Do cuttings require protection from deer?
Yes. The tender new growth of cuttings is desert to deer. If they find them they will more than likely eat them. Hopefully that is one of the reasons you are planting them. You can protect them with fencing, tree tubes, etc. Once the plants are established they will be able to survive heavy browsing, and bounce right back. BUT, I have planted 1000’s of cuttings in the wild and never protected a single one. Many of the cuttings I plant are placed in the brush of a cut down tree (tree top). This acts as a natural cage, protecting the cutting during establishment. The cutting will grow up through the top. Once it makes it out, its big enough to fend for itself. I have also planted many of them out in the open in shear numbers. The deer get some of them, but many survive.
