honey locust for homesteaders

[Paul Wheaton]

I've heard that the new thornless honeylocusts have almost no pods.

I've heard that the pods from the honeylocusts make great animal feed.

Anybody know of honeylocusts that are low on thorns and high on pods?

[kathy H]

I dont know the answer but in Robert Rodales book save three lifes he talked about using legume trees for shade and trimming them for firewood and animal feed and mulch. I think he mentions honey locust in the book.

[Maura]

If you can find thorned honeylocust, go look at them. Each tree will have more or less thorns. Choose the least thorny one. I'm planning on doing that myself. You can also cut the thorns off. I believe they will grow back, but you can cut them off again.

[Paul Wheaton]

About the thorns: they can punture tractor tires and were used long ago as nails.

Here is what I just learned with an extended google session: there are male and female honey locusts. Only the female have pods. Town folks with lawns hate the pods. Country folks with animals love the pods.

The thorned varieties can make for a good, home grown barbed wire fence.

There are male and female thornless varieties. There are male and female thorned varieties.

Now the question is: What is the best time of year to plant them? Spring?

[Jaclynne]

Where you live will determine the best planting time.

I don't know if you are familiar/experienced with locust trees, but they will not stay neatly planted in a little line, they are very envasive and require constant mowing to keep them in check. They spread everywhere and those thorns are a real pain! Yes, they puncture tractor tires.


Life is good! , and we can't get rid of the locust trees at our place! :no:

Halo

[Paul Wheaton]

This will be on some patches of ground where we are having a hard time getting anything to grow. So having it spread will be great. Plus, I suspect that new sprouts will get grazed.

[Gercarson]

I've always heard (never actually done it) that Honey Locust makes the very best and longest lasting fence posts - this would make them a valuable tree in my opinion. Any experience with this statement anyone?

[scott]

My record for holes in one single tractor tire is 27 .....

the money and time spent on fixing flats (especially calcium loaded rears which require a home visit from the tire service) would buy a helluva lot of feed.

my two pennies worth.

[Paul Wheaton]

Scott, would this be with a "thornless" honey locust that happened to still have a few thorns, or would it be with a "regular" honey locust?

[scott]

i remember having or seeing a debate here (maybe on the old forum) about honey locust. Seems that there is a regional definition for the tree. The gentleman i attempt to keep bees with calls black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
honey locust because the flowers in the spring are a great early food source for the bees. The black locust makes great fence post and really hot firewood. I have always assumed that honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis) is the variety with the big nasty thorns and only good for killing tires and causing emergency room trips. It actually burns really hot as well but you don't want to waste time trying to get it to hold a fence up for long. Black locust does also have thorns... most pronounced when the tree is very young, as the tree ages they do become manangable.

I love black locust even though they are considered a trash tree.

on the honey locust .... no thanks .... i'm told there are some thornless honey locust in ohio but according to a forestor i worked with for many years, they are few and far between.