home security

[Kenneth Eames]

Thank you for this, a wonderful list of plants suitable for defence. I shall be searching the gardening catalogues for these. Kenneth Eames.

[mikebratcher69]

With barbed wire, its not an unseen sight where I am in manchester, in fact most back yards seem to have it as a sort of fashion accesssory.
But that all depends where you live as well I suppose.
I vote for total overkill, pipes that spray petrol over any group of aggressors, then yourself apearing with a match.....

[NorthernRaider]

I prefer razor wire, or carpet gripper rods smeared in dog muck afixed to the inside top edge of fencing, right where their fingers go when they grap hold of the fence to climb up.

[mikebratcher69]

oh for the good old days broken bottles embeded in concrete atop the walls...

[grumpy old man]

the broken bottles can be overcome easy but the carpet grips are good something i have used loads of times and dog muck or anything else to cause infection is a winner

[Skvez]

All static defences can be overcome in time.
Their benefit is to slow down attackers (so you have longer to fire at them, whether with a gun or by throwing rocks) and to persuade them that somewhere else is an easier target.

[Metroyeti]

I have fitted locks on my windows so they can only be opened so far. Also got a few door wedges wont stop people getting in but will slow people down and make more noise.also attach bells to your door handles,anyone outside trys your handle it will make a noise. another good option is henry krank alarm mines,excellent toys any one opens the door and a blank 12g cartridge goes off,gaurantied the burgkar will fill his pants, could put live ammo in these aswel.

[Tigs]

(22 August 2012, 20:52)Metroyeti Wrote: I have fitted locks on my windows so they can only be opened so far. Also got a few door wedges wont stop people getting in but will slow people down and make more noise.also attach bells to your door handles,anyone outside trys your handle it will make a noise. another good option is henry krank alarm mines,excellent toys any one opens the door and a blank 12g cartridge goes off,gaurantied the burgkar will fill his pants, could put live ammo in these aswel.

i have a few of the henry krank mines cheap and easy to use ! but can be set off by pets and live stock alarm mines

[Tibbs735]

I always liked the idea of tangle wire, or tyinging lengths of wire at at about 1-2 foot high, running in random directions on the lawn around your house. That way people cannot close with you easily.
Also, consider letting your lawn go wild. Its good for the bees and other critters, it would obscure traps and wires, and would indicate if anyone has been crawling around to do a reccy of your house, as well as making your place look abandoned. "Decorative planting boxes" filled with earth to stop vehicles placed around your border wouldn't look out of place.
I plan on using blackthorn as a barrier, it grows dense and thick, plus its like sticking your arm in a bag of dirty needles.
The viet cong had some good ideas

[NorthernRaider]

Natural Protection/Defensive Planting



Using naturally vicious plants to protect your garden perimeter is one of the best low maintenance long term projects you can adopt as a prepper, even apartment dwellers can train thorny plants around the edge of the balcony if you have a balcony of course.

A barrier of prickly hedge may be all the protection you need around your property. Here are some suggestions for plants to use.
o Creeping Juniper Juniperis horizontalis 'Wiltonii' - Also known as 'Blue Rug' because it has long branches and its prostrate shape forms a flattened blue carpet. It has a thorny stem and foliage.
o Blue Spruce Picea pungens 'Globosa' - Rigid branches, irregular dense blue, spiky needles. Height 1-1.25m x 75cm - 1 m. Slow growing. Moist rich soil.
o Common Holly Ilex agulfolium - Large evergreen shrub, dark green spiked leaves. Large red berries on female plants only. Any well drained soil. Plant with garden compost and bone-meal.
o Giant Rhubarb Gunnera manicata - Giant rhubarb-like leaves on erect stems, abrasive foliage. Can grow up to 2.5m high. Plant by water-side for effect.
o Golden Bamboo Phyllostachys aurea - Very graceful, forming thick clumps of up to 3.5m high. Less invasive than other bamboos. Hardy. Young shoots in spring.
o Chinese Jujube Zizyphus sativa - Medium sized tree with very spiny pendulous branches. Leaves glossy bright green. Bears clusters of small yellow flowers.
o Firethorn Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' - Flowers white in June, with bright orange-red berries. Thorny stem. Height 10-15ft. Suitable for north or east-facing wall or as impenetrable hedging.
o Shrub Rose Rosa 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup' - Excellent ground cover, pale pink flowers, very thorny stem. May to September. Plant with garden compost and bone-meal.
o Pencil Christmas Tree Picea abias 'Cupressina' - Medium-sized tree of columnar habit, with ascending spiky branches. Attractive form with dense growth. Avoid dry chalky soils.
o Juniper Juniperus x media 'Old Gold' - Evergreen. Golden-tipped foliage. Prickly foliage. Height 2ft. Spread 6ft. Low growing. Excellent ground cover.
o Purple Berberis Berberis thunbergil 'Atropurpurea' - Rich purple foliage. Thorny stem. Medium-sized deciduous. Any soil sunny position.
o Mountain Pine Pinus mugo 'Mughus' - A very hardy, large shrub or small tree, with long sharp needles, of dense, bushy habit. Leaves in pairs, 3 - 4cm long, rigid and curved, dark green, cone.
o Blue Pine Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' - Small to medium-sized tree, spiky needled stem, densely conical habit, with vividly glaucous blue leaves. Likes moist, rich soil.
o Oleaster Elaeagnus angustifolia - Small deciduous tree, about 4.5 to 6 m (15 to 20 feet) high. Smooth, dark brown branches that often bear spines and narrow, light green leaves that are silvery on the undersides. The flowers are small, greenish, fragrant, and silvery-scaled on the outside, as are the edible, olive-shaped, yellowish fruits, which are sweet but mealy. Hardy, wind resistant, tolerant of poor, dry sites, and thus useful in windbreak hedges.
o Blackthorn Prunus spinosa - Also called Sloe; spiny shrub. Usually grows less than 3.6 metres (12 feet) tall and has numerous, small leaves. Its dense growth makes it suitable for hedges. White flowers. Bluish-black fruit is used to flavour sloe gin.
In addition, the following thorny plants can also be considered:
Aralia, Chaenomeles, Colletia, Crataegus (including hawthorn/may), Hippophae (sea buckthorn), Maclura, Mahonia, Oplopanax, Osmanthus, Poncirus, Rhamnus, Rosa (climbing & shrub roses), Rubus (bramble), Smilax, Prickly ash(Zanthoxylum).
Although they will take some time to grow in the end you will have a very tough self repairing vicious perimeter defence

Narrative is by NR, plant list from a crime prevention leaflet I had laying around for years.