Protecting Plants from Deer Damage in Central Texas

The white-tailed deer is a familiar sight to anyone living in Austin and other areas of Central Texas. It is not unusual for Austinites to find families of deer lounging in their front yards during the night and early morning, even in developed residential communities. Unfortunately, deer can also be a major nuisance in urban areas due to the damage they often cause to trees, landscape and garden plants. The overpopulation of white-tailed deer in Central Texas means more competition for food, leading deer to consume plants and shrubs that may otherwise be left alone.

With an overpopulation of deer and a shortage of other food sources, deer in Central Texas often turn to garden and landscape plants for nourishment, much to the dismay of property owners. One method that may help reduce or prevent damage to plants is the application of deer repellant, which can be applied to individual plants or an entire area of a lawn.

Another option is to experiment with using plants that deer tend not to prefer, though a hungry deer will eat practically anything and this approach may take some trial, error and luck. Flowering plants such as geraniums, daffodils and begonias as well as shrubs like boxwood, butterfly bush and most thorny bushes are generally avoided by deer as long as more attractive food sources are available. If you want to landscape your yard with the preferences of deer in mind, consult with neighbors and perform some background research on plants that deer seem to avoid in your local area. Remember that even if deer do not prefer to eat certain types of plants, they can cause damage by trampling them en route to other, more desirable vegetation.

If deer are a particular nuisance in your area, you may consider other means of keeping them out of your yard altogether.
Fencing in your entire yard is one way to protect all of your landscaping plants and trees from damage and consumption by deer. Even still, a fence may not be the perfect solution. Bear in mind that deer can jump over high fences, and that an angled, wire fence will provide a more effective barrier than will a vertical, wooden one.

Munching away your hard-earned landscaping plants is not the only way deer may cause damage to your property. Bucks also rub the trunks of trees with their antlers, which removes the protective outer bark and leaves the animal’s scent behind. This behavior serves to remove velvet from the antlers, mark territory, show dominance, attract does and possibly prepare the buck for battle with another buck. Deer seem to prefer smaller trees with smooth bark over larger, rougher ones for rubbing. If you have a tree that has incurred such damage, a sturdy barrier such as a wire fence should help protect your tree from future deer rubs. Though extensive damage can result in the death of a tree, the good news is that tree damage caused by deer rubs can often be repaired by a tree’s natural healing process. A qualified tree service expert can advise you as to the extent of damage present and provide guidance as to the actions that should be taken to protect the tree and prevent it from becoming hazardous.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and tree trimming Austin trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.