Anyone have advice on how far apart to plant Poncirus to make a good security hedge? I'm hoping to eventually be able to keep deer out of an orchard planting. I'm thinking of spacing something like every 2 feet, but I couldn't find a value with a quick web search. Would it be the same spacing for Flying Dragon as for standard Poncirus?
Thanks,
Greg

How far apart the individual plantings are all depends on the size of the trees you are starting with. Poncirus hedges, especially FD hedges, do become impenetrable when they FINALLY grow to maturity. A poncirus hedge will of course be a leafless hedge during the winter months. What most people would find to be a major draw back, using a tree such as poncirus is how very slowly they grow. This would especially be a problem in such a short growth season area as Maine. In Maine it will take many many years before a poncirus hedge grows tall enough, and dense enough, to keep out your very first deer. Until your hedge grows to be 7-8 feet in height, at the very MINIMUM, a deer will have no difficulty in the lest jumping the hedge and enjoying your orchid . - Millet 71

My 5 cents: FD will probably grow about twice slower than the standard PT.

... it will grow even slower when the deer will munch it ...

I suggest to combine it with an electric wire or with a row fast growing thorny hedge.

About 4-5 ft apart should do fine for a hedge.

A little off your particular point, but I will throw it in anyway. You can grow a really fast and excellent hedge using a special variety of bush willow. See http://www.doubleawillow.com/

Millet 70

Oh Yes !

Deers love to eat that ...

Millet, thanks for that suggestion. I've always thought the living woven willow fences were interesting...lots of potential for an artistic weaver. I wonder how long such a fence would live?

Laaz, thanks for the spacing number. I would have grown and planted twice what I had to and with potentially worse results...very appreciated.

Sanguinello, an electric wire might be a very good idea. I was also concidering temporary deer fencing to keep them at bay while the hedge grows.

I guess the space Laaz gave is for Poncirus trifoliata.
I would choose that anyways, for Flying Dragon grows much slower and hardly gets 2 meter ever.
That would not stop a deer that really wants to get over.
Of course you could make also a wider space, but then it takes longer till the spaces are filled.

Well, that is far too close !

I would dig out every second.

Well, your climate is perfect ... in a colder climate it is as I said ...