altenative to fencing

[eigoya]

Any ideas on natural barriers to keep to dogs enclosed without fencing? We can keep them on leads for a while but anything that grows fast and thick in the forest?

[unknownjulie]

There's a thread about "keeping pigs out of gardens" using natural fencing over in the gardening topics. If you have soil, you may be able to use a bunch of clumping bamboos spaced very close tegether, but you'll have to cultivate them for awhile, until they get established.

[rainyjim]

I can think of a lot of plants that would suit your needs. However, there are caveats, first and foremost you're essentially describing an invasive plant or non-native plant, as almost all native plants grow very very very slow. This may seem like a cheap alternative to fencing in the short run but down the line you will most likely regret planting anything as invasive as what you describe yourself desiring.

With the aforementioned forewarning I'll now answer your question. I believe your single fastest barrier would be a strain of the 'running' bamboo. This type of bamboo sends out shoots or 'runners' that have the power to crack concrete and will compete to take over completely! Other options exist but frankly I can't imagine anything more out of control in hawaii than bamboo! For evidence check out Highway 11 between Mt. View and Volcano...

[steve1]

Any plant that will form a seamless barrier impenetrable to dogs will probably grow as wide as it will grow long, so how much property do you have to spare, and how much money and time are you willing to spend to contain your perimeter?

Have you priced fencing, or perhaps "invisible fence"?

What about running some electric fence? It is sold by the mile and there are solar chargers so you don't have to rely on HELCO, but you would need to keep the vegetation down and find a way to insert the fiberglass fence posts.

If you do want a plant barrier I would suggest looking into Hardy Orange (Poncirus trifoliata), or maybe call the extension agency and ask their advice. It would probably be more expensive that fencing over the long term but it can be very effective. My college textbook said "even a dumb football player would not try to penetrate this hedge" (Michael Dirr, NCSU)

[dragon2k]

In the long run, fencing will be less maintenance for sure. Besides, if my dogs wanted to go chase something, no amount of hedging would restrain them!

[eigoya]

Thanks for ideas. We priced wire and wood fencing materials, but would rather not look at a fence. Having said that I'm not sure our dogs would not go after a mongoose either. And Although I don't want invasive plants, ones that "even a dumb football player would not try to penetrate" sound like our kind.... Thanks again.

[rainyjim]

Ever think abouy a hybrid fence?

I think you could save a little money by using ohias from your property as fence posts and use wire fencing from a store. You'd save on the posts at least. You could then grow lillikoi or other edible(s) on the fence. From experienve lilikoi does well with this method.

You could also just use metal fence posts. Would last longer I imagine.

[Rene]

What about a "bougenvia"s/p? they can be dense and thorny?

[rainyjim]

"Bougainvillea"

Very dense and thorny no doubt. I am scared out it. I refuse to plant any on my property, have let molly get 2 provided she keeps them in pots...

It'd be a pretty fence, though they do seem to grow slower here than on the kona side. Definitely something you'd want to keep up with or it'd eventually take over the world with impenetrable thorns!

[MarkP]

I think there is often the sense that since a living hedge grows itself that it will be less expensive. Given how long it takes to grow and all the care it requires, while that may be true in terms of initial cost of materials, it won't seem like such a deal in the long run.

There is also the temptation to get something that grows fast. If there were a plant that grew fast until it reached the size and shape of a fence and then slowed down that would be good. There is no such plant so picking a fast growing plant locks you into a lifetime of trimming and maintenance or worse yet you may discover you have introduced a horrible pest that you can't even eliminate. Picking a slow growing plant is the way to go but most people don't do that. I have often read threads where the poster says they want a fast growing, tall, and thick hedge. Be careful what you wish for.

Finally, with regard to a hedge being impenetrable there are very few living hedges that truly are. Humans stand close to 6 feet tall. Now that I am in my fifties I find myself walking a considerable distance to avoid stepping over or bending under a barrier. Lots of things would seem impenetrable to me but almost nothing would be impenetrable to a pig or a dog unless it was strictly engineered to be so, particularly in the first couple of feet. In most cases those impenetrable hedges have big holes down near the bottom.

It is very hard to beat a man-made fence. Even then check out the attention to detail that goes into making a fence pig-proof. The bottom strand of wire gets stapled to the ground every few feet. I would say get a proper wire fence and plant something either on it or in front of it.