Tame the wildlife

Most people like watching wildlife but they don’t want deer chomping on their shrubs or geese fouling their lawns.

“You don’t want to lose a client if they come to you for help,” says Herrick Mann, president and owner of H.A.M. Landscaping in Cleveland. “After 20 years of researching and experimenting what works in our area, the service has evolved into a line item on our maintenance contracts.”

Many of the techniques for wildlife management are an extension of landscape services you already provide like choosing the right plant for the right place and using appropriate products to problem-solve.

“There are no magic potions,” says Scott Hygnstrom, extension wildlife specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. “You need an integrated approach using various tools, techniques and products.”

Modify the habitat.

It’s not always possible to change the existing environment, but there are ways to make it less inviting. Fencing is the most reliable method of keeping deer out. For targeted protection, place cages, tubes or hardware cloth around individual plants to protect vulnerable young trees from browse damage, Hygnstrom says.

For new plantings, chose varieties that are less tasty to deer.

“They’ll eat anything when they’re hungry and there’s intense competition for food,” says Paul Curtis, extension wildlife specialist at Cornell University. “But there are some they’re less likely to dine on.”

That short list includes thorny or aromatic plants such as junipers, boxwood, barberry, American holly and Japanese pieris. In areas with high deer populations, avoid their favorites such as hostas, arborvitae, roses, yews, day lilies, azalea, rhododendrons, tulips and crocuses.

Make a site less attractive to geese by planting vegetative buffers along the waterline.

“Geese will not feel safe if they can’t see predators approaching on either side of the buffer,” says Marci Hower, co-owner of Ohio Geese Control, a company that handles trained border collies for geese management. The buffer should include a variety of native grasses, shrubs and trees that tolerate wet soil such as serviceberry, buttonbush, Red-osier dogwood, ninebark, spicebush and river birch.

Rock barriers along the waterline consisting of boulders two feet in diameter also deter geese because they prefer to walk out of the water on flat or sloping banks.

Use repellents.

One of the most commonly used tools for deer and geese is repellents.

“Adding repellents to your lineup is not a huge investment if you already offer chemical services,” Mann says. Most repellents are applied with either backpack or truck sprayers but some are granular. In many states, you’ll need a pesticide applicator’s license.

Repellents for deer are either odor-based, which emulate predator urine or feces, or taste-based. All ornamental plantings and trees must be treated, usually on a monthly basis. The most effective treatments are generally those made from putrescent egg solids, Curtis says.

Spraying programs usually start in early spring and go through fall.

“We find that using a variety of products and rotating between products works best for us,” says Steve Walker, maintenance operations manager with The Pattie Group in Novelty, Ohio. “Different deer seem to have different tastes or get acclimated to product taste.”

Goose repellents consist of either methyl anthranilate, which make grass taste bad, or anthraquinone, which causes stomach upset.

Products must be applied regularly according to instructions from early spring to fall. Initial application timing is crucial, Mann says, since nesting begins February to mid-April and geese won’t budge once they’ve nested.

Incorporate other methods.

Herding dogs are highly effective for geese, Hower says.

“Border collies possess a wolf-like glare and appear to be stalking when they move, so geese don’t feel safe staying around.”

Typically, the dogs are deployed several times a day from February to June and from August through fall. Geese molt in early summer and cannot fly so herding is not done during this period. Some landscape businesses partner with specialty companies like these to subcontract out the work.