Limestone soils and the brown loams and other well-drained areas in the lowlands of the central Mississippi Valley are particularly favorable for its rapid growth. Chemically-treated lumber lasts a fraction of the lifetime compared to Black Locust. Occasionally small lots of seed are furnished free by the State to adults or 4-H club members. Additional information about growth and insect attack is needed for different regions. The seedlings can sprout and grow fast, enabling this species to colonize disturbed sites very quickly. Black locust is an early-successional plant, preferring full sun and rocky, or sandy, soils. Probably no other forest tree is being planted so extensively for erosion control. (See Department of Agriculture Circ. The black locust makes only a light shade and a thin leaf litter over the surface of the ground. After the young trees reach a height of 8 ​feet or so everything should be done to encourage volunteer growth. This is at the rate of a pound of clean seed from 3½ pounds of pods. ​Natural or volunteer trees of various local species may be expected to come into black locust stands. All other characteristics that do not affect the durability of this product are also admitted — surface checks, mineral streaks, bark insertions, and grub holes. Black Locust Gardens, Dexter, Michigan. This is understandable, as this tree's roots have characteristics of both. Vigorous growing trees might well be shaped by pruning in the first season, and conversely slow developing trees might not need pruning until their third year. In other localities the injury done by this insect makes attempts to grow the tree almost impracticable. Invades forests, upland prairies and savannas, pastures, old fields, and roadsides. This applies more particularly to trees grown in open stands about the farm, rather than to forest-grown trees. The trunk is nearly all heartwood, which is formed comparatively early in the life of the tree. It may be well to mention a few of the essentials for success in planting, as far as known at the present time. Some soils require only acid phosphate. In regions where the borers are not a serious pest and in good-quality soils where growth will likely be rapid, plantings of locust alone will often give satisfactory results. per bushel. In planting, the seedling and particularly the roots should be kept moist at all times. 5). A better planting bed is made by running a middlebuster or lister plow and afterward throwing a furrow inward from each side (fig. digger may prepare the ground for two or more setters, or in hard ground it may be necessary for two men to dig the requisite large, well-cultivated holes or spots while one man sets the trees. Beating a strong sack filled with dry pods with a flail or club is a good method for small quantities. General Root Zone Characteristics The mature walnut tree's root system is a combination of a taproot from its youth, downward-angled roots and horizontal roots near the soil surface. Figure 3.—Black locust is in good demand for use in making fence posts, stakes, insulator pins, and treenails. Tyloses are plant tissues that block cell vessels making them watertight. It would be better to continue cultivation during the second year. It makes large burrows which weaken the tree and sometimes result in its death by wind or heavy girdling. Therefore the soil dries and hardens, becoming unfavorable to good rates of growth. For brush dams use scrubby or low-grade trees or brush and cut the limbs and trunks into lengths of 4 feet or more, depending upon the width of the gully. Closely related is the effect of severe drought in lessening the vitality of black locust trees to a point where the borer readily overcomes the weakened resistance of the trees and severely injures or kills them. Fall planting is dangerous in all tight soils because of probable injury from frost heaving. Because of this, Black Locust can be hard to control. Black Locust wood is a sustainable alternative to endangered tropical hardwoods, chemically treated lumber, and decay-prone woods. The richer and moister the soil within certain limits the more rapidly the trees grow and the sooner their roots and their tops meet. It is usually very narrow, consisting of only the last three or four rings of new wood. The tree arrived as a 6ft long stick with almost no root system at all - the tap root had been snipped through close to the base of the trunk - I planted it but was sure it was doomed. By planting on good soils, by interplanting with other heavy-foliaged trees, or by moderate spacing and good cultivation, black locust can often be grown with fair to good success in insect-infested localities. Overpruning should be avoided, as severe cutting almost stops the growth of the tree. Exhibits alkaline and saline tolerance. It adapts well to a variety of soils and can survive droughts and harsh winters. The results appear to be poor whenever this is done. The sapwood decays more rapidly. Black Locust wood is not toxic, however, just like any other tree it can trigger allergies. Black Locust seedlings can grow quite quickly, but because the seeds have a thick coat, not all of the seeds will end up germinating. Two varieties of locust tree grow in the United States, the honey locust tree and black locust tree. If seedlings are to be held over or stored after digging they should be heeled in. 9). Thus, it is easy both to start a tract of young trees and to get another generation of trees following cutting. Sometimes the planter drops the trees far ahead of the setting, and the tree dries; this may not kill the seedling but injures its vitality and chances of good growth. Range & Habitat: Black Locust is occasional throughout Illinois (see Distribution Map). Slightly acid soils seem favorable. Since 1914, in cooperation with landowners, the State forest service has assisted in the reforesting of several thousand acres. The rate of growth of black locust varies widely in different soils and climates in the United States, ranging all the way from extremely fast to very slow. It is native to the United States but is plentiful globally. Before attempting to plant black locust on a considerable scale, it would be advisable to secure information and advice from one or more of the local State forestry agencies, as a necessary supplement to that contained in this bulletin. All dams should be low, often 18 inches but not to exceed 2 feet in height. The tops and larger roots should not be bruised or otherwise injured. Digging, storing, and transporting seedlings, Treatment helpful in reducing insect Attack, https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Growing_black_locust_trees&oldid=8999318, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The borer is found in practically all parts of the United States where black locust is growing. The cost per acre has been reported as not more than 60 cents. Visually, Black Locust wood is known for its knots, mineral streaks, checks, minor grub holes, and bark insertions. Q: My husband and I bought a new house last October in Lexington, Ky. Halfway through our backyard was a row of locust trees. In a five-year old alley cropping system in Brandenburg, Germany, the extension of the root system of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) trees into the neighbouring agricultural field alleys was investigated. Visually, Black Locust wood is known for its knots, mineral streaks, checks, and bark insertions. The probable cause is the variation in hardness or density of the seed ​coats and the consequently varying degree to which moisture, necessary for germination, passes through them. For example, in parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana which are generally supposed to be in the favorable range of black locust, there have been conflicting reports regarding the success and profit in growing black locust. The tools most commonly used are a mattock or a light grub hoe. However, locust is successfully grown in various other places in these States, and the State forestry agencies of practically all of these States are recommending the planting of locust. Afterward ​there is a continuing loss of seed from the pods. They are most susceptible to infestation and often become breeding trees for insects. The presence of the young borer is easily detected in the early spring. It is much in demand for use as fence posts, stakes, and poles. This should be prepared in the following proportion: 1 gallon of orthodichlorobenzene, 1 gallon of soft water, and 1 pound of fish-oil soap or common laundry soap. … 2 and 3). Acknowledgment is made of the information on the locust borer, locust twig borer, and leaf miner, and helpful measures for their control furnished by Ralph C. Hall, assistant entomologist, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, associated with the Central States Forest Experiment Station at Columbus, Ohio. The reason is obvious, and it should be noted specially that black locust is particularly susceptible to injury and death by burning. Such trees develop heart decay (fig. The black locust tree is also called “False Acacia,” “Fragrant White Locust,” and “Common Robinia.” It is native to states such as Pennsylvania, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and southern Ohio. Otherwise the spring sowing is often best to take advantage of the spring moisture. Leaves and Seed Pods. The twig borer is the chief cause of insect damage to young stock growing in nurseries. Place these across the gully. Some scientists classify the honey locust root system as a heart root system, while others classify it as a tap root system. When dried, the pods may be opened by flailing, beating, or rubbing. However, experiments in adding a teaspoonful of commercial fertilizer, containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, have shown decidedly good results in stimulated vigor during the first 2 years. The extensive root sucker networks that black locust trees produce mean that tree is a very resilient species. The root system of black locust is dimorphic, heart-shaped: when young, it develops a tap root which is supplemented by further vertical roots extending down to 40–60 cm (Spîrchez et al. Under irrigation it is proving successful and valuable in many parts of the Western States. Some people are allergic to the roots or the bark of Black Locust wood. A serious menace, however, to the growth of black locust is an insect known as the locust borer. Soil pH - 4.5 to 8.0. Serious losses from the locust borer have been reported from various places in Pennsylvania, from the low country of the Ohio River Valley and other parts of Ohio and Kentucky, from parts of Indiana and of the Iowa-Missouri area. Where steep slopes or washed or gullied lands. It reproduces by root suckering and stump sprouting to form clones, which are all connected by a fibrous root system. It is good practice to peel the bark before using the wood for posts or poles (figs. Other types of check dams are built of stone, logs, or other material, often with heavy chicken wire and grass, straw, or light tree tops. Scant data are available on the cost of extracting and cleaning black locust seed, but in fair-sized operations it should not cost over 3 cents. If cutting of trees is in progress, the pods may be picked most easily. All seedlings with slender taproots may be regarded as culls, particularly if the tops are over 8 to 12 inches in length. Please contact a Black Locust specialist for more information. The seed yield from different lots of seed varies greatly, ranging from 2 to 5 pounds of clean seed per bushel of pods, probably averaging about 3 pounds. Black locust is widely recognized as a tree of exceptional value for checking soil erosion and washing and for that purpose has come to be used extensively in many regions. The number of the crew is varied, depending on the ease of planting; one. rays, rain, snow and oxygen. A rather common spacing for tree production is 6 by 6 feet apart each way (Fig. Old attacks may be recognized by calloused swellings on the trunk or large branches. BLACK OR "YELLOW" LOCUST (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) makes rapid growth on good soils, grows moderately well on average grades of farm soils, is easily propagated, and produces very durable wood. There is a widespread habit of allowing black locust trees to grow beyond their age of maturity, which is often 20 to 30 years. Such trees commonly can be grown in about 12 to 15 years where soil and climate are favorable (fig. Black locust has a shallow, aggressive root system. Pruning should be done in midsummer, as there is then the least opportunity for successful sprouting. If set out late in the spring after leafing starts, the seedlings should be cut back nearly to the ground. However, excellent results have followed with small trees averaging some less than 12 inches in height. The pinnately compound leaves are 8 to 14 inches Environmental Requirements Soils Soil Texture - Most favorable sites are rich, moist bottom-lands, but adapted to a variety of soils. Probably no other forest tree is being planted so extensively for erosion control. It is a legume, which in part accounts for its power of growth in lean soils and makes it actually a soil enricher. 17). The soap is dissolved in boiling water and after the mixture has been well cooled, the orthodichlorobenzene is added, and the whole stirred well. If planted in a small hole in hard though fertile soil, the locust may barely live for a year or more but seldom makes a normal growth. (2) The chemical method is to treat the seed with sulphuric acid. The menace of this insect should be carefully considered before choosing black locust as a tree to plant. The explanation seems to lie largely in the favorableness or unfavorableness of the soil. As a legume, this tree can thrive and grow rapidly in nitrogen-deficient soils. 16) or in 20 years in less favorable places. Likewise on poorer or drier soil the opposite is generally true, and more trees per unit of area are usually planted. (9) Thin out the less vigorous trees in black locust stands (fig. Obviously the cut from a tree depends upon its height, diameter, and the straightness and soundness of its trunk. The digging, or lifting, and all subsequent handling of locust planting stock require special care. One of Black Locust wood’s distinct characteristics is its ability to accept stain or paint. A fundamental requirement is good moisture and warmth during the germination period, which in warm spring weather may be 10 to 14 days. One-year-old seedlings are universally used, as 2-year stock is practically always too large to handle economically. Cattle and horses, as well as sheep and goats, browse freely on the locust twigs and branches and often break down young trees. The distance apart, and, therefore, the number of trees to be planted per acre, depends mainly upon the purpose of planting, upon topography, and upon soil conditions. Only rarely does it produce seed, and these are mostly infertile; thus shipmast locust is reproduced only vegetatively, by means of root cuttings (4 to 5 inches in length) and sprouts. The planting of black locust involves a risk of some damage and, in some localities, of serious loss because of the locust borer. Adult moths of the first generation appear about May or June and those of the second generation in August or September. The seeds do not germinate freely without attention. Personally, at our farm, Black locust has found a nice in our pastures, where it quickly establishes itself and is able to be integrated with our sheep grazing paddocks in under 5 years. Pines may be set in firm soil; but to be successful, locust should be set in ground that has been well broken and worked to make a good plant bed. Black locust or honey? Dams built in the summer or fall should get a good catch of soil in which to set locust seedlings the following spring. 1962; Benčať pers.comm. Black locust trees are survivors and have very tenacious roots. Note.—The numbers are complete as they stand. Trees or other growth near gullies should not be cut, as their living roots and tops will be of much value in binding the soil and checking surface erosion. The wood is heavy, hard, and very durable. 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