Blueberry bushes are a favorite among wild animals, including deer. Not only are they delicious – they’re also one of the most nutritious fruits readily available in the wild. That is why animals, particularly deer, can’t resist their charm even if they’re planted in someone’s yard.
Here are 14 ways to keep deer away from blueberry bushes:
- Build a fence.
- Build mesh cages around your blueberry bushes.
- Cover your blueberry bushes with netting.
- Hang stink bombs on your blueberry bushes.
- Hang shiny, reflective materials on your blueberry bushes.
- Secure wind chimes around your garden.
- Use Mylar balloons.
- Install motion sensors near your blueberry bushes.
- Make a homemade deer repellent.
- Spray predator urine around your blueberry bushes.
- Station a scarecrow near your blueberry bushes.
- Employ your dogs to double as deer chasers.
- Invest in an electronic deer repellent.
- Make some decoy berries.
In this article, I’ll discuss each of these different strategies you can use to keep deer away from blueberry bushes, including scare tactics, olfactory repellents, and even cunning. Deer are intelligent animals and can quickly learn that most of these tactics are harmless, so mixing and matching techniques is the best way to keep deer guessing. Let’s get started!
1. Build a Fence
Build a fence at least 8 feet (2.44 meters) tall around your blueberry bushes. This will discourage deer from approaching and effectively keep these animals away. Make sure your fence is firmly secured to the ground. Avoid having any clearance between the ground and the fence because deer are more inclined to crawl under a fence than climb over it.
Here are some materials you can use for your fence:
- Wood planks
- Small-gauge to large-gauge mesh wire supported by wooden poles
- Metal planks
You can also invest in an electric fence to protect your blueberry bushes from hungry deer. Electric fences are equipped with motion sensors that easily detect when a deer, or any other animal, is approaching. When triggered by direct contact, they emit a low, harmless electric shock that stuns deer and makes them flee to safety.
2. Build Mesh Cages Around Your Blueberry Bushes
This is an excellent way to protect your blueberry bushes and give them enough room to grow. Cages are pretty simple to make and are pretty inexpensive. However, if you’re not the DIY type of gardener, you can also purchase ready-to-use plant cages and plant tents from gardening supply stores and hardware shops.
Here is how to make mesh cages for your blueberry bushes to keep deer away:
- Construct a small square cage with PVC pipes to enclose your blueberry bushes. Purchase the ones with corner connectors since these make construction much simpler.
- Secure the PVC pipes to the ground with landscape staples. It is crucial to firmly secure the cage to the ground so it doesn’t easily get blown away by the wind and doesn’t quickly collapse in case deer become too aggressive.
- Unroll your nettings and drape them over your PVC pipes. Ensure that all sides are covered all the way down to the ground. Cover the top, too.
- Secure the netting to the PVC frame with fabric or plastic ties. Do this at regular intervals to keep the netting in place. To access the berries when ripe, allot 1 side as the entryway by fastening it to the frame only from the top and weighing down the bottom with garden staples secured to the ground.
It is better to use PVC pipes for blueberry bush mesh cages because they do not cause any rips or tears in the netting. Wood may seem more visually appealing, but the netting would easily snag and split. Consider painting the PVC pipe frame with a color that would blend in with your garden to make the blueberry bush cage more aesthetically pleasing.
3. Cover Your Blueberry Bushes With Netting
Netting can protect your blueberry bushes from deer and many other unwanted animal guests. It can also ward off pests such as aphids, snails, beetles, and caterpillars. Invest in durable plant netting made of tough material, so it doesn’t easily tear in case deer try chewing through them.
Here are some things to remember when installing nettings over your blueberry bushes:
- Make sure the netting covers your plants completely.
- Purchase netting hoops, so the mesh material does not touch your plants’ leaves and fruits.
- Ensure that the netting is secured firmly into the ground, so it doesn’t easily collapse or get blown away by the wind.
4. Hang Stink Bombs on Your Blueberry Bushes
Strong odors quickly repel deer. You can use this to your advantage by making your blueberry bushes smell extremely unpleasant. Stink bombs will be the perfect weapon because they are simple to make, inexpensive, and flexible. You can use practically anything with a strong odor or something that smells particularly disagreeable or odd.
Here are a few stink bomb filler suggestions:
- Crushed garlic
- Powdered cayenne pepper
- Peppermint bar soap
- Mentholated topical ointment (Vicks VapoRub)
- Rotten eggs
Here is how to make stink bombs for your blueberry bushes:
- Get an old pantyhose.
- Cut it off at the knees to create 2 bags.
- Fill each bag with your stink filler of choice.
- Tie the stink bags securely to the branches of your blueberry bushes.
Remember to check on the stink bombs regularly, especially if you use perishable fillers like rotten eggs. You might attract pests to your blueberry bushes, which will give life to a whole new problem for you. Replenish your fillers weekly because odors tend to dissipate within a few days.
5. Hang Shiny, Reflective Materials on Your Blueberry Bushes
Hang lightweight shiny materials on your blueberry bushes to scare approaching deer away. Deer are shy and nervous creatures. Once they spot the shiny objects, they will instantly think that some other animal is staring back at them. They will immediately flee the scene, and your blueberries are safe once more. Additionally, the rustling sounds these materials make when there’s a strong gust of wind will spook deer and make them flee.
Here are some ideas on what materials to use:
- Aluminum foil strips
- Cellophane squares
- Disposable aluminum plates or trays
- Reflective hanging repellents (available online and in various designs)
Remember to switch things up a bit at least once every week so that deer do not get used to the presence of these objects. Use materials of different colors and textures. Hang them in various areas on your blueberry bushes. If you fail to do this, deer might eventually figure out that these are merely inanimate objects incapable of causing them any harm.
6. Secure Wind Chimes Around Your Garden
Wind chimes provide a whimsical feel to every garden or home. I love how the light, melodic sounds travel and linger in the air. Luckily, they can also be used to ward off deer.
Simply place some wind chimes around your blueberry bushes. You can hang them on makeshift poles, or if your bushes are stationed near a wall, you can hang them on extended pegs secured to the wall. Regular noises from the area will discourage deer from attempting to approach.
However, note that deer may eventually get used to the sounds. Soon, they will realize that these noises are completely harmless, so they may start venturing closer to your blueberry bushes. It would be best to accompany your wind chime strategy with other more aggressive methods, such as spraying the area with repellents to drive deer away.
7. Use Mylar Balloons
Mylar balloons come in different shapes and sizes. They are very popular during celebrations and parties because they can hold their shape better than traditional balloons and last longer, too. You can give your Mylar balloons a new lease on life by repurposing them as deer repellent when the festivities have died down.
Position Mylar balloons among your blueberry bushes. They are light enough to easily be swayed whenever there’s a gush of wind or when something brushes up against them. Some Mylar balloon designs, particularly those twisted to form spiral shapes, make buzzing sounds when blown over by the wind.
8. Install Motion Sensors Near Your Blueberry Bushes
Light motion sensors are triggered by the slightest movements within their scope. When movement is detected, a bright light is switched on, taking whatever started the reaction completely by surprise. Deer instincts will kick in, and they will always flee a scene where they sense danger. They will leave your blueberries alone, at least for a couple of weeks.
There are also motion sensors that activate your water sprinklers when movement is detected. This is a great way to startle deer whenever they are quietly sneaking into your blueberry bushes. It can help ward off other unwanted animals as well.
Deer are pretty smart, and they will eventually figure out that nothing much really happens after the bright lights or the sprinklers turn on. Try combining these strategies with other methods of scaring deer away. Remember that you need to shake off predictability so that deer will always be caught off guard.
9. Make a Homemade Deer Repellent
This recipe combines a couple of ingredients that are proven effective in repelling deer. This repellent will make berries taste unpleasant and will effectively make deer turn up their noses at the fruit. It is best to apply this repellent spray at least once a week and after each rainfall or watering since it can easily be washed away.
This is how to make a homemade deer repellent:
- Fill a bowl with 1 quart (946 ml) of water.
- Add 4 whole eggs.
- Add 2 ounces (57 grams) of minced garlic.
- Add 2 ounces (30 ml) of chili sauce.
- Mix everything in a blender.
- Pour the mixture into a garden sprayer while straining out the solids using a coffee filter.
- Spray directly on your blueberry bushes.
10. Spray Predator Urine Around Your Blueberry Bushes
Deer are generally nervous and shy creatures. They are blessed with a great sense of sight, good hearing, and an excellent sense of smell. They are fast, too, and can swiftly run away to escape danger. However, despite being gentle and practically harmless, they have quite a number of enemies in the wild since they are preyed upon by larger predators.
Here are some of their natural predators:
- Bears
- Gray wolves
- Cougars
- Jaguars
- Bobcats
- Mountain lions
- Coyotes
- Wild dogs
You can use predator urine scent to keep deer away from your blueberry bushes. You can buy commercially prepared urine sprays from hardware stores, gardening supply shops, or even online. Simply spray these offensive-smelling repellents around your blueberry bushes, and deer will easily get spooked by the notion that a predator might be lurking nearby. Their instincts will kick in, and they will immediately flee.
11. Station a Scarecrow Near Your Blueberry Bushes
A threatening presence that lingers around your garden, particularly near the blueberry bushes they love so much, will be highly unsettling for deer. Their instinct to flee a scene as soon as danger is detected will kick in the second they sense an ominous presence nearby. You can let your imagination run wild when making a scarecrow for your garden. It could even be a fun project you can do with your kids!
Here are the materials you’ll need for making a scarecrow:
- 1 sturdy stick, about 2 meters (6.56 meters) long (stick A)
- 1 sturdy stick, about 1 meter (3.28 meters) long (stick B)
- 1 sturdy stick, about 30 centimeters (1 ft) long (stick C)
- 1 old long-sleeved shirt
- 1 old pair of pants
- 1 old straw hat
- 1 old pair of tights
- String
- Straw
- Permanent markers or paint
Here is how to make a scarecrow that will keep deer away from your blueberry bushes:
- Using a string, tie stick A and stick B together so that they form a cross, which should extend about 15 centimeters (5.91 inches) from each end.
- Tie stick C the same way about halfway down to form a second cross.
- Cut off 1 leg from the old pair of tights.
- Fill the leg with straw until it forms into a small ball.
- Tie securely with some string so that straw doesn’t fall off, and you now have your scarecrow’s head.
- Using permanent markers or paint, give your scarecrow a face (be creative – you can make it smile, look angry, or you can even give it a beard).
- Tie the head to the top of the frame.
- Hang the old long-sleeved shirt over the first crossbar.
- Secure the old pair of pants onto the second crossbar.
- Tie shut each leg of the pair of pants.
- Fill each leg with straw.
- Tie shut each sleeve of the long-sleeved shirt.
- Fill each arm with straw.
- Fill the bowl of the old straw hat with straw.
- Make sure some straws are dangling out because these will be your scarecrow’s hair.
Secure the scarecrow into the ground near your blueberry bushes so it can get to work scaring away deer. They will easily be spooked by this lifelike, round-the-clock presence in your garden. Relocate it at least once a week and change its clothing, so deer do not get accustomed to its presence.
12. Employ Your Dogs To Double As Deer Chasers
Dogs can be used to keep deer away from your blueberry bushes and off your property. Train them to bark and run after deer as soon as they spot them. You can tether your furry friend on a rope near your blueberry dishes, or you can train it to recognize the boundaries of your property so it can roam freely.
You can take this strategy up a notch by investing in a wireless fence system. Electric cables will be buried around the perimeter of your garden, thus creating an invisible fence within which your dogs will be trained to chase deer away.
13. Invest in an Electronic Deer Repellent
Electronic deer repellents are battery-operated devices that train deer to avoid specific areas in your garden and prevent them from revisiting certain favorite spots, such as your blueberry bushes. They give off a harmless electric shock once they get into contact with deer or any other animal. Electronic repellents typically make use of baits to attract deer to approach. The electric shock is triggered as soon as they do, causing deer to flee the scene immediately.
14. Make Some Decoy Berries
This is a very creative, not to mention quite hilarious, way to keep deer away from your blueberry bushes. Note that this tactic only works when your berries haven’t sprouted or ripened yet.
This is how to use decoy berries to keep deer away:
- Grab some stones from your garden roughly the same size and shape as blueberries.
- Paint them to look much like the berries that deer simply love.
- Scatter the decoy berries around your blueberry bushes and wait for deer to spot them.
The second a deer sinks its teeth – or at least tries to – into the “berries,” instant confusion hits because they’re rock hard! Do this every day, and deer will soon brand your blueberry bushes as horrible and completely inedible. When harvest season finally arrives, you can have your juicy, delicious blueberries all to yourself!
Key Takeaways
Scare tactics can be effective in keeping deer away from your blueberry bushes, but remember that these animals are smart and adaptable. They can eventually learn to overcome their fears or realize that the sources of their terror are pretty much harmless and present no real danger. The best ways to handle deer invading your garden include:
- Combining the methods discussed.
- Switching things up regularly.
- Altering your approach every few weeks or so.
