Wooden Fence Posts

[oldmajor]

Hello All,

I am a newbie to anything agricultural in Thailand so I apologise in advance for any crazy sounding plans or comments.

I plan on fencing off approximately 5 rai with wooden fence posts and barbed wire, then grow a hedge around the fence to eventually cover it.

Is it possible to find fence +/- 1.5 m posts around the Korat area. Most people I have spoken to say that they are prohibitively expensive. Untreated posts would be OK as I think that the fence would be of sufficient size before the termites finish off the posts.

[loong]

Probably, the cheapest available is eucalyptus.

100mm + diameter will last about 2 years untreated where it contacts the soil. 50mm diameter and you'd be lucky to get 6 months.

You may find that the best option would be bamboo.

I don't know the variety, but people around here make tables etc and get truck loads of a thick wall bamboo delivered approx 60 mm diameter. The hole in the middle is usually no more than about 20mm

Last time I enquired, a 6 meter length was 20 Baht when buying large quantities.

I have used this and it last years untreated. The Thais will often tie this in bundles and leave to soak in a river or lake to remove the sugar content. It really lasts well then.

Note: initially bamboo will float, but only because of the air trapped in the center. If water permeates the bamboo and fills the center, the bamboo will sink as it is more dense than water.

[cooked]

Why not just use bamboo? Sorry, I just saw the above post.

We have a thorny bamboo which I hate to chop down as does my BIL (I said THORNY) Once the thorns are gone, a real pleasure to work with, you have a solid post. I paid ฿100 for 10 pieces 6 meters long, you have to get out in the villages for this kind of stuff.

I have heard that you can roast bamboo to make it keep longer.

There is a whole new world of technology when you start using bamboo.

[oldmajor]

Thanks a lot Gents. I suppose that I could use 2 or 3 large wooden stretching posts along each length and bamboo as normal posts. Would you use wire to hold the barbed wire in place? I imagine that the bamboo will be to brittle or hard to knock staples into.

[loong]

Thanks a lot Gents. I suppose that I could use 2 or 3 large wooden stretching posts along each length and bamboo as normal posts. Would you use wire to hold the barbed wire in place? I imagine that the bamboo will be to brittle or hard to knock staples into.

If you use staples, try to fix close to the thickest part where the bamboo is solid. Also angle it so that both points of the staple are not going into the same grain line. Use the smallest staples that you can get away with

[cooked]

I would tie it with wire, but if you feel adventurous you can use bamboo fibres to tie.. thorny bamboo can be stapled anywhere but staples? been looking for a long time for staples... maybe with a nail gun....

[samuijimmy]

From my experience from using wood or bamboo, here, two years is about the limit before rotting or being eaten by termites....

What about T bar or even galvanized metal post for longer term survival of the fence ?

[shaggy1969]

Are you planning on using the wood/bamboo fence only as a frame for your hedge to grow around?

If you plant a quick growing hedge then bamboo should be ok.

Personally I would go for concrete poles,the reason being is that they will out last everything and you will always have a clear boundary marker whether your hedge succeeds to grow or not.

[XINLOI]

From my experience from using wood or bamboo, here, two years is about the limit before rotting or being eaten by termites....

What about T bar or even galvanized metal post for longer term survival of the fence ?

No quality steel here in Thailand, it is very soft and will rust away very fast. I would suggest using hardwood posts for the fence, they will last longer than the barbed wire. The barbed wire might last 2 years, if your lucky! Edited April 20, 2013 by XINLOI

[Jotham79]

I've got barbed wire around 45 rai and had it there for 10 years on concrete posts. It is a little rusty but showing no signs that it will fail. I did make some steel posts out of angle iron and primed them and they are all but gone.

[Canada]

cement posts

why would you need to fence off 5 rai?

[oldmajor]

Are you planning on using the wood/bamboo fence only as a frame for your hedge to grow around?

If you plant a quick growing hedge then bamboo should be ok.

Personally I would go for concrete poles,the reason being is that they will out last everything and you will always have a clear boundary marker whether your hedge succeeds to grow or not.

Yes, the plan was to put in wooden (or possibly bamboo now) fence posts and wire, then let the hedge grow over it.

You are right, with concrete posts, when its done, its a permanent boundary.

[moench]

I use concrete post and barbed wire for 40 rai , one post is just 90 bath, or you plant eucalyptus -so after max. 2years fix the wire to the tree and you have a nice live fence .

[oldmajor]

cement posts

why would you need to fence off 5 rai?

This will be the site for house and garden / veggie patch

[teletiger]

Why not go with a bougainvilla every 75 cms. (25 Baht each, or free if you can bother) Planted now, it will be up by November and in 2 years a rhino would have trouble getting through it,

No posts, no barbed wire, just natural beauty.
Regards.

[oldmajor]

DSC00345.JPGWhy not go with a bougainvilla every 75 cms. (25 Baht each, or free if you can bother) Planted now, it will be up by November and in 2 years a rhino would have trouble getting through it,

No posts, no barbed wire, just natural beauty.

Regards.

Wow...... Is that your hedge Teletiger? How large are the plants that you buy for 25 Baht?

Does anybody else have photos of hedges, flowered or otherwise, in their splendour?

[teletiger]

25 baht will get you plants that stand about 60 cms (2 ft) If you plant your own "grazed" sticks it will take an extra year. The photo in the previous post was my neighbour's hedge in Khao Yai.

3 years old and he had just let it go. Trim it back in mid October (before the rains finish) just to shape it and wait for the Jan/Feb/March spectacular. The wicked spines on them prohibit most animals. Grown through a tree they will reach 15 metres.
Do some research. There is also a vibrant green "box" type hedge that gives a wonderful display of lilac flowers twice a year. Can't think of the name right now.

regards

[loong]

Some info about living fences that may be useful

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/E66CDFDB-0A0D-4DDE-8AB1-74D9D8C3EDD4/Living_Fence--Its_Role_on_the_Small_Farm.pdf

I have seen people plant tamarind seeds very close together to make a living fence, Fast growing and straight.

[samuijimmy]

From my experience from using wood or bamboo, here, two years is about the limit before rotting or being eaten by termites....

What about T bar or even galvanized metal post for longer term survival of the fence ?

No quality steel here in Thailand, it is very soft and will rust away very fast. I would suggest using hardwood posts for the fence, they will last longer than the barbed wire. The barbed wire might last 2 years, if your lucky!

Disagree with that, I have galvanized posts that have been in for five years... still going strong.... and barbed wire will last much longer than two years...

[Morakot]

Untreated posts would be OK as I think that the fence would be of sufficient size before the termites finish off the posts.

An easy and affordable method could be fire-treating the timer posts, especially the part close to the ground and beneath it. It will last considerably longer with a sufficient top layer of charcoal.

[teletiger]

'And anyway, if it's a temporary structure, why use barbed wire? Useful for collecting animal hair as they pass over/through it, granted.
If your idea is a temporary support for a living fence then use short bamboo posts with a 1 or 2 strand wire. Wait for a bit of rain and knock the posts in. (digging costs more)

Posts will cost you 5 Baht each. (Or less. 20 Baht for a 6 metre pole) Cheap is good in your case. You want it to fall down after 2 years Keeping it up for more than 2 years costs money...

Regards.

[oldmajor]

25 baht will get you plants that stand about 60 cms (2 ft) If you plant your own "grazed" sticks it will take an extra year. The photo in the previous post was my neighbour's hedge in Khao Yai.

3 years old and he had just let it go. Trim it back in mid October (before the rains finish) just to shape it and wait for the Jan/Feb/March spectacular. The wicked spines on them prohibit most animals. Grown through a tree they will reach 15 metres.

Do some research. There is also a vibrant green "box" type hedge that gives a wonderful display of lilac flowers twice a year. Can't think of the name right now.

regards

Teletiger, I have tried Googling various connotations of "Box Hedge - Lilac - Vibrant Green" on T'internet but I'm not having any luck in finding the name of the hedge you mentioned. Has the name come back to you?

[shaggy1969]

After doing some searching I found an archived post that teletiger made about hedges.I think that Bougainvillea is the name of the lilac flowering shrub that you were looking for.

I also came across another archived post on hedges whilst I was searching for you and found this thread showing a beautiful looking shrub called Ixora.

Hope this helps

Chokdee

Shaggy

[oldmajor]

Thanks a lot Shaggy, I appreciate the effort. I don't seem to have any luck with the search feature on TV. I punched in "hedges" but came back with nothing like the posts that you have found.

[shaggy1969]

Thanks a lot Shaggy, I appreciate the effort. I don't seem to have any luck with the search feature on TV. I punched in "hedges" but came back with nothing like the posts that you have found.

No problem oldmajor,was happy to help,funnily enough I found the TV threads whilst googling....maybe didn't show up on your search because they were archived posts.

[NeverSure]

Hi Guys, I know nothing, LOL.

Does soaking a fence post in creosote do any good in LOS? At the ranch the only free fence posts we had were pine, and pine is way soft and not durable in the ground against rot and termites. If we had it, we'd put about a 2 foot (2/3 meter) depth of creosote in a 55 gallon drum and then stand fence posts in that for about a week. Of course we had several drums going.

Lacking creosote, we'd use used motor oil and mix a concentrated insecticide in it and use that as a substitute. Doing that would triple the life of a post.

We didn't have the humidity though, so I wouldn't know.

[Dancealot]

Thanks a lot Gents. I suppose that I could use 2 or 3 large wooden stretching posts along each length and bamboo as normal posts. Would you use wire to hold the barbed wire in place? I imagine that the bamboo will be to brittle or hard to knock staples into.

The Oldmajor. With all this fencing you must have a lot of enemies .

Jokes aside. Interesting read

[oldmajor]

Thanks a lot Gents. I suppose that I could use 2 or 3 large wooden stretching posts along each length and bamboo as normal posts. Would you use wire to hold the barbed wire in place? I imagine that the bamboo will be to brittle or hard to knock staples into.

The Oldmajor. With all this fencing you must have a lot of enemies .

Jokes aside. Interesting read

Nice One I am afterall, only the middleman............

[oldmajor]

Hi Guys, I know nothing, LOL.

Does soaking a fence post in creosote do any good in LOS? At the ranch the only free fence posts we had were pine, and pine is way soft and not durable in the ground against rot and termites. If we had it, we'd put about a 2 foot (2/3 meter) depth of creosote in a 55 gallon drum and then stand fence posts in that for about a week. Of course we had several drums going.

Lacking creosote, we'd use used motor oil and mix a concentrated insecticide in it and use that as a substitute. Doing that would triple the life of a post.

We didn't have the humidity though, so I wouldn't know.

We used to do exactly the same. The posts would last years. I wonder if termites would tackle creosote?

[Dancealot]

Thanks a lot Gents. I suppose that I could use 2 or 3 large wooden stretching posts along each length and bamboo as normal posts. Would you use wire to hold the barbed wire in place? I imagine that the bamboo will be to brittle or hard to knock staples into.

The Oldmajor. With all this fencing you must have a lot of enemies .

Jokes aside. Interesting read

Nice One I am afterall, only the middleman............

Aren't we all...

Thanks Sailor..

Reminds me of Wild at Heart. Profound movie .