Is there a fast growing plant or tree out there, that is more thorny than the Honey locust, or the Acacia Nilotica? I just want a plant, or a shrub, or a fast growing tree - That will cause unimaginable misery and suffering for a human intruder on a property... I am also considering Devil's Claw, but I need to know if there is anything more harmful out there. Something that will not only deter, but also teach an unforgettable lesson! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpagophytum Or else it's the Chinese made 7.62 mm Type 18-1 assault rifle that will do the trick! But I would still prefer not taking this step, unless absolutely necessary... Really being pushed into a corner here. Any suggestion will be very helpful to me at this time. I had used bugambilia in the last for this type of thing, and it really works great. But now I require something extra! Something that will leave a very long lasting and deep scar on the intruder's body - To work as a lifelong reminder...
S-H, I can't and won't recommend anything to you, but the honey locust? You can grow those there? The last thing I would do is intentionally harm or recommend something to harm some one. I really hope you can resolve this without resorting to violence. I know I live in a different culture than you do, but I still can't condone perpetuating a situation. Peace, brother, peace.
Listen guys, people have been using plants and trees for making fences and other barriers for many 1000s of years... So nothing new here - However, do I wish to intentionally cause harm and suffering to an unlawful introducer? YES! By all means, (and I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit it)! A certain criminal gang seems to have taken a very strong liking to the street where a relative of mine lives. There have been over 7 to 8 breakins and robberies in a period of just one year. Residents also suspect that the police is deeply involved, (as instead of catching the criminals, they seem to conveniently vanish at the exact moment when burglaries occur)... And later they do not even bother to investigate, unless you pay them a fat bribe. Letter from a concerned neighbor ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Anyway, I (from experience) can now accurately predict how this will all end. A very similar occurrence recently took place in the US too - Today known as the Trayvon & Zimmerman saga... So before anybody starts firing guns in an aimless fashion - I rather do something that will first work as a deterrence, and later as an unforgettable punishment also (should the intruder be stupid enough to continue to move forward)... Which is why I was looking to nature, as this way everything will be extremely cheap, and damn easy to maintain as well, (aside from being within the law). Thus so far I (along with a few others) have suggested to plant a very thorny bougainvillea all across their compound walls. And in it they put a few beehives or a hornets nest. A few ladies are of course not in favor of this (as they fear getting bitten by bees) - They just don't believe that bees are very intelligent creatures, and will not bite anyone without a reason. Anyway, up till now this is the only workable suggestion that I have come up with. Or else it will be the Trayvon & Zimmerman saga all over again... Really not trying to be the bad guy here, but from past experience I know exactly how things will end, (if I don't do anything). So once more, I ask if there is anything out there that is more thorny than the Honey Locust, as fast growing as bamboo, and if it is a bit poisonous then even better! Now a bit about the legal situation. You can shoot an intruder that jumps over your compound wall during the night. But shoot him or her only once, because if you shoot more than once - Then you lose your right to claim self defense, (as a second shot will mean that you intended to kill). So either make sure that your aim is very good in such challenging situations, or leave the idea of protecting yourself with guns... Also, criminals here now use young kids (under the age of 10). They are usually runaways from home, or street urchins (children of drug addicts) that nobody wants. So they usually find their way in such gangs. So they will first use a child to gain intelligence on you and your family, your daily movements, and security weaknesses in your home. This they accomplish by throwing in a ball, and then jumping in to get it back. So even if caught, the kid will only say that he (or she) only came in to get the ball back. You also cannot book a kid younger than 12 for trespassing, (which is exactly why criminal gangs use kids)... Kids under 10 are also small enough to get inside through a 8 inch wide hole these criminals may cut in your glass windows, or steel grills. So once inside, these kids will open the door from within to let in the real thieves. That anyway is how the game is played here. So my idea is to see to it that this intelligence gathering comes to an abrupt end. As no metter how well trained a kid may be, he or she will still be afraid of long and sharp thorns, as well as killer bees! Keeping a guard Dog may have been an option in the past, and it still may work. But it is not too uncommon for criminals to somehow discreetly poison your pet first, and then move in when you are most exposed. Besides, keeping guard Dogs isn't practical for everyone (specially not the elderly)...
Since you explained in a little more detail the it is for protection rather than "assault"... That I do understand, not that I condone violence, but a natural barrier is understandable for the situation. How about nettles? I think they are the most annoying as anything plant. Not only do they look innocuous it doesn't take long to feel their bite. You can grow them for nettle tea (which is disgusting, but very healthy) never needing to claim they were there as a barrier to crime. Or mile a minute weed. They, too, look innocuous, but have a cutting edge to the stem as it is nothing but little barbs all the way down the stem. Barberry plants. They are very needle-y, but I don't think they are very tall. Holly plants? will they grow there?
The worst plant I have ever encountered was gorse in Ireland. Really nasty, makes the Crown of thorns, Euphorbia milii look tame. Scientific name for gorse is Ulex europaeus and it has a pretty yellow flower. Don't know if it will grow in your region.
Yes, was thinking also wild roses... we have Rosa canina around here, growing wild, and dangerous. Was also thinking Solanum sisymbriifolium - I've never seen such a vicious plant - It is all covered in spikes...stems, leaves, flowers, fruits... People learn to beware of roses and other thorny plants, but such pretties are unexpectedly EVIL! But really, I'm sad you and your neighborhood have to resort to this!
Thank you for all your suggestions, however I feel that many of you are not getting a clear picture (literally) - Of how homes are build in my area of the world. In north America and Europe, majority of homes in the suburbs are open from the front (with a closed backyard). Meaning that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can easily walk right up to your front door and dare to knock... So for a person like me, this is unthinkable (as well as unbearable). Because we here have iron gates, as well as tall walls surrounding our entire property. So anyone who wants to meet me, has to ring the bell that is positioned outside the gate. After which the person will stand there and rot (under the hot sun) until I decide if I want to see anyone at that time, or not. It actually depends a lot on how the person appears to me on my CCTV camera. If it is a guy, then I just might ignore (will tolerate only those who have the decency to call first, and then come). So if it's a door to door salesman - Then he will be made to rot outside... Unless it's a very attractive looking saleswoman, because those nobody will turn away! That anyway is how things are over here. The security problem becomes an issue when intruders jump over the wall. So to stop this, many people use barbed wires or razor wires on their compound walls. But they can be easily cut by a heavy duty wire cutter, (if someone is really determined to burglarize your home)... Which is why I was thinking of some natural thorny barrier, as that is not easy to cut. Specially when it will also be hosting killer beehives! Anyway, here are pictures of my own area. Hopefully this will enable everyone to understand the situation better. The driveway, garage, garden, main door and entrance to the actual home, are all inside the compound wall and main gate. And homes are always 2 story, hardly ever will you find a ground floor house - If there is one, then people wall say that the owner probably ran out of money to build a second story... Anyway see the last picture also, as it's a satellite image from Google Earth, of my area - It shows exactly what is found inside the compound walls. Like swimming pools and stuff. But to the outside world, it will never be seen from the street. Typical Pakistani suburban home 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) \Typical Pakistani suburban home 2 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban home 3 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban home 4 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban home 5 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban home 6 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban home 7 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban street 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban street 2 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Typical Pakistani suburban homes Seen from space 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Wow, all I can say is all those houses would be called VILLAs here in Ro. We also have the same thing.. .all houses are enclosed in walls with a gate or something, but not that fancy. In villages sometimes the rooms have windows right opening to the sidewalk/street. But these are old, built some decades ago. New houses usually are inside the enclosure. Well... I hope you find the right vicious plants!
They are lovely homes, too bad you have to barricade them. I live out in the middle of the country. The only reason we even have fences is to keep the neighbors' cows & horses out.
After being at an informal meeting last night, I think now is the time my doomsday prepper abilities are going to come in handy... Many residents solidly believe that a serious example now needs to be made. Otherwise all the criminal gangs will think of us as easy targets. Well, more like a pinata... My idea of planting thorny bushes is liked a lot. But even if everybody starts doing it immediately - It will be a whole year for the Bougainvillea to grow that high... So what do we do in the meantime? Thus I proposed the Punji stick traps - See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo7XBaG_-SE So anyone who jumps over the wall, will fall into this type of a Punji stick pit! A neighbor who is a lawyer is now going to find out if it will be legal or not for us to implement. However some residents are opposed to this idea, as many homes have little children. So they fear that one of our own may get seriously injured by such traps... Another problem is that 90% of homes here have live in domestic workers, like drivers/chauffeurs, chamber maids, cooks, and of course nannies... So in my opinion, this is EXACTLY where security is compromised. Yet many residents can't do without them either. So they will now probably add 1 more such burden - Of a live in armed security guard, or a watchman. It is my understanding (as a doomsday prepper), that the world is fast changing - And changing for the worst, with each passing day. And there is nothing anyone can do about it! So you either change with the times (which in this day and age means becoming viciously brutal, should you be challenged and/or provoked). Or turn the other cheek to remain a perpetual victim... Yet mundane people still naively believe (even after experiencing the worst of human nature), that this too will all pass over, and things will become normal once more. Thus we will all start seeing rainbows in the sky each day, with this, and that - Plus God knows what else from Winnie The Pooh universe! Yeah right...
OK, I am happy to report that this trouble making gang of thieves has finally been caught! They had actually taken over a vacant house in the area, who's owner was working abroad (in the Middle East). So they first bribed the actual watchman of that house into giving them possession. After which they started pretending to be the care takers of that property. The real owner of that house was also being fooled into thinking that his property was still being looked after by the person he had hired... So that is how this gang stealthily took over one old house in the neighborhood, (without anyone suspecting anything) - And from there they started their campaign of armed robbery and burglarizing! They also stored all the stolen stuff in that house, as moving it from point A to point B today carried a lot of risk (as there are street cameras everywhere now). I can't say too much about this, as this is all now a part of an on going investigation, and I being instrumental in their capture means that I'm now well and truly in the thick of it - But it was fun! They had actually planned for a major heist, and they had timed it with the arrival of the cyclone... As rumor was that many people will move away to live with their relatives for a few days (until the cyclone passed). However, the cyclone never came! But the city instead got hit by a devastating heatwave. So this gang improvised their plans and decided do something now! However, they had no idea that I was watching them constantly... A granduncle of one was once head of the entire police force in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. So I actually never forgot the advice he had once given - He had said: "To catch a thief, you first have to think like they do. And to catch a murderer, you have to act like they do. Otherwise you won't be good at catching either"... So by instinct I knew that (from the viewpoint of this gang of thieves) it would be ideal for them to make a move while the entire city's population and the law enforcement authority would be focused on the cyclone, or the recent heatwave... Anyway, they are all caught now, and so will be spending many years in jail! Also 2 kids were also caught - Who were always acting as this gang's eyes and ears. They often pretended to be children of servants playing ball, but would deliberately toss the ball over your compound wall, so they'll have an excuse retrieve it, thus go into your property without permission (and check out all your security vulnerabilities). Under the law it is extremely difficult to convict anyone under the age of 12 for trespassing. So when caught sneaking inside your property, they often got slapped around a little by the owners, but eventually kicked out. However, they would still walk away with full knowledge of security (or the lack of it)... They had very successfully even poisoned a few dogs in the neighborhood too, so they'll have a cleared path burglarize your home. But I was watching them, and I knew that their own frustration (over the cyclone not hitting my area) would eventually force them into making a mistake. It is however unfortunate that the kids this gang was using, were kidnapped in infancy (and raised by this gang, trained specifically for spying and thievery). They have really been very badly brainwashed, so even if their actual parents are somehow located - Readjusting for such individuals in a normal life is never easy... However on plus side, this gang of criminals is now history - And yes, the strategic planting of some shrubs and fast growing trees (the reason why I started this thread a year ago) is what actually did them in!!!
S-H, you live in a very different world than where I live. Glad that your crime ring was taken care of. You have also made me very happy that I live in the land of communities of rainbows, butterflies, and smiling people enjoying open yards with kids hopping from front yard to front yard as they play and race around the neighborhood. It is easy to forget other parts of the world are not so safe.
Yes, this gang was busted alright, and they say that I might also get some sort of a citation for it from the local administrator! But personally, I don't really care about that - As I got a lot of personal satisfaction when the security and police personnel whacked those kids, (in a way that they will now be licking their wounds well into their 20s)! Yes I REALLY hate kids a lot, and the younger they are, the more I am revolted by them I swear! But one cannot go slapping them around (even when they cross all limits of your personal tolerance) - As it's against the law, aside from being immoral... However, when they are committing a serious crime, then they are fair game, as they are really asking for it this time!!! However, the real hero of this whole story is a conocarpus tree, which surprisingly isn't thorny, but grows extremely fast. And is very dense also, (and thus very convenient to hide audio and video transmitting/recording devices in it)... Last year when I started this thread, I made some observations of this area - And so I decided to plant a very fast growing conocarpus tree in a key position, (it just cost me the equal of about 4 US dollars only). But I planted it in a location which would have made for the perfect observational spot. So as the tree grew, and as it provided shade - Anyone who wanted to observe the area would find it very convenient and comfortable to sit under it. Sit there in it's shade, relax, and talk with their accomplices also, (without even realizing that all their conversations were being recorded)!!!
