The deer are starving contest

[Willie]

sorry to be a debby downer just thought ide pass it along

thank you chicken little!

 

[Deebs]

Thanks for that @Fleener ~ I just learned something! I have just expanded my knowledge a bit, time for a smoke!

Quick Search Results:​

Deer are ruminants, they rely on complex fermenting in their stomach (the rumen) filled with specific bacteria and protozoa.

• Summer/Fall: Their gut is packed with microbes that thrive on high-protein, high-moisture foods like green leaves, berries, and crops.
• Winter: As the diet shifts to woody browse (twigs, bark, cedar), the microbe population shifts to specialized species that can break down cellulose and lignin. This transition takes two to three weeks.

Why Corn and Apples are Dangerous​

When a deer that has been eating nothing but "woody" fiber suddenly eats a pile of corn or apples:

1. Starch Overload: The starch-loving bacteria (which are currently low in number) suddenly multiply out of control.
2. Lactic Acid Spike: These bacteria produce massive amounts of lactic acid.
3. Toxic Shock: The pH in the rumen drops rapidly, essentially "pickling" the stomach lining. This stops the digestive process, leaks toxins into the bloodstream, and causes severe dehydration.

 

[belleswell]

The ones I sent you are part of "purple project" and are selected for that color. These are the first step in that direction. You might get something strikingly purple......it's in there (somewhere)

I love purples.

 

[Fleener]

man deer LOVE eating weed

 

[Willie]

Deer eating weed was a worry most of my life. But it never happened, shrubs, hostas, vegetables yes but not weed. Slugs on the other hand have devoured very large weed plants or any size plants many times, right down to the stems. That's all they leave. They were the worst weed eaters when trying to guerilla grow.

 

[Bullfrog]

Deer eating weed was a worry most of my life. But it never happened, shrubs, hostas, vegetables yes but not weed. Slugs on the other hand have devoured very large weed plants or any size plants many times, right down to the stems. That's all they leave. They were the worst weed eaters when trying to guerilla grow.

Willie's got the experience. I've grown outdoors my whole life and never had a problem with deer eating my MJ. The few plants I remember that they did get after they didn't really eat them, just tasted. Usually the stuff they pull off gets spit back on the ground. Deer love lots of stuff I plant but MJ isn't one of them.

Like you said Slugs were #1 and rabbits were #2. Only time deer was a problem was when I first planted, they'd smell freshly dug soil and come to investigate. Then they stomp on the areas I dug up, like they're trying to run me off or mark their territory. Can't count how many times I'd come back the day after planting to find the plants stomped on. Squirrels would do the same, come to investigate then dig the rootball back up. Little bastards.

My flower beds and shrubs on the other hand are a constant fight with the deer.

Copper tape and diatomaceous earth for slugs, never did figure out permanent solution to rabbits eating the cambium and bark on guerilla grows.

 

[belleswell]

I've had problems with bucks. As the velvet dries on their racks usually around September where I'm at, the buck will try to rub off the dried
velvet on their antlers. The bonus of using pot plants is they are very handy at ground level for this, and in that the weed is just getting juicy
and quite aromatic that time of year, is just a bonus for them and it makes them smell pretty for the ladies. This has happened to me multiple
times. The damage to the stalk of the plant cannot be undone, and once in a while they will stomp one down to the ground. I've never seen branches
that they've eaten on, but seen a little left over velvet on a branch or two. It's what they do. I've had my best luck by peeing on the ground around the plants in September when their most apt to do this.



Part of their winter diet. You can see bare branches on the right side of the pic where they've stripped them clean.