When was the last time that you saw the tulips flowering around the clubhouse? It seems that more and more these days animal feeding has made it difficult to keep the ornamentals on the property looking their best. Animal feeding damage to ornamentals can significantly lower the aesthetic and dollar value of the affected plants. There are many methods that can be used to help reduce this damage, including hunting or trapping, fencing, and animal repellents. The use of animal repellents is an effective tool and a good choice where other methods are not feasible. Cleary Chemical Corporation offers two effective animal repellents in Buck Off! and Spotrete. So what is the difference between these two products and which should you use?

Buck Off! is a putrescent whole egg solids based product. That’s right, “putrescent” means “rotten” eggs, but do not worry because the smell is only detectable to deer and other animals. Recent studies have shown this active ingredient to be one of the best repellents for deer. Buck Off! needs to be sprayed to cover the entire foliage and because it weathers well it should be effective for at least 30 days. During periods of flushes of growth you may need to reapply it, especially for fast growing plants, to insure that the entire plant is protected. The product can be used year-round with success.

The active ingredient in Spotrete is Thiram. Spotrete is not only an animal repellent, but it is also an effective fungicide against turf diseases such as dollar spot and brown patch. Similar to Buck Off!, uniform coverage of the plant foliage is needed for effective control of animal browse, and the product should be applied to new growth for protection. Spotrete applications to the bark of smaller trees in the fall are an excellent way to reduce buck rub damage. Spotrete does not weather as well as Buck Off!, but the addition of a latex based sticker, such as Cleary’s Clearspray T/O dramatically improves it’s staying power. Spotrete may also leave a whitish residue on foliage, which may seem unsightly to some. This problem can be avoided by applying Spotrete to areas away from high traffic areas, such as walkways. Spraying these areas will deter deer from entering and feeding on plants in the highly visible areas.

Remember that animal feeding damage occurs year-round. Just because the trees and shrubs have lost their leaves does not mean that wildlife stop eating! During the winter months animals feed on plant buds, stems, and bark. Damage can be quite severe during this period. Spotrete is ideal for this type of dormant season application, insuring that the aesthetic value of your ornamentals is preserved.

So which product should you use? That is going to depend on your particular situation (location, animal pressure, climate, etc.). You may actually find that using Spotrete for dormant season applications and Buck Off! the rest of the year gives you the best of both worlds.

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