Deer are cute and good-looking animals; however, they are herbivores and ferocious eaters. As an aspiring farmer, the sight of a deer herd leisurely grazing in your garden is sure to give you headaches and chills.
Even so, not all is lost, as there are ranunculus plants you can grow in your garden to keep the deer herds away.
Read on to learn more about how Ranunculus repels deer and how many you should plant to keep your garden safe.
Do deer eat Ranunculus? (Explained)
Often, deer avoid ranunculus plants since they have a solid acrid scent and taste; they also blister the deer’s mouth.
Deer keep away from plants with intense aromas, are thorny, or simply hard to eat.
They prefer eating plants with juicy stems and leaves with mild or no scents like the bamboo leaves.
Remember that deers can eat ranunculus plants; they only choose not to when they have other choices.
On the other hand, deer tend to eat anything during drought or hunger. In some extreme cases, they even munch on thorny plants.
Read Also: Should Deer Eat Bananas?
Benefits of having Ranunculus at home
By planting ranunculus plants at home, you will be keeping away the deers from your garden while also beautifying it. Many people buy these flowers for their aesthetic benefits.
In addition, some of the ranunculus plants have medical applications.
Note, Rananculs is a general term referring to a group of flowers with more than four hundred species.
Buttercup flowers are the most popular type of ranunculus flowers, and they too are in many species.
Many ranunculus plants are perennial, though some are terrestrial, herbaceous, aquatic, or biennial.
Ranunculus plants tend to produce smooth fruits. Some are hooked and others hairy, and some have fuzzy leaves—one of the reasons that deer avoid eating them.
Another advantage of having these plants at home is that they are perennial crops, so you do not have to keep planting them repeatedly.
They grow back on their own. All you have to do is occasionally clear away the weeds and pests, and the plants will be fine.
Read Also: Should Deer Eat Cabbages?
Where to place Ranunculus to repel deer?
Now that you know that Ranunculus plants are deer resistant and offer plenty of benefits.
You may be wondering, where exactly in your garden should you plant ranunculus plants?
Before we answer the above question, we need to first look at the common types of ranunculus flowers you can buy.
- Buttercups
- Ranunculus Ficaria
- Ranunculus Asiaticus
- Ranunculus Hanoi
- Ranunculus Venere
- Ranunculus Nivalis
- Ranunculus Acris
To effectively keep away the deer, experts advise planting ranunculus plants at the edges of the garden and randomly throughout the garden.
The main reason is deer are brilliant animals with a keen sense of smell. Hence, they will quickly notice where the repellants are and where they are not.
They will thus eat parts of the garden that lack the ranunculus plants, causing you significant loss.
In the same vein, you should also plant various ranunculus plants to prevent the deer from being accustomed to one species.
Because when deers get accustomed to a plant and experience hunger, then there are high chances they will eat it.
Thus, ensure you plant various ranunculus plants throughout the garden while placing more of them at the edges. Most importantly, plant more of the thorny Ranunculus at the ages.
A point to remember is that some ranunculus plants are opportunistic colonizers.
Thus you should systematically control their growth, thereby preventing them from harming other plants in your garden.
How many Ranunculi should I place?
There is no specific number of ranunculi you should plant. However, some factors can help you determine how many to plant.
These factors include
- Size of the garden
- Frequency and intensity of the deer attacks
Let’s look at each of these factors closely.
Size of the garden
If you have a large garden, you should consequently plant many ranunculus flowers throughout the garden. The inverse is true for a smaller garden
The critical point here is to consider the spacing to avoid plant overcrowding. Good plant spacing should be at least one to three meters apart per plant.
Frequency and intensity of the deer attacks
Maybe your small garden is constantly invaded by a herd of deers. Then it would be advisable to plant lots of ranunculus flowers while following the plant spacing guidelines.
What happens if a deer eat Ranunculus?
Deer generally avoid eating Ranunculus, but when they do, they may experience:
- Excessive salivation
- Bloody diarrhea
- Serious mouth blisters
- Gastrointestinal pains
Planting ranunculus plants in your garden can be a productive method to keep the deer away.
However, like with everything else, it all comes down to proper planning and execution to get the best results.
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
