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Do Deer Eat Pepper Plants? (All You Need to Know)

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Deer are very much fond of all types of leaves and plants. In fact, the animal is not at all picky. But there are definitely some plants that the animal will avoid. But it doesn’t mean that they will not eat it at all.

If there is no other option left for food, they will chew down on any leave of plant. If you want to keep deer away from your garden you should know which plants they do not like and use those plants to repel them.

Do deer eat pepper plants?

Deer are not especially fond of the pepper plants. If there is no other option left then they will eat the pepper plant, but in general, deer tend to avoid pepper plants. Even the leaves of the pepper plants are not the favorite of deer. Sweet pepper or the classic bell pepper, deer tend to avoid.

Though deer are known to eat almost every plant found in nature, there are some plants that the animal actively avoids. One such plant is the pepper plant. Most of the species of the plant are avoided by deer. The animal is not even fond of the leaves of the plant either.

Bell:

Bell peppers are avoided by deer. They tend not to eat the plant or the leaves of the plant on any occasion.

Jalapeno:

The strong smell and taste of the jalapeno peppers tend to make the deer stay away from them.

Cayenne:

Just like most animals, deer also tend to avoid cayenne pepper. The pepper is a natural bug repellent that works on animals as well.

Hot:

Unless they have to, deer will avoid hot pepper with all they have. This type of pepper is spicier than the others so the animal is not fond of it.

Red:

The fruits of the red pepper might be attractive but it is not much of a favorite of the deer.

Green:

Occasionally green peppers are avoided by deer, but they will have the leaves, not the fruit though, of the plant if there is nothing around to eat.

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Are pepper plants deer resistant?

Some species of the pepper are known to be deer resistant, but the species, in general, isn’t. It depends on how spicy the flavor and smell of the pepper are. Deer will usually avoid having the pepper plant because they are not much fond of it.

 So if you want to keep deer away from your garden, you can plant a few pepper plants around.

Deer do not like the flavor and smell of the pepper plant. It is spicy and most animals are not fond of the flavor. But if there is no other option, a deer will eat the pepper plant. But in normal cases, it avoids the plant.

Do deer eat pepper leaves?

Deer do not like the flavor of the pepper plants. Even the leaves of the plant can seem spicy for the deer’s taste. The deer will not actively eat the leaves of the pepper plant. They are not fond of the plant. But if there are no other foods available, they will have the pepper leaves.

In case of food scarcity, deer will have pepper leaves. But in any other case, they will avoid every part of the plant. Sometimes a deer might have a leave or two of the pepper plant, but that is as far as they will go. Most pepper plant leaves are not on the favorite list of deer.

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3 reasons why deer won’t eat pepper plants:

Deer are not very picky when it comes to finding and eating plants. They will eat any sort of plant. But there are a few types of plants the animal avoids actively. One such plant is the pepper plant. There are a number of reasons why they avoid the plant-

Strong flavor:

The pepper leaves and the fruit have a very strong flavor. The entire plant is very spicy and can cause a burning sensation. That is why the animal avoids the plants actively.

Aroma:

Peppers have a very strong scent as well. There is a very intense scent from the fruit that repels deer and other small animals. This is why the animal is not attracted to how the fruit looks. The smell is very intense for the deer.

Prickly foliage:

The outer layer of the pepper fruit is a bit prickly on the outside. The texture of the pepper fruit and leaves deters deer from them. This is why the animal does not try to eat it.

When there is nothing to need, a deer will go for a pepper plant. But in general cases, a deer will not have any part of the pepper plant. This is one plant they try to avoid unless absolutely necessary.

How to keep deer from eating pepper plants?

Though deer is not usually much fond of the pepper plants. If there is nothing to eat, the animal will go for the plant. Even so, sometimes you might find deer coming to your garden for your pepper plant.

In case of that, the way you can keep your plant safe is to sprinkle something that will repel the deer. Usually, peppers are natural repellent but sometimes something stronger is needed as well-

  • Blend one egg and a cup of water;
  • You can add a clove of garlic as well;
  • Let it sit and ferment the mixture for several days;
  • Simple spray or sprinkle the mixture over and around your pepper plant.

Though this is not the most ideal way to keep deer away from your plant as it leaves a very strong after smell, it is definitely one of the most effective ways to do so. The strong smell of the egg and garlic with the natural aroma of the pepper tends to keep deer away from the plant.

You can put up fences but that is too much work for a garden. Or you can put garlic inside stockings and hang them on the branches of the pepper plant. This is the easier way to solve the problem.

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What other plants should you use to keep deer off?

There are some plants the deer avoids. And there are other plants that repel deer. Most of these plants have very strong fragrances and aromas. This ticks the deer off and they do not get near the plant or sometimes even around the area.

Most gardeners plant these trees and shrubs around their garden to keep deer and other animals away

  • Lavender plants and flowers are known for their strong and intense smell. This keeps deer away from the plant and the garden;
  • Catmints have a very prickly texture and an equally intense scent. Both of which help keep deer away from the plant.
  • Garlic and chives have a very strong scent which is a natural repellent for deer.
  • Some species of peppers are known to deter deer. The strong scent and taste of the plant do not appeal to deer.

These are a few plants that deer actively avoids. Most of the time these plants are used to protect gardens.

What animal is eating my pepper plants at night?

There is very little chance that any animal or mammal will actively eat the pepper plant or the fruit of it at any time. The plant is too spicy to have. Animals tend not to eat the fruit of the plant.

However, some bugs tend to eat the plant and the leaves of the plant. While you can easily trace the bugs who have it in broad daylight, the bugs that invade at night are hard to detect. So if you notice something eating your pepper plant at night it might a bug –

  • Spider mites;
  • Slugs;
  • Snails;
  • Aphids;
  • Tomato hornworms.

Mostly soft body insects come out to have bits of the pepper plants. The best way to deal with these bugs is to use good pesticides.

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Final thoughts

Deer are not very fussy about their food habits. Even so, there are plants that the animal tends to avoid. Like the pepper plant. If there is nothing else to eat then they will have the leaves of the pepper plant. But on any given day they would avoid the pepper plant and the leaves in general.

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