Help! I need a fast growing thorny something

[daengmei]

I have homeless idiots crossing my property. We cannot fence forward of the house and that leaves the front entirely open for those who need to wander. In the past, I have seen footprints in the snow right up to my truck window. Just last week I saw an image in my camera, this fool ran through my yard, having jumped the fence. Then 4 gunshots rang out not 50 feet away in the street. I am always armed nowdays and can't leave the wife alone in the garden anymore even with a pit bull and beagle.

I can plant bushes and I want to know what will grow fastest and leave a thorny wall of growth. I remember the rose, thorny vine stuff that was used around cattle in WV and that crap was indeed thick and impenetrable but I don't know what it is. I want to hang an Ohio River trotline, for drying you know, but jail is not fun. I need about 40' in 2 different spots.

I have cameras that might leave an identifiable pic, but the fence jumper had no face, so I want to stop them somehow. I am quite positive who it was and I gave him fair warning that I know someone was in my yard. This same fellow I saw him pushing on a guy smaller than my wife and he is aout 6'3 and young. Just a matter of time, he has told others he was gonna **** them up and then the pushing.

Just today I had to tell another to get out, and made it a point to let him see a 1911 in my hip pocket. They cross a fence in my neighbors back yard and walk right through mine. I'm ready for jail, lol.

What to plant? Just south of Louisville Ky.

[725]

Multi-flora roses. Nasty thorns.

[compass will]

Green bryer or black raspberry

[trails4u]

Multi-flora roses. Nasty thorns.

Yep....and they grow quickly and densely. Blackberry would not be a bad idea either, and they should grow well in your climate. If you want THORNS, look into trifoliate orange, but be warned....it's non-native and highly invasive.

[HWooldridge]

Pyracantha.

[TD1886]

I hear ya sayin y'all need jaggers? LOL Blackberries and they are good eating too.

[Minerat]

Rose Glow Barberry. Any of the Barberry plants will draw blood. I cut some out 20 years ago and still find small branches every so often along where they grew. Nasty little suckers.

[BLAHUT]

Berrys as stated above, they grow fast,
then mix in thorny honey lockeus - Had then at first house, 3" thorns, thorns strong as iron, needle-sharp,
will grow 30' as trees or trim to be a hedge.

[barnetmill]

Green bryer or black raspberry

Roses in your climate should work. Green briar normally needs some support and one established has huge tubers in the ground making it difficult to irradiate. Any wild Rubus species that includes any black berry or raspberry is nasty and can grow reasonable quickly.
Here is the sort of rose that I recommend.
Pyracantha is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the family Rosaceae, with common names firethorn or pyracantha.
Make sure you are not colder than zone 6
What hardiness zone is firethorn?
Firethorn Plants - Growing Firethorn Shrubs In The Landscape
zones 6 to 9
Planting Firethorn: Growing Tips And Care Of Firethorn Bush. Pyracantha is the scientific name for firethorn plants, which are hardy from USDA plant hardiness zones 6 to 9. Firethorn is an evergreen plant that is easy to grow and provides seasonal interest and berries.Mar 20, 2023

[JimB..]

Wouldn’t any fast growing shrub plus poison ivy be more rewarding?

You can’t build a fence, but what about a long and sturdy trellis that’s 5’ tall?

[ascast]

725 Multi-flora roses. Nasty thorns. we call it "NASTY BUSH" and it i he worst stuff I ever encountered. Little fish hook barbs that are obsidian sharp. It grows in all direction. You can not escape by walking backwards.
i spend one day per year soley on trying to burn this crap up where ever I find it.

[daengmei]

I knew ya'll knew. Very nice, thanks. Poison ivy is everywhere here too.

[10x]

Motion lights, really bright motion lights.

And a backup beeper that is connected to the motion lights.
If they trespass they will have light and sound.
If the neighbors complain about the sound of trespassers, the neighbors can call police.

And in the summer lawn sprinkles activated by motion detectors.

[Pine Baron]

Thorny Rose Shrub (Rosa rugosa) or blackberry (Rubus laciniatus) or both!

[Ed_Shot]

Pyracantha.

+1.....nothing will get through it.

[Wayne Smith]

Don't know where you are and if you are in a suburban or rural area. Here in the suburbs we need something that is decorative, so that would be the rose. If rural, plant something productive such as the blackberries or raspberries.

[Minerat]

725 Multi-flora roses. Nasty thorns. we call it "NASTY BUSH" and it i he worst stuff I ever encountered. Little fish hook barbs that are obsidian sharp. It grows in all direction. You can not escape by walking backwards.
i spend one day per year soley on trying to burn this crap up where ever I find it.

I hate to be this way, but theses are considered invasive by the USDA so are probably illegal to import in to any area where they do not exist. Here is info on it. Seems to me it would be very effective for your need.

https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/multiflora-rose

[fivegunner]

Could you use Constantine wire to hold up your rose bush and Raspberries ???

[Shawlerbrook]

Autumn Cardinal Olive

[lavenatti]

Could you use Constantine wire to hold up your rose bush and Raspberries ???

Yep, nothing quite like a barbed wire "trellis" when you can't have a fence.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

A mix of Prickly Ash and Buckthorn.

[Wayne Smith]

I hate to be this way, but theses are considered invasive by the USDA so are probably illegal to import in to any area where they do not exist. Here is info on it. Seems to me it would be very effective for your need.

https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/multiflora-rose

According to the University of Georgia map only seven states have not reported this and it was imported into the US in the late 1700's! I'm not saying to plant it, but it is unlikely that it will be the only presence in his area.

[daengmei]

Constantine wire to hold up your rose bush and Raspberries

You know what I want to do, lol. I saw an add for trip paint bombs, marking them with pink would be fitting.

[daengmei]

I first will plant yard wide plots of every flower I can get, intermix datura for the thorns. Maybe one of the "smart ones" will try to use them. Add something more substantial, long lasting to the brew.
I just yesterday threw up orange tape, just to see. I have talked with about 5 or 6 of them and I'm not nice but don't go overboard. The police are in the area nearly everyday.

[dverna]

I have had every "No Trespassing" sign bordering the State land I butt up to torn down by mushroomers or hunters.

Reading this thread with interest but, at 72, I want near instant results. Waiting 10 years for a natural fence to establish is not an attractive option. Hope someone has an answer.

[daengmei]

I for now quit cutting the grass right along a ditch line they cross that stays really wet, just found a tarpin. At least the tall grass they walk in is guarenteed to be filled with chiggers and ticks. Last one stuck to me was very small. <1mm.

[HWooldridge]

I have had every "No Trespassing" sign bordering the State land I butt up to torn down by mushroomers or hunters.

Reading this thread with interest but, at 72, I want near instant results. Waiting 10 years for a natural fence to establish is not an attractive option. Hope someone has an answer.

Yeah, osage orange makes a great hedgerow but it takes a long time to fill in.

[45DUDE]

2x4's buried with sharp nails?

[Hannibal]

Honey Locust. Plant them close together. Don't cut them all the way back, just trim a little bit a couple of times.. In about 3 years you'll have a mess no one will try to get through more than once.

Then if you ever decide you want them gone it will take another 3-5 years to eradicate, so be forewarned.

[shooter bob]

Get a metal sign that says caution rattle snake dens in this area

[Hannibal]

2x4's buried with sharp nails?

Booby trap. Trespassers lawyers will take everything you have and everything you're gonna get for the rest of your life.

[Txcowboy52]

Blackberries, they grow fast , horrible thorns , plus you get berries. Be careful they will take over and are hard to kill.

[Minerat]

Knew a guy that used goat heads and trip wires to protect his water mellon patch. Had a 8 foot wide unmowed grass line with goat heads freely dispersed in the grass and 3 low trip wires woven thru the grass. Those goat heads really hurt then you landed on them with your hands and knees especially when trying to escape in a hurry with a arm load if melons.:)

[Tazman1602]

I can’t offer any advice but I can say “Thank you Jesus for letting me live where I live”

That’s horrible and I feel for you man.

Art

[deces]

Fairly fast growing.

314236

[barnetmill]

Fairly fast growing.

314236

Some cacti have problems with cold weather.

[Teddy (punchie)]

You should have posted this weeks ago LOL. We were just down that way at the expo center for Archery Tournament.

We have 3 different wild roses on the farm multiflora rose crosses ?? They are all rough on the hide. Cut through the clothes and into you. I work on fence line in shorts and tennis shoes in the summer.

The only brambles I watch are the multflora. The other barberries, rasp berries and black berries are child play next to the multflora. Now the cows don't care to eat the multflora, bull thistle or ground cherries.

Bull Thistle is one I don't like walk around. Thistle may not open skin, but they will not come back as they will be working on digging and working out the thistles of every thing they have on. The splinter from the Bull Thistle are like hairs and hard to find. Also the thistles are huge growing the second year.

You can plant the thistles on the inside of the fence, they jump into it and they will not do that again.

Cirsium horridulum, called bristly thistle, horrid thistle, yellow thistle or bull thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae.It is an annual or biennial. The species is native to the eastern and southern United States from New England to Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma as well as to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Bahamas.

You need to come and get what you want. Will even help you dig them up.

Bull Thistle we have some are 6 feet tall not only 3 feet. Now it will take two years for them as they are a two year plant perennial.

[Teddy (punchie)]

http://www.greenlanegardens.com/uploads/9/9/4/5/9945044/s296598595394253076_p575_i5_w500.jpeg

[atr]

black berries or Pampas grass or bamboo

[rockrat]

Sawgrass?

[Hannibal]

Stinging nettle would get their attention if wearing shorts particularly. Completely ineffective in winter, though.

Think you've missed the opportunity for this season, but maybe put in the Honey Locust now and add the nettle in the fall?

That would be a NASTY combination.

[William Yanda]

Multi-flora roses. Nasty thorns.

In the meantime, would not your dogs volunteer stinky landmines to place appropriately.? Inconvenient but not illegal.

[shooterg]

Add hawthornes to the mix . Made the mistake of planting some(actually my bride's doings !) from the Arbor Day folks a few years back, finally tall enough I can cut all the lower branches off to mow around 'em (she won't let me cut 'em down !)

[popper]

What ever the briar patch in 'Uncle Remus' used - Br'er Rabbit hid there.

[jimlj]

I have homeless idiots crossing my property. We cannot fence forward of the house and that leaves the front entirely open for those who need to wander. In the past, I have seen footprints in the snow right up to my truck window. Just last week I saw an image in my camera, this fool ran through my yard, having jumped the fence. Then 4 gunshots rang out not 50 feet away in the street. I am always armed nowdays and can't leave the wife alone in the garden anymore even with a pit bull and beagle.

I can plant bushes and I want to know what will grow fastest and leave a thorny wall of growth. I remember the rose, thorny vine stuff that was used around cattle in WV and that crap was indeed thick and impenetrable but I don't know what it is. I want to hang an Ohio River trotline, for drying you know, but jail is not fun. I need about 40' in 2 different spots.

I have cameras that might leave an identifiable pic, but the fence jumper had no face, so I want to stop them somehow. I am quite positive who it was and I gave him fair warning that I know someone was in my yard. This same fellow I saw him pushing on a guy smaller than my wife and he is aout 6'3 and young. Just a matter of time, he has told others he was gonna **** them up and then the pushing.

Just today I had to tell another to get out, and made it a point to let him see a 1911 in my hip pocket. They cross a fence in my neighbors back yard and walk right through mine. I'm ready for jail, lol.

What to plant? Just south of Louisville Ky.

If I were in your shoes, the question wouldn't be what to plant. The question would be "where should I move to?"

[daengmei]

"where should I move to?"
Soon as possible.

[firefly1957]

Frankly you do not need to plant things you need to change some government that allows the lawlessness!
I do not think moving will be a cure anymore as the same problem seems to be spreading to many areas .

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have homeless idiots crossing my property. We cannot fence forward of the house and that leaves the front entirely open for those who need to wander.

<<<SNIP
Previously I posted my suggestion of prickly Ash and Buckthorn.
But, the more I think about your problem, I've come to a conclusion that a different tack needs to be taken, especially since your fence rules or laws. If the same authorities are fine with administering the law against you about a fence, but not with the homeless and their trespassing/vandalizing/discharging firearms. Then maybe a little reverse psychology is in order. Maybe setup a few tents in the front yard, put a sleeping bag and a box of wine in each tent. Make friends with these homeless winos...chances are the winos will leave you alone or maybe even protect your property? if you keep leaving wine for them, but will drive the neighbors nuts. Maybe the authorities will do something when they get constant calls from the neighbors?

:holysheep

[country gent]

If you go with JonBs idea you better add a porta potty to the set up.

[.429&H110]

Feed the weeds.
Broad cast slow release 10-10-10 along the border and you will have a long jungle quickly.
I had a lawn on a curve, the snowplow would plow rocks so I couldn't mow.
So I didn't mow, but fed it and by summers end had a hedge.
The plow driver winged the hedge, but that just made it stronger, and full of rocks.
Every spring, more 10-10-10, clip the hedge chest high so it doesn't get leggy
and you will have a barrier a dog can't get through.

[Hannibal]

Frankly you do not need to plant things you need to change some government that allows the lawlessness!
I do not think moving will be a cure anymore as the same problem seems to be spreading to many areas .

Excellent point.

[daengmei]

So far I have cut some locust limbs and piled it up in one crossing point. Piled other tree cuttings along the fence. I would like to use the larger locust for posts and fence the gap where I can. Got a roll of barbed wire to run higher up, try for 6'. I will be able to fence where I park along the side, you have to stop at the front edge, nothing in the front. I want to sit in the front maple with a crossbow, a thumper tip, a few cold ones and wait in the dark. But I won't for now.

[country gent]

Barb wire strung tight is no fun they can back right off it. Let loose or in coil it closes behind them and "follows" them when they try to back off it

[alfadan]

Maybe add something to the ground in this hedgerow to cause stumbling. Something like large river rocks or large pieces of wood.

[Bruntson]

I would install a lawn sprinkler system activated by a motion sensor. That would dampen their spirits.

[fiberoptik]

Wild roses grow fast and are more dangerous than military concertina wire.


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[fiberoptik]

Fairly fast growing.

314236

And good eating!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[justindad]

Get some herbicide and plant some poison ivy. Could come back to bite you, but that’s what the herbicide is for. Post signs that you have poison ivy. But, if folks are really crazy, they’ll set it on fire and then someone is going to inhale the smoke. If it’s that bad, move to a red state.

[firefly1957]

Point of order or just a rambling thought , IF they do not enforce real laws on the homeless then how could they enforce rules or laws on a fence?
Seems dereliction of duty would be involved if they did ?

I know the democrats that ignore our laws plan on total chaos in the long run !

[firefly1957]

Point of order or just a rambling thought , IF they do not enforce real laws on the homeless then how could they enforce rules or laws on a fence?
Seems dereliction of duty would be involved if they did ?

I know the democrats that ignore our laws plan on total chaos in the long run !

[Hannibal]

Point of order or just a rambling thought , IF they do not enforce real laws on the homeless then how could they enforce rules or laws on a fence?
Seems dereliction of duty would be involved if they did ?

I know the democrats that ignore our laws plan on total chaos in the long run !

That's also a good point but unless and until the trespassing problem can be made a problem for those who are choosing to not enforce the trespassing laws then nothing will happen.

Figure out a way to make it their problem. That's when something will get done.

[Rapier]

Had a back fence problem. Planted Pyracantha Espalier, it has thorns about 1 1/2 long, if they stick in, the tip breaks off in you, leaves a lasting memory. Plants the full length of an 8' double plank privacy fence. Planted it all across the fence, wired it and staple gunned the runners to the fence, it is a climbing vine like plant, no more problem. You can not go through or over it. No one got near it. Planted it inside, so no one could spray it , kill it or cut it. Climbing the fence droppd you in it. Nature's Constantia wire.

[daengmei]

Planted Pyracantha Espalier
Something I will look at after I get the fence up. I bought a heavy 6' securiity fence roll at the scrap for $80. Weighs 237 lbs. Almost new and it looks to be at least 50'. That closes one area then I will use barbed wire for loops along the top of the 4' fence all around the rest for starters. For what I have to do in the front it will require city approval, I want to fence off where I park. I saw the ******* again today, coming through the next yard, and they are giving him a ride sometimes so they are fools too.

I think I'm asking the doc to help calm me down, this situation has me more than angry. Thumpers and beer baby, what a mix. lol.

[truckjohn]

These are mostly stuff you can dig up.

Trifoliate roses
Trifoliate orange
Osage orange
Black locust - the wild thorny ones
Honey locust - the wild thorny ones
Wild bramble - raspberry/blackberry whichever is native.
Gooseberry
Crown of thorns

Add wild plum and flowering pear for winter time thorny.

[GregLaROCHE]

Blackberries! They grow fast and multiply. They are are different from raspberries because the thorns grow in the opposite direction. With raspberries you can easily pull away. With Blackberries the more you pull, the further they go in.

[rbuck351]

I'm for blackberry. They grow fast and handle most climates and produce great tasting berries. They grow 6 to 8 feet tall then the tops bend over and head for the ground where they bury the tip and start another plant. They also drop berries and pop up new plants. The thorns are curved toward the base of the plant so it's easy to stick your arm in but not so easy to pull it back out. I have about a 10' row of them in my berry garden and got carved up just trying to carefully trim out the dead stuff.

[Bmi48219]

Too bad you can find a cold tolerant Bougainvillea to plant.

[375RUGER]

black berry and raspberry

[Lloyd Smale]

yup wild roses. did some up and plant a few thet will spread rapidly

[45DUDE]

I guess live wires and electric cattle zappers are out also?

[elmacgyver0]

Whatever you decide to plant, fertilize it with liquid hog manure.

[justindad]

Get a Rottweiler.

[firefly1957]

Above an electric fencer was mentioned I have had one on my bird feeder for two years now to dissuade the local bear from damaging it . It seems to do the job and the wire going down the pole almost to the ground keeps squirrels and coon of as well but.....Just yesterday for the first time it got me when filling the bird feeder . It did not feel like an electrical shock and I have been zapped a number of times. It felt more like a hard impact to the entire body and only my thumb hit the conductor and of coarse my feet were the other end of the circuit .

A few years ago the wood pole to the feeder broke causing the death of the raccoon on the feeder as it fell on it . I was thinking metal pole but had some 4" PVC pipe I used about 9 feet 4 in the ground and 5 feet above . This wad filled with cement and one 7 foot cast iron fence T-Post . A bear attack made it lean and damaged the feeder mounts into the cement . I replaced the top foot of cement with a vinyl containing patch cement then electrified it and all has been well .

For some reason a memory came up of a lady I worked with in the early 1980's she had a house in Pontiac Michigan and asked me to get hear some bearing grease in a gallon plastic bag . She had trouble with the local "youth" jumping her fence and running though her back yard and greased the pole on the top of the 48" cyclone fence . She said it was great entertainment sitting by the window watching the fools fall when trying to jump the fence a couple got injured but it was a different time . Today she would probably be liable or have her house shot up!
One kids mother wanted her to pay for his new coat but the police laughed at her and my coworker said she had no idea where the grease came from .

[MaryB]

Motion activated sprayers of skunk pee...

[dverna]

Motion activated sprayers of skunk pee...

Until they hit his dogs.

[daengmei]

The ditch is a runoff from several hundred yards away and it pools when the city drain is overloaded, nearly every rain. This is just too nasty for me to enjoy berries from there, there is a black walnut tree along the way, they never taste good. If I planted the berries, the idiots would be along in the fall to pick them.

I like the spraying idea, but probably won't use skunk, they are close here too. Maybe combine pepper spray with marking die, for now just the orange tape and piled brush has stopped them. That won't last long. A 6' fence, barbed wire loops and electric wire is my plan. I still want to sit in the tree and wait though. .

[firefly1957]

Daengmei Check your states laws on pepper spray I had kids getting in garage at my last house to smoke and stuff disappeared too! I set up a mix of ground dried habanero peppers and black powder to discourage them and it did! Some year later when Michigan reformed carry laws I was reading though our laws and found out what I did was actually a felony! One for the trip wire (booby trap) and the other for the pepper gas .
When I did a test of this stuff there was a feral cat in the garage it was run out by the test and as far as I know did not return.

[daengmei]

Check your states laws
I intend to talk to the city folks and know exactly what I can do. I really want to add pink and yellow to someones selfies.

[jonp]

Is there a reason you can't fence the front sides of your property? HOA Rule?

[dverna]

If this is the front of your property, how will planting anything do much unless you have a locked gate at your drive?

We looked at a powered gate but we get a lot of deliveries and that makes a gate a bother to deal with.

[jsizemore]

Pyracantha. Only thing that likes them is a Butcher Bird. Only way to get rid of them is with an excavator.

[daengmei]

Is there a reason you can't fence the front sides of your property?

The fence cannot come forward of the front edge of your house. We can only fence the sides and back. Although I have a fence around the house on 3 sides, one side is short. That area next to the neighbor, has some growth and some open area along a ditch that allows them to cross right in front of my truck, then along the front of my house.

[Thin Man]

I love blackberries and all the other wild berries but these shrubs come with extra baggage. When the berries are close to ripe they will attract a lot of bird activity. Bird visits can cause snakes to drop by for a free meal. And I hate snakes, really hate them. I build revolver shot loads and carry them every time I go into our woodlands without exception.

My other thought is that when you build this perimeter barrier around 3 sides of your home that leaves you with only one direction for escape. What's going to happen when 1 or 2 of your occasional visitors show up and insist on a confrontation. Sure, you carry at home to de-fuse these spats, but the day may come when your visitors just have to stick around to take the dispute to the next level. Fight or flight, your call, but in the current justice system you easily could be found wrong even though you were right. Give all this confrontation scenario some thought and be ready to use your plan. Best of luck to you.