by Chris R.W.

Created on: March 06, 2010

Deer Off is a product by Havahart designed to repel not only deer, but also rabbits, squirrels, and other similar unwanted guests from your garden.  Deer Off's formula contains putrescent egg solids, garlic, and capsaicin (a chemical component in peppers that give them their hot flavor).  After being applied to the plants within your garden, Deer Off keeps deer, rabbits, and squirrels from eating your plants because of these components.  The scents of putrescent egg and garlic and the added hot flavor of capsaicin is what makes Deer Off work.

Deer Off should last up to 3 months, after which it needs to be reapplied to your plants.  It is very weather resistant, so even if you experience heavy rains, you can still count on Deer Off to keep your plants protected from deer.  And it's also safe to put on all of your plants, even edible fruits and vegetables, though the formula can be very strong and may affect the flavor of your fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables with tough skin that will be removed before eating is safe, but anything with a thin outer layer, or layer you won't be removing before eating you might want to consider not applying Deer Off directly to the edible part itself.

Deer Off is sold in a couple of different ways, most notably in a concentrated form and premixed that comes in a bottle ready for spraying.

Of course, the premixed form is easier to use, requiring no extra preparation on your part.  All you need to do is spray it on your plants and you're set for 3 months!

The concentrated form is a bit more work, as you need to mix it yourself with water (exact instructions are given on the packaging), and you also need a device to apply your mix.  A simple pressurized sprayer is all you need, it doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive.  But it is a must have to use the concentrated mix.  If you don't have it and try to use something else to apply the Deer Off, it may clog the device, and will give you a much less efficient application on your plants and may reduce the degree of protection they receive from the deer of mix.  For your trouble, however, the concentrated mix is much cheaper than the premixed form of Deer Off, and you get much more of it in a smaller bottle, making it a much more green and economical choice.

Learn more about this author, Chris R.W..
Click here to send this author comments or questions.