Quartz and the Quiet Genius of Plants

We just realized that the deer repellent we applied over the past few days to the seedlings planted on Ciomad Mountain works in the same way grasses do.

It acts as a mechanical deterrent: the angular quartz grains create an unpleasant crunching or abrasive sensation in the mouth of the herbivore if it tries to bite.

Grasses protect themselves with silica — glass-like crystals that can even cut your hand when you pull a blade of grass. Our repellent uses quartz grains to recreate that same gritty, unappetizing texture for deer. Nature thought of it first.