Highland Hill Farm
Po. Box 517
Fountainville, PA 18923
Call in an order at 215-651-8329
Email Us Your Order
Resistance of Seedlings and Nursery Stock to Deer Damage
There are few natural controls for deer populations especially in urban areas. Opening your land to hunting is an effective practice for lowering deer populations. Since deer are nocturnal, hunting may not be totally effective. This means that you must have an integrated pest management plan. This plan should include the following: population management(hunting), repellents, selecting resistant plants, fencing, knowledge of deer habits for integrating your management plan.
Deer feeding will occur on fertilized and unfertilized plants. Most browsing of seedlings will occur at night. By planting less-preferred seedlings in unprotected areas and surrounding preferred seedlings by less-preferred seedlings, deer damage is lessened. Susceptible plants should be fenced or planted near occupied structures. Backyard dogs are effective in keeping deer away. Your knowledge of deer feeding habits should be your first line of defense. A plan based on this knowledge will provide seedlings growers with less expensive alternatives to dangerous chemicals repellents and hard to maintain fences and physical barriers. Deer are creatures of habit. Deer are not going search in the woods for scarce food when it is available in quantity and quality in your back yard. Once they find easy to browse plants in your landscape, they will become like giant rats invading you backyard at night. They will return night after night and eat you nursery stock until it is gone. Some deer in certain areas will eat holly and white pines, while deer in other areas won't. Therefore plant preference lists are only rough guides to deer damage susceptibility.
This is hedge of Dragon Lady Hollies was planted by one of our subcontractors, Chris Orser Landscaping, in the Peace Valley Park of Bucks County. There are over 600 deer in this immediate area and this hedge has no signs of deer damage!!!!! In general browsing damage to nursery stock will be highest when snow or extreme weather reduces food availability. Succulent young growth is an attractive deer food source in the spring time. When food is in short supply deer will feed on less desirable plants. Deer eat a variety of vegetation including woody plants, fruits, nuts, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and garden vegetables. Landscaping based deer feeding habits will reduce or eliminate costly browsing damage to your nursery stock and ornamental.
This is one of the deepest Blue Spruces we have. This ornamental spruce is 4-5' tall and is a very slow grower and deer resistant!!! **************************************************************************************************************************************************************
This is a top grafted Montgomery Blue Spruce on a standard. It is slow growing and mounded in shape. Deer don't like this plant. Pricing: 1-9 $130ea., 10+ $90 ea.
************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Always try and reduce deer herds. Fewer deer mean less browsing pressure. We once had a deer hunt where hunters paid 100 dollars each to a police gun fund for the control of deer on our nursery that is located next to Peace Valley Park. For weeks the control worked and deer damage was controlled.
Some people use soap bars. Leave the soap in its wrapper and drill a hole through the bar. Attach the soap bar with twine to a branch and allow it to hang 3-4' off the ground. Hang the bar away from the center of the tree. This will act as a natural repellent for deer. Use multiple bars for large nursery stock and trees.
Seedlings and Liners We Recommend
Red Osier Dogwood
Russian Olive
Rose of Sharon
Eastern Red Cedars Hollies Leucothoe
River Birch Trees Japanese Cedars
Blue Spruce trees Austrin Pine
Barberries
http://seedlingsrus.com/BerberisCrimson.jpg Andromeda
We carry a full line of tree guards for small saplings and ornamental trees. We will sell them or sell and install them for you.
Green Giant Sale
Our most popular plant that we sell with great deer resistance is the Green Giant Arborvitae.