Repellents
Repellents work by making a plant smell or taste unpleasant rather than killing anything — a gentler first line of defense, but one that needs consistent reapplication to stay effective.
Scent-Based vs. Taste-Based
Scent-based repellents, like our Repellent Spray, work at a distance and rely on animals smelling danger before they ever take a bite. Taste-based repellents need direct contact — an animal has to sample the plant once and decide not to return.
Rotate to Stay Effective
Animals can grow accustomed to any single repellent over time, especially if food is scarce elsewhere. Switching between two or three different repellents throughout the season keeps them guessing and generally works better than sticking with just one.
Reapply after every rain — most homemade repellents wash off completely and won't protect plants again until refreshed.