Deer and a hemlock tree

[coachgrd]

Hi everyone. Lots of knowledge there so I figured someone may have a solution.

When my Mom passed 3 years ago, I bought a 5-6' hemlock tree and planted it in her honor. (Her favorite tree, I like em too.) Last year, the deer stripped it clean of every last needle, but much to my surprise, it came back this spring/summer as if nothing ever happened. I'd like to avoid that this winter. Any suggestions to discourage deer from eating it again?

Thanks!

 

[rokhunter]

A friend of mine grabbed some schedule 40 PVC and built frames to set around his trees, about 2'x2'x6', and attached some simple netting to the frame to keep deer off his trees. Worked like a champ.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[dalola]

You might consider a fenced enclosure....some simple metal posts & light gauge wire panel should do the trick. Make sure to keep the perimeter sufficient to keep the deer from reaching over, but not so far as to invite them to hop in.

Is there a woolly adelgid infestation in your area? Been a real problem here in SE Ohio, one of the biggest hemlock populations in the country. Headway is being made, but it's still a serious threat.

Your Mom had good taste in trees!

 

[coachgrd]

Thanks for suggestions and feel free to keep them coming. I swung by youtube and there are a couple videos suggesting irish spring soap hung from the tree can be effective.

dalola...have not heard of the helmlock issue you mentioned. I hope we don't see it, as I have some beautiful native hemlock back in my woods.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I've had to fence of my maples and oaks, I guess our deer/elk/moose like the taste of them better than my hemlocks.
I have hundreds of hemlocks (Native) and I'm quite shocked at how slow they grow.

And yes your Mom had great taste, they are a beautiful tree!

 

[dalola]

dalola...have not heard of the helmlock issue you mentioned. I hope we don't see it, as I have some beautiful native hemlock back in my woods.

May want to educate, and keep a watchful eye...

https://www.fs.fed.us/research/invasive-species/insects/hemlock-wooly-adelgid.php

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I wasn't aware that there was a western and eastern variaty of hemlock.

http://www.woodcentral.com/splinter...suga heterophylla,Eastern and .44 for Western.

My older hemlocks are 3' + diameter and 120-150 foot tall.

 

[skeets]

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid are native to East Asia.These pests feed off the sap of Hemlock trees and are causing a threat to the eastern hemlock and the Carolina Hemlock. HWA was accidentally introduced to North America in 1924 from East Asia and was found some decades later in parts of the Eastern United States. One of the earliest states to record these pests was Pennsylvania in 1967. Years later HWA spreads from states between Georgia and Maine, causing devestation to Hemlock trees all over. Data from 2007 shows that approximately 50% of the Hemlocks in the east had been affected by HWA. Possibilities of how HWA got here are from eggs and crawlers blowing in the wind and being transferred via animals, especially through the feathers of birds.

 

[Redlands]

Cattle panels can be bent into a circle to act as a fence and still look sort of nice since they are galvanized. Mesh wire for concrete can also be bent into a circle for fencing, it gets rusty and turns brownish and so often times blends into the background.

 

[baronetm]

I wrap all my Cedars and Yews with burlap to about 6-7 feet, last year there was no feed in the woods here and the snow came early, about a month before I usually wrap the shrubs and the deer trimmed them real well in one night. I suspect it will be two to three years before the shrubs fully revive.

 

[Pepsiboy]

Hi everyone. Lots of knowledge there so I figured someone may have a solution.

When my Mom passed 3 years ago, I bought a 5-6' hemlock tree and planted it in her honor. (Her favorite tree, I like em too.) Last year, the deer stripped it clean of every last needle, but much to my surprise, it came back this spring/summer as if nothing ever happened. I'd like to avoid that this winter. Any suggestions to discourage deer from eating it again?

Thanks!

coachgrd,

We had that same problem with our apple and peach trees for several years. We were told, and tried this, and it works like a charm. Take a bar of deodorant soap (we use Irish spring original) and cut it into about 6 pieces. Tie each piece to the tree with string or yarn. Put 3 to 6 pieces on each tree, depending on tree size. Deer do NOT like the smell and will leave the tree alone. since using this method we have not had ANY deer damage to our trees.

Dave

 

[coachgrd]

coachgrd,

Take a bar of deodorant soap

Dave

I actually watched a youtube video on this method yesterday, then stopped at my local Crazy Town (aka WalMart) and picked up some Irish Spring. Thanks for sharing your experiences Dave, I'm going to give it a shot this fall/winter.

 

[Hue]

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid are native to East Asia.These pests feed off the sap of Hemlock trees and are causing a threat to the eastern hemlock and the Carolina Hemlock. HWA was accidentally introduced to North America in 1924 from East Asia and was found some decades later in parts of the Eastern United States. One of the earliest states to record these pests was Pennsylvania in 1967. Years later HWA spreads from states between Georgia and Maine, causing devestation to Hemlock trees all over. Data from 2007 shows that approximately 50% of the Hemlocks in the east had been affected by HWA. Possibilities of how HWA got here are from eggs and crawlers blowing in the wind and being transferred via animals, especially through the feathers of birds.

We're surveying for it in New Brunswick. It's just getting here...

 

[Hue]

coachgrd,

We had that same problem with our apple and peach trees for several years. We were told, and tried this, and it works like a charm. Take a bar of deodorant soap (we use Irish spring original) and cut it into about 6 pieces. Tie each piece to the tree with string or yarn. Put 3 to 6 pieces on each tree, depending on tree size. Deer do NOT like the smell and will leave the tree alone. since using this method we have not had ANY deer damage to our trees.

Dave

My parents used to tie bunches of dog hair to trees deemed delicious by deer. They didn't much like the smell of that either.