-- BEGIN included message
- To: <FranksFarm@aol.com>
- Subject: RE: Living Fences
- From: "Tom Kimmerer" <tkimmer@pop.uky.edu>
- Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 12:16:01 -0400
- Cc: "Marsha Hanzi" <hanzibra@svn.com.br>
- Importance: Normal
- In-Reply-To: <ce49706.3594df56@aol.com>
My cousin, Marsha Hanzi, forwarded your message from her home in Brazil back here to central Kentucky, a rather circuitous route, but perhaps we can help you. Historically, two species have been used for living fences in the Bluegrass: black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Osage-orange, Maclura pomifera. Neither is native to the Bluegrass, but both were introduced by Native Americans and by the earliest settlers. Both have the virtues of rapid growth, ability to form living fences and thorniness to inhibit livestock from bulling through. Of the two, Osage-orange proved itself superior to early settlers. There were probably Osage-orange here when Col. Henderson and Daniel Boone first arrived, though this is uncertain. What is certain is that by the time there was widespread livestock cultivation in the Bluegrass, Osage-orange was the most importance fence tree. The result can be seen today: there is hardly an old hedgerow in central Kentucky that is not thick with Osage-orange. Osage-orange grows well from cuttings, and can be planted on fairly close spacing, about 3 ft. They can be trained to intertwine, or left to their own devices. Black locust is not as good a species. It is a prolific root sprouter and tends to take over pastures. With the recent heavy infestations of locust leaf miners, the growth rate of the trees seems to be slowing down. Note that neither of these is a nurse tree, as described in your email. Nurse trees would depend on the crop you are trying to grow. If you would like more information, check the Osage-orange and black locust pages on the TreeWeb (address below; go to the species page), or contact me directly. Best regards, Tom Kimmerer Forest Biologist University of Kentucky 105 TP Cooper Bldg Lexington KY 40546 Visit the TreeWeb at: http://quercus.uky.edu/treeweb/default.htm tkimmer@pop.uky.edu > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu > [mailto:owner-permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu]On Behalf Of > FranksFarm@aol.com > Sent: Saturday, June 27, 1998 8:02 AM > To: permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu > Subject: Re:Living Fences > > > Hi, > > Eric Storm wrote about the value of Living Fences... > > Ok, sounds good to me:)Can someone recommend fast growing, > suitable trees or > shrubs suitable for living fences in temperate zones ...central > Kentucky in my > case. > > I've seen lots of such in tropical countries where the trees are > often used to > shade coffee, other nursed crops then cut back as the nurse crop matures. > > Any ideas on what " nursed crops" can be grown well under such > conditions here > ? > > Thanks. frank > > >
-- END included message