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Now that the leaves and figs are gone, deer are not a problem. But much of the year, they are. There are no natural predators in my area and the deer are multiplying like rabbits.
In my orchard, almost every tree is surrounded by fencing, about 5 feet high. I make a circle of fencing and have one or two fence posts to hold it in place. Figs are not as bothered by deer as other trees, but exposed fig trees also need fences.
The deer don't seem to eat figs or fig leaves in my yard when other food is very plentiful. I normally keep my fig trees under about 8 feet tall for ease of management. Deer here browse to about 5 feet, so I may need to let the trees grow taller. I try not to have plants that deer like to eat, but they hang out in my yard anyway. A family of 4 deer are often there just laying around. Our land abuts some natural land. We are in a neighborhood, so people probably can't hunt the deer.
I have a Bruswick fig tree that is about 6 feet tall and very bushy. This fall there was a deer browsing it. I stood about 15 feet away and shouted at it. It looked at me and kept eating figs and leaves. I approached closer and threw rocks at it, and finally it left.
My trees are spread around 2 acres. I can't afford 8 foot tall deer fencing. They ignore dog hair, soap, urine, deer repellent, and the fact that my dogs use the area as their restroom.
For me, the only thing that seems to work is the fencing around each tree, and get the trees tall enough that they don't browse them.
Voles really love tender bark of young fig trees. If I don't have them protected, there is about 90% chance they will take off all of the bark and kill the tree. If I prune and leave prunings on the ground, they strip the bark from the prunings. I make sleeves of hardware cloth for the trunk, about 1 foot high. I leave about an inch of growing space, so 1/2 inch between the hardware cloth and the tree. I fasten in place with zip ties. Then push the sleeve into the ground an inch, if I can. That keeps the voles away about 90% of the time, although last year they did get a cherry tree roots from below. I keep a roll of hardware cloth around so if I plant something new, it immediately gets a sleeve. These need to be replaced every year or two, to allow for trunk growth. Doesn't seem to matter if they are 1/4" or 1/2" mesh. I have also used chicken wire but the hardware cloth is less scratchy on my skin.
The vole sleeves go all the way into the ground, not just sitting on the mulch.
Whenever I plant a new tree, it gets the hardware cloth sleeve and deer fencing as soon as I plant it. If I forget or procrastinate, I regret it.
In my orchard, almost every tree is surrounded by fencing, about 5 feet high. I make a circle of fencing and have one or two fence posts to hold it in place. Figs are not as bothered by deer as other trees, but exposed fig trees also need fences.
The deer don't seem to eat figs or fig leaves in my yard when other food is very plentiful. I normally keep my fig trees under about 8 feet tall for ease of management. Deer here browse to about 5 feet, so I may need to let the trees grow taller. I try not to have plants that deer like to eat, but they hang out in my yard anyway. A family of 4 deer are often there just laying around. Our land abuts some natural land. We are in a neighborhood, so people probably can't hunt the deer.
I have a Bruswick fig tree that is about 6 feet tall and very bushy. This fall there was a deer browsing it. I stood about 15 feet away and shouted at it. It looked at me and kept eating figs and leaves. I approached closer and threw rocks at it, and finally it left.
My trees are spread around 2 acres. I can't afford 8 foot tall deer fencing. They ignore dog hair, soap, urine, deer repellent, and the fact that my dogs use the area as their restroom.
For me, the only thing that seems to work is the fencing around each tree, and get the trees tall enough that they don't browse them.
Voles really love tender bark of young fig trees. If I don't have them protected, there is about 90% chance they will take off all of the bark and kill the tree. If I prune and leave prunings on the ground, they strip the bark from the prunings. I make sleeves of hardware cloth for the trunk, about 1 foot high. I leave about an inch of growing space, so 1/2 inch between the hardware cloth and the tree. I fasten in place with zip ties. Then push the sleeve into the ground an inch, if I can. That keeps the voles away about 90% of the time, although last year they did get a cherry tree roots from below. I keep a roll of hardware cloth around so if I plant something new, it immediately gets a sleeve. These need to be replaced every year or two, to allow for trunk growth. Doesn't seem to matter if they are 1/4" or 1/2" mesh. I have also used chicken wire but the hardware cloth is less scratchy on my skin.
The vole sleeves go all the way into the ground, not just sitting on the mulch.
Whenever I plant a new tree, it gets the hardware cloth sleeve and deer fencing as soon as I plant it. If I forget or procrastinate, I regret it.
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