[davej1138]

Hello There!

(This is for Non-Lethal barrier for WROL/APOC scenario)

My BOL is my sister's place.
The BOL is approx. 30 acre woods, surrounded by fields.
I suggested having natural barriers along (or slightly within) tree line.
They don't really have wire fencing at the moment.
They are not sheeple, support my suggestion.

The barriers would have spaces in them for wildlife to travel through.(easier)
I know deer can jump over them if they really have to.

This would allow "bottlenecking" for any "intruders."

I'm looking for some THORNY, but fruity (dual purpose) bushes that DO NOT spread on their own. Not really a "hedge line" sort of thing. Something that can blend well into the surrounding underbrush.
Get seeds?

Preferably All season.

northern INDIANA. 5B Hard zone

 

[Lugh MacArawn]

Non spreading? Tough.

Pyracantha does not spread fast and is easily maintained if it does. I do not know about it's ability to thrive in Northern Indiana, you will have to reserch that yourself. Many birds love the berries and, although I have not used myself, I understand they are safe for human consumption - again, research on your own.

Kumquat is another non readily spreading shrub which - some varieties - have thorns. Again, I am not sure if they would handle the winters there. The fruit makes an excellent marmalade as well.

Currants might meet your needs. But, I do not think any have thorns. They do grow rather densely though.

Barberry would handle your conditions and is used for medicinal purposes. But some states consider it invasive as it spreads by suckers and seed. I have not found any who ship it to my area. But, AZ has some weird decisions of "invasive" - but as I understand it, barberry really is becoming a problem.

 

[bunkerbuster]

FIRE-THORN (will stop about anything)

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/firethorn/care-of-firethorn-bush.htm

 

[Old Soldier]

Wild Blackberry, wild Roses. If Firethorn will grow there that's really the ticket.

 

[kayak]

I think you're going to have a hard time finding something that is thorny, fruiting AND non spreading. That combination kinda goes against nature and selective breeding (naturally fruitful and thorny=spreads like crazy,. bred to be fruitful and non-spreading=probably not thorny)

Off hand, my mind goes to the following as imperfect options (I'm in Michigan, anything that grows here should grow in your area)

Cockspur hawthorn: impressive thorns (I've seen them puncture tractor tires) not a spreader, but the fruit leaves something to be desired (small, dry, not sweet unless cooked bletted or dried, full of seeds) very Hardy. But, would require some trimming/training early on. With a bit of work the first 5 years though, you can have a 10 foot high living barbed wire fence.

Blackberry or raspberries: fruitful (and tasty) reasonably thorny but will want to spread over time. Same with fruiting roses.

Sea buckthorn: spiny, lots of vitamin c filled fruit, but the taste isn't for everyone and it WILL spread given the chance and the right conditions (doesn't like shade, so won't grow under trees typically, but open areas with disturbed soil will make great spots for the seeds to get started)

Sloe/blackthorn might be an option. I've never grown it though, so can't speak with any certainty.

After that, for the most part you get into stuff that either isn't edible, won't grow in your area, or is very fast spreading and/or an annual plant.

 

[sarco2000]

Osage orange. Will grow in zone 5. Not edible by humans but birds will nest in them, pollinating insects will thrive on them in the spring, etc. All good for the actual garden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera#Flowers_and_fruit

Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange, is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, typically growing to 8 to 15 metres (30–50 ft) tall. The distinctive fruit, from a multiple fruit family, is roughly spherical, bumpy, 8 to 15 centimetres (3–6 in) in diameter, and turns a bright yellow-green in the fall. The fruits secrete a sticky white latex when cut or damaged. Despite the name "Osage orange", it is only very distantly related to the orange,[3] and is instead a member of the mulberry family, Moraceae.[4]

Leaves are arranged alternately in a slender growing shoot 90 to 120 centimetres (3–4 ft) long. In form they are simple, a long oval terminating in a slender point. The leaves are 8 to 13 centimetres (3–5 in) long and 5 to 8 centimetres (2–3 in) wide, and are thick, firm, dark green, shining above, and paler green below when full grown. In autumn they turn bright yellow. The leaf axils contain formidable spines which when mature are about 2.5 centimetres (1 in) long.

Also, could try honey locust. Long spines. Again, not edible. But the wood is tough and durable, makes good fence posts and firewood, so, dual purpose. Dual purpose doesn't mean you have to eat it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust

Honey locusts produce a high quality, durable wood that polishes well, but the tree does not grow in sufficient numbers to support a bulk industry; however, a niche market exists for honey locust furniture. It is also used for posts and rails since it takes a long time to rot. In the past, the hard thorns of the younger trees were used as nails while the wood itself was used to fashion treenails for shipbuilding.

.

 

[ImStillHere]

Wild Blackberry, wild Roses. If Firethorn will grow there that's really the thicket.

..........

 

[Lugh MacArawn]

..........

I see what you did there.

 

[Guntoteninfadel]

don't worry about the spreading, everything you have requires maintenance and once a year clearing out the pathways will be the maintenance for the security blanket.

 

[Exarmyguy]

Giant hotweed. Its nasty stuff though.

 

[Jerry D Young]

Giant hotweed. Its nasty stuff though.

If you mean Giant Hogweed, I have to recommend against it very strongly. Yes, it might be a deterrent, and nasty is not an adequate description, but getting that stuff started anywhere is a real disservice to the community. I suggest looking it up online and seeing just what it does to people.

My suggestion, though it does not fit the non-spreading, is a living barrier fence using close spaced honey locust trees (the pods and seeds are edible), with thorny blackberry brambles, and rosa Ragusa roses. The rose will spread, as will the blackberries, but if they are kept up with yearly, neither is that much of a problem. Only f they are simply left alone for several years will they spread wide.

The rosa Ragusa roses produce great rose hips, and the thorny blackberry types usually produce great tasting berries, if on the small side.

Just my opinion.

 

[Lugh MacArawn]

Do not plant giant hogweed. That stuff is nasty, nasty crap. Like the plant kingdom's mustard gas. You do not want it anywhere near your property. Bad juju.

 

[Exarmyguy]

Well I know that Giant hogweed is terrible stuff but it answers the OPs pupose for some SHTF time.

 

[Jerry D Young]

Not really. OP wants non-lethal. And wants animals to be able to pass through in gaps. Plus, if Giant Hogweed is around in the PAW on someone's place and survivors know it was placed there intentionally, they are likely to not only get rid of it, but whomsoever put it there, it is that terrible.

Just my opinion.

 

[theyeti]

Just discussed this last month...primarily the discussion was about the flying dragon tree which is essentially another name for or a dwarfed variety of trifoliate orange.

There are some other good suggestions in the thread. www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=759817 Sadly it looks like some of the links are already bad but still worth a look.

Consequently trifoliate orange is my current choice for a barrier hedge and it's fairly cold-hardy with a USDA zone 6 rating in most references but also listed as zone 5 in some sources. Perhaps you can determine if others have had success with this one in your exact area and if so I think it might meet your other requirements.

 

[Timbersawz]

Find something that already grows locally, introducing the plant equivalent of fire ants is down right irresponsible

 

[NorthernOwl]

Im working on something similar and it consists of crab apple and wild plum as a taller tree with buffaloberry bushes planted thickly inbetween and gooseberry to entwine it all together. Buffaloberry is very thorny and does produce an edible berry.

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

 

[богдан]

Hello There!

(This is for Non-Lethal barrier for WROL/APOC scenario)

My BOL is my sister's place.
The BOL is approx. 30 acre woods, surrounded by fields.
I suggested having natural barriers along (or slightly within) tree line.
They don't really have wire fencing at the moment.
They are not sheeple, support my suggestion.

The barriers would have spaces in them for wildlife to travel through.(easier)
I know deer can jump over them if they really have to.

This would allow "bottlenecking" for any "intruders."

I'm looking for some THORNY, but fruity (dual purpose) bushes that DO NOT spread on their own. Not really a "hedge line" sort of thing. Something that can blend well into the surrounding underbrush.
Get seeds?

Preferably All season.

northern INDIANA. 5B Hard zone

bitter oranges, plant a hedge row of them it will stop a car
and these little suckers will stop all but very very determined folks

essentially its shub/small tree version of concertina wire plus produces bitter oranges wich have a variety of uses.

rose bushes also would be a good option


as for non spreading stuff that's about it.

if you don't mind spreading stuff
wild dog rose makes good hedge row

black berries and rasberries


theres a lot more options but what will work is all dependant on your climate and soil gardening skills ect



this may be useful
https://thecrimepreventionwebsite.c...fensive-plants-shrubs-and-trees-shrub-fences/

 

[workquik]

I recently posted a thread about the Flying Dragon tree and got a lot of useful replies. Subsequently I have planted 600 feet three feet apart. I plan on another 800 feet this coming spring. Had the opportunity to eat several of the fruits. Very seedy but very tasty, like a very strong lemon.

 

[богдан]

I recently posted a thread about the Flying Dragon tree and got a lot of useful replies. Subsequently I have planted 600 feet three feet apart. I plan on another 800 feet this coming spring. Had the opportunity to eat several of the fruits. Very seedy but very tasty, like a very strong lemon.

plant it two/three rows deep staggered you should be able to stop a car