Live / Natural Fence - Important Considerations

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to understand the important considerations of Live / Natural Fence.


Assuming you have opted for Live / Natural Fence, the following need to be kept in mind so as to get the maximum benefit out of Live / Natural Fences.

• Bees - We need to have Bees for pollination and hence we need to attract the Bees to our farm.  For this, we need to have flowering plants all through the season and if we plant the flowering plants in our fences, it serves both as food for Bees and also look pleasing to the eyes and enhances the aesthetics of the farm.

• Birds - We need to have Birds for limiting/removing the worms in our farm and also the excreta dropped by them acts as a good manure and enriches the soil.  For this, we need to have Singapore Cherry and other fruit trees in our fences that birds eat and survive.  Birds build their nest generally in a multi-branch tree or shrub and hence it is important to have those plants and shrubs in our fences. 
• The following list of trees can be grown in your fence for attracting birds, bees etc:-
• Agasta or Agathi (Sesbania grandiflora)
• Alangium or Alangi (Alangium salvifolium)
• Bauhinia Tree
• Curry leaf tree or Karuvepillai (Murraya Koenigii)
• Erythrina Tree (Mul Murungai)
• Fig or Athi (Ficus racemosa)
• Guava or Goyya (Psidium guajava)
• Hibiscus
• Indian Coral Tree or Kalyana Murungai (Erythrina indica)
• Ixora (Idly Poo)
• Mast tree or Nettilingam (Polyalthia longifolia)
• Mahua or Iluppai (Madhuca indica)
• Mavalingam Tree
• Mulberry or Kambli (Morus alba)
• Murraya Shrub
• Singapore Cherry or Nei Pazhamaram (Prunus salicifolia)
• Sapota (Achras zapota)
• For a general list of fruit trees, check this link http://ramyanursery.in/tablefruitplants.html

• Owls - Owls generaly live in dead trees and hence we should not cut down dead trees.  Rather we should allow the Owls to take shelter in them as they are good at limiting the rate menace.

• Bats - We need to have plants (to be updated later) in our fences so that the Bats can take shelter in them and their droppings are very good for our soil and also they good at limiting the rat menace.

• Others - Rat Snakes, Foxes, Spiders and other animals may take refugee in our fences.  We should welcome them rather than being afraid of them.  These animals eat rats, insects and hence limit the damage to our crops.

• Water - Water is required for all the bees, birds and other animals.  We need to have multiple water points near our fences so that they can quench their thirst.  This water needs to be made freshly available every couple of days.

• Once the fences have grown completely and has become mini-forests, human interference or our own cattle should not go near the fences as it will disturb the wild birds, reptiles etc.