
Egg spray is a classic homemade deer repellent. The rotten egg smell drives deer away and it’s super cheap to make.
Crack two eggs into a gallon of water, add a tablespoon of dish soap, and shake it up. Let it sit overnight to get nasty, then strain out the bits.
Spritz it on leaves and stems, covering both sides. The soap helps it stick to plant leaves. Reapply after rain. Another tip is to mix in a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which is a universal pest repellent, for an extra dose of deterrent.
Egg spray works best on young plants and vegetables. It’s harmless to the garden, but stinks. So use it away far from patios and outdoor seating areas.
2. Garlic and Chili Spray
Garlic and chili pepper spray packs a punch as a spicy, stinky combo. Deer hate the burn and smell of these piquant ingredients.
Blend together two garlic cloves, a hot pepper, and a cup of water. Strain it, then add to a gallon of water with a dash of dish soap.
Spray it on plants, focusing on leaf tips and edges. The garlic sticks to the leaves and the chili irritates pests' noses to keep them away from plants. Refresh every week or after rain. For more heat, use habanero peppers because they’re spicier.
This spray shines on flowers and herbs. It’s safe to use, but can tingle skin. So wear gloves when mixing.
3. Soap Spray
Soap spray is a gentle homemade deer deterrent. The soapy taste makes leaves unappetizing to grazing deer.
Mix 2 tablespoons of gentle liquid dish soap or Castile soap, like this one I get from Amazon, with one gallon of water. Castile soap is recommended because it's gentler on plants. You can also add a teaspoon of hot sauce to the mix for an extra bite.
Spray the mixture lightly on foliage, but avoid heavy drenching. The soap coats the leaves and deer spit it out. Reapply after rain or every 10 days.
Soap spray works on both veggies and ornamental plants. It's also the safest repellent option, but washes off easier in wet weather.
How to Use Homemade Deer Repellent
Don't apply sprays in the midday sun as it can scorch the foliage. Instead, hit your plants with deer repellent spray in the evening, when critters come out looking for dinner.
Be sure to spray when plants are dry so it clings better. Never spray when it's windy or else the mixture may blow back on you. Gloves and old clothes are also a must. You don't want the stinky mixtures getting on you and your clothes.
Make sure to spray both the leaves and stems, covering the undersides as well. Patch test a small spot first to see if anything goes wrong. Once you see the test area looks good, apply to the rest of the plant.
Reapply repellent after rain or about once a week. Switch up the recipes so deer don't get used to the same scent.
Other Strategies to Try With Homemade Spray
Sprays work best when combined with other deer deterrents. Grow deer-resistant perennials to help repel them. That includes foxgloves and lupines, which are bitter and tough. You can also surround beds with thorny plants to block access.
Motion-activated sprinklers, like this one from Amazon, and light and sound can also scare off deer. Try an ultrasonic deer repellent device from Amazon for extra protection. Or hang old CDs or pie tins that flash in the sunlight and disorient wildlife just enough to keep them away from plants. For veggie gardens, use row covers or netting to block pests completely.
A deer-proof fence is the gold standard for protection. Use one that's 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 m) tall or that slants outwards to make it impossible for deer to jump into your yard. Don't install a fence with any sharp points on the top because deer can gravely injure themselves if they try to jump over them and fail.
The best defense against browsing deer is a multi-faceted approach. Combine sprays with one of these other methods to deer at bay and your plants untouched.
