Dream come true??? New systemic deer repellent.
alina_1April 20, 2012
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on January 31, 2011, issued a Notice of Pesticide Registration for "Repellex Systemic Tablet." The EPA Registration Number is 85493-2. On May 3, 2011, the EPA published the text that will be on the product labels for both commercial and residential uses of the systemic tablets.
New systemic deer, rabbit, and other animals repellent
Just bought a bottle. Every year I am heart broken to see Daylilies, Hostas, Lilacs, Lilies, etc. eaten or destroyed by deer and rabbits.
The stuff is based on hot pepper ingredient, so I hope it is not harmful for the environment, birds, bees.
Will limit using it on non-flower/non-fruit plants for now until more info is available.
It does say in the link NOT to use on edible plants because it is a hot pepper type repellent and your plants will be hot! Has anyone seen it for sale? It sounds great. A groundhog just ate my gorgeous blooming silene down to the ground and I am heartbroken! I'd buy it in a second!
Joann
I saw info about this last year, and initially got excited. Then I read more info, that left me less interested. Can't remember for sure what it was... I have a vague sense that it took it awhile to protect new, freshly grown foliage.... well, duh! If that is so, that's exactly what the critters are munching on! I also think I found a website that listed the retail locations where it was being sold...
If anyone has more info, (or more accurate info than a vague memory) or actual experience please let us know!
Beth
Z5 northern Michigan - where the deer are waaay too bold!
I am very interested in finding some for the yews in my front yard. There have been posted on the tablets in the Antique Rose Forum, and they make it sound like it works well for permanent plantings. For a variety of reasons, I'm not sure I'd use them in a perennial garden. For one thing, you really, really don't want to touch the tablets.
It is sold in many places now, but the lowest price seems to be at Amazon. Just type 'Repellex tablets'. They come in different sizes bottles.
Beth, I do not think you are right about new growth. According to what I read, it takes 1-2 weeks for the tablets to be absorbed by the plant and to become effective. After that, the entire growth should be bitter.
Unfortunately, there could not be reviews from regular gardeners yet, only from official trials. The stuff was released this year. I will report about my experience in several months :)
I have high hopes. All deer repelling remedies smell horrible, are sticky and hard to apply, leave ugly residue, and have to be reapplied after each rain. This one does not have all these drawbacks.
I saw it at Lowe's last fall, intended to buy some this spring to try, but guess what, they didn't have it! Can't find it anywhere else, either. None of the local nurseries have it, and a wholesale vendor had never heard of it. Don't know what happened but apparently it wasn't too successful as nobody is pushing it.
Sandy
Attached is a report of a study on use of the systemic, by itself, and in combo with foliar spray for first several weeks...
there are other studies you can find on the internet...
the tablets take 4 - 6 wks to become effective...
Here is a link that might be useful: Scientific Study on Repellex systemic tablets
regarding the title..
YOU REALLY NEED SOME NEW DREAMS..
lol
ken
The theory on Repellex is great. The practice, however, is not.
Say you have a hosta that's 2 feet tall x 3 feet wide. That needs 5 tablets. At last calculation, tablets run 33-50 cents each.
That's for just one plant.
It could get expensive really fast.
A single lily bulb could take 3-5 tablets!
Ken, That was just naughty.
alina_1: I would think (just thinking here) that a combination of planting garden elements that deer dislike* at the perimeters and use of the systemic deer repellent would be a good effort. That's my plan.
*Some plants deer are said to dislike:
Flowers: marigolds, astilbe, morning glory, buttercup, foxglove, dahlia, Four O'Clock, flowering tobacco, larkspur, poppy, snapdragon, strawflower and vinca
Herbs: rosemary, lavender, and catmint
Shrubs: boxwood and forsythia
Trees: birch, crape myrtle, maple, and spruce
What, if any, affect will this product have on pollinators or others who gather pollen and/or nectar? What about birds and other animals who feed on any seeds or fruit from treated plants?
My understanding is that is it a capsicum* product. Chipmunks and squirrels may be the only animals commonly affected by trying to eat fruit from the plants, and I expect most people here would consider that to be a good thing.
*hot pepper extract - harmless to birds and insects, spicy hot to mammals. So the question would be whether the fruit is feeding any non-nuisance mammals.