Do deer eat olive tree?

Do deer eat olive tree? That is the question that comes to mind when you live with deer issues and must be careful about your olive trees. In this post, we will talk about deer and whether they eat olive trees.

Olive trees are remarkable for their oil-bearing fruits and seeds. People also use their leaves for medicine. However, olive trees are economically essential but can be used for ornamental and culinary purposes as well. Olive trees are also one of the best evergreen trees out there and are drought resistant and may not require much attention. However, there is still one issue that might compound. So, you might ask – do deer eat olive tree?

Juicy bites

Unfortunately, olive trees are not out in the clear. Deer can and will eat olive trees. They will especially go for them when they are young and full of tender, juicy ends. They can also damage a fully grown olive tree, eating their bark, buds, fruits, and lots more. When they use these trees as shade from the sun, they can rub their hides against it, causing the tree to bleed, which can harm the tree. Therefore, you cannot leave deer proofing your land to the wind. It is vital to have a bountiful harvest.

Deer fencing

Traditionally, an 8-foot fence can keep the deer out. This is because a deer can jump as high as 6-feet. However, this may not work for your trees as ends may still grow outwards, giving the deer more leverage to try their weight against your 8-foot fence. In this case, we recommend that you use an 8-foot fence that is slanted slightly outward. This effectively stops the deer from attempting the jump to reach your trees. However, while installing a fence, you need to be aware of another strategy. It is much better to install the gates to your orchard at the field’s corners. This provides a much more straightforward approach to chasing deer away. Individual fences for each tree can be used, especially when they are young. On another note, wire cages are also useful when your plants are young, but they won’t work anymore when your plants grow bigger.

Other deer deterrents

Besides fencing, you can also consider using motion-activated sprinklers or noise-deterrent to keep deer away from your olive trees. Deer repellent can equally work so well with your trees. However, when using any of these methods listed here, you must combine and alternate them. Deer quickly become familiar with any of these methods, thereby rendering them ineffective if you stick to one for too long.

Concluding thoughts

Do deer eat olive trees? Unfortunately, they do eat olive trees. They can eat all aspects of your olive tree, causing undue harm to every part of the tree. Therefore, you need to implement great deer deterrents to keep them out. Of all methods available, fencing is the most appropriate, mostly when you use an 8-foot fence. Remember that shorter walls, including electric fences, are in-effective—they will jump over them. However, as a rule of thumb, we recommend combining walls with other deer deterrents such as repellents, motion, and noise-deterrents.

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