Hi Clark,

Thanks for writing in. To be clear -- are you asking about things to repel deer, or other alternatives to Foerster grass?

Carl Foerster grass is resistant to deer -- but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't eat it, just that it's resilient enough that even if it gets munched on it will not totally destroy the plant. This article from the U of WI Extension puts it another way: that Foerster grass is "not favored by deer". When deer are hungry, they may override any distate they have and eat what is available to them, even if it's not their "favorite".

If you are trying to protect a certain area of your property, or certain plants, you may need to consider physical barriers or other methods to just selecting "less favored" plants. Some examples of deer protection measures from a MN Extension article (link here) include fencing, blocking the space into small enclosures that deer are afraid to enter, deer repellent spray (store bought or home made), etc.

If you don't want to go that direction, you may also just be able to rotate and try different plants till you find varieties that the deer in your area are less interested in. (Though again, if they are hungry enough, deer will eat almost anything. Bad tasting food is always preferable to starvation!) Here is a pretty exhaustive list from the U of WI Extension of plants that deer tend to avoid more than others: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/plants-not-favored-deer/

I'm sorry your plants have been eaten, and hopefully something here will help.

Thanks!
Rebekah S.
MN Master Gardener Volunteer Intern

REFERENCES:
Feather Reed Grass (U of WI Extension) - https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/feather-reed-grass-calamagrostis-x-acutiflora-karl-foerster/
Protecting Plants from Deer (U of MN Extension) - https://extension.umn.edu/about/our-work/regional-partnerships/rsdp-projects/protecting-plants-from-deer
Plants Not Favored by Deer (U of WI Extension) - https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/plants-not-favored-deer/