It works when reapplied frequently.
It is expensive to reapply frequently.

I make my own version which is quite effective, but you still need to apply often.

Deer Off
(makes 1 gallon)

4 eggs
1 Â 2 tbsp cayenne
1 Â 2 tbsp garlic powder
¼ cup Wilt-Pruf (as a sticker spreader)
Water

Put 4 raw eggs in a blender. Add cayenne and garlic powder. Blend on high until completely mixed. Pour into an empty gallon container. Add Wilt-Pruf and enough water to make a gallon. Mix well.

Spray frequently on plants, especially after rain.

I've been quite happy with Liquid Fence - and I'm on the edge of an in-city nature preserve with deer galore. I do my first application early when plants are emerging, second one when lilies are well up and just about to set buds, and periodically I'll spritz any plant or group I want to make sure is protected. The theory is it affects the animal's olfactories and "trains" them to stay away.

It can be expensive, but so is replacing plants... and there's nothing more annoying than seeing all your hard work chewed down and gone for the season. Liquid Fence is cheaper at places like Home Depot, Menard's, etc. as opposed to garden centers and grocery stores. I noticed a $5-7 price differential. I kept buying the quart size spray bottle, then went for the gallon refill - much more economical - and you don't have to soak your plants with it (a spritz is enough) so the gallon will last me another season or two. And I have a big yard, lots of garden areas and much to protect.

I don't mind paying for something that works. One expensive hosta eaten is worth the price of the Liquid Fence. Thanks I'm off to buy some now! I have over 200 hostas and alot where eaten last year.

I use it too and it has worked here for us. The first year we moved to this deer infested wilderness I sprayed all the gardens and the pathways and the perimeter - took an entire quart concentrate (4 gallons) for $30. It lasted one week before the deer were back. The 2nd spraying lasted almost a month. The 3rd a couple months. The following year I sprayed twice. Last year I sprayed once and I've sprayed once this year in February to keep them off the evergreens but it is time to do it again. I no longer spray all the plants - just the perimeter and the pathways that they travel along.

Good luck!

Chris

Works for me too. Our property used to be part of the regular deer trail. I know they still come through sometimes but not often anymore, and not to eat as far as I can tell. While I'm diligent with Liquid Fence when everything is first emerging, I ease off later in the season. Hopefully deer are retrained to go somewhere else. Our current nemesis is much smaller but mighty. Chipmunk.

Love the stuff! (Can't stand the smell until it dries, but love the results!!!)

Deer aren't too much of a problem here but the bunnies are atrocious. As others said, the longer you use it, the longer you can go between sprayings -- the animals really do tend to go looking for better-smelling vittles.

They make a concentrate in a 40-oz size (makes 5 gallons) for $40 or a gallon size (makes 16 gallons) for $125, which can make it much more economical. (Note: don't confuse the ready-to-spray gallon size with the much more expensive concentrate in the gallon size.) Link below for their website if your retailer doesn't offer the concentrate.

Warning -- this stuff stinks to high heaven until it dries! I had no idea just how horrible it would be, particularly on a humid, windless evening. I sprayed it on my morning glories about 4' from our pool, and even the kids got out of the pool, they were gagging so bad! (When it dries, however, you can't smell it unless you get down on the ground and stick your nose almost in the dirt.)

Best way I can describe it to anyone who hasn't been blessed with the experience: combine that "nursing home urine" smell with "wet dog" smell with "fresh vomit" smell, stir it up well, then let it ferment for a few days... that's what this stuff smells like when it's fresh. (no wonder Bunny Foo-Foo doesn't want to nibble on it!)

Once the kids have gotten a good whiff, you can always use the threat of a blast from your spray bottle to keep them in line, too. ;o)

Here is a link that might be useful: Liquid Fence 40 oz concentrate

I am adding an addendum to my recipe from above.

I started adding Wilt-Pruf as a sticker spreader and it works beautifully on roses, daylilys, and most of the hostas. They caveat was, it disolved the glaucous coating on a few of my blues. Since that had never happened before, I can only attribute it to the Wilt-Pruf (which I just started adding at the end of last summer).

Alexa

You bet it works! I'm absolutely puzzled why anyone would want to risk losing their beautiful flowers or expensive plantings by fooling around with an unproven homemade witches-brew when they could simply purchase something GUARANTEED to work! All-natural Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit repellent comes with a 100% money back guarantee. And, unlike predator urine products, it is an environmentally safe, cruelty-free product.

I too love the stuff. It has never failed me. One thing, if you have any left over, don't let it freez in the winter because it looses the potency. It's worth the money hands down.

Deb

It really depends on how much "traffic" you have. I have a very heavy deer population in my area. No liquid deterrant will work over the long run. They will become used to it. So take my experience for what it is worth.

I used it for about a year with pretty good sucess, then it went down hill. The directions say to apply once a month, I would do it every week, becasue of the high numbers in my area. Around the beginning of June I started to see more browsing, so I bought another brand to double up the application, along with adding extra ingredients to the liquid fense (super hot sauce 3 millions souville units, extra garlic, cinnamon) plus preditor urine. Still they came back. In the course of a weekend I lost all or parts of over a hundred plants....

Search the internet there are some studies my DNR departments that say basically the same thing...

Jerry

Dear GAC,
1) It works, everytime another 5 or 6 hostas bite the dust, I know it is time to spray again. The stuff also stinks and is very expensive.

2) Green Screen works fine for 4-5 weeks, until the little bags turn rock hard. If you try to squish them, the will sooner or later fall apart.

3) I had the best results with Cuyote Urin. Take old pill containers, or the cases color film used to come in. Punch or drill a 1/4 inch hole right through the center. Fill with 2 cotton balls, add one eye dropper of urine. Run a plastic tywrap or wire through the holes and hang it up about 10-15 feet apart in areas from which deer aproach. No need to treat each hosta.

4)I also grow Gladiolas near my hosta beds. Deer love to eat the blosoms right down from the top down. As soon as the slightest bit of color shows, some time in June, start dusting the buds very lightly with Ground Cayenne. A deer will try once, twice, and then they stay away. Deer have been known to communicate to their buddies, which yards are off limits.

I still see them walking, two yards away (150'), but not in my yard.

I agree with Manfred that if you have problems, the best defense is to use multiple methods.
I use Liguid Fence (or something similar)along with posts with Irish Spring , and fishing line stung between trees.
Confuse the heck out of them, offend their sense of smell, and make it a hassle to enter your property. It also helped this year when my new next door neighbor got a lab and keep it in a kennel on the property line!

Hmmn, I tried it because I saw lots of deer in nearby areas and didn't want to take a chance they'd munch on my hostas. Well the only ones interested in the liquid fence were my dogs! They seemed to be intrigued by the smell of it and wanted to lick my hostas!! Anyway I stopped using it, no deer have come by so probably just pure luck. I am keeping it for future use just in case.

I find it very effective. In fact, I had a painful reminder of what happens when I forget to spray a bed with Liquid Fence. Ouch!

Here is a link that might be useful: Deer Munch: before and after

We have a terrible deer problem in my neighborhood. I've used Liquid Fence for several years, and it works if you reapply it regularly depending on the rain. If the weather is dry, it will last several weeks or maybe even a month. However, if it is raining a lot, you might need to reapply weekly. You also need to reapply if your hostas are growing quickly and adding new leaves.

The price is more reasonable if you buy the concentrate. A bottle of concentrate costs about $30 at my local garden shop and makes at least 4 gallons of spray -- enough to last me through a growing season. As others mentioned, LF smells awful until it dries, but I guess that's why it works. The smell goes away by the next day.