honey locust facts

Interesting Honey locust Facts: Honey locust can reach from 66 to 100 feet in height. Entire tree (except ornamental varieties) is covered with sharp thorns. Honey locust has dark grey or black bark that is deeply furrowed on the older trees.

What is honey locust good for?

Honey locust wood is easily split, capable of obtaining a high luster finish, and is durable when in contact with soil. For these reasons, timber from honey locust has been used as fence posts, railroad ties, furniture, warehouse or shipping pallets, tool handles and fuel.

How fast does honey locust grow?

Honey locusts are hardy, strong and commonly able to tolerate wind storms, ice, soil compacting foot traffic, and pollution. They also grow fast – about 20 feet high in their first decade – and eventually up to 70 feet.

What kills honey locust?

Option #2: Unearth the stump, make a fresh chainsaw cut across the stump, and apply a systemic herbicide, such as Picloram (Pathway or Tordon RTU). In essence, you are introducing herbicide to the entire root system, thereby effectively killing the stump and all future root suckers.

How long do honey locust trees live?

Growth is rapid and trees live to a maximum of about 125 years. The only serious disease of honey-locust is a canker, which is occasionally fatal, but trees in landscape plantings may be damaged by a number of pests and pathogens.

How can you tell a honey locust?

Usually honey locust will have VERY pronounced thorns, usually extending from the trunk, not the branches. The thorns are MUCH longer than those of black locust. Also, the bark is generally a bit smoother on honey locust if the tree is small, then cracking a bit like hickory as it gets larger.

Can humans eat honey locust pods?

The pulp on the inside of the pods is edible (unlike the black locust, which is toxic) and consumed by wildlife and livestock. Despite its name, the honey locust is not a significant honey plant.

Is honey locust invasive?

Honey locusts are deciduous and bear compound leaves, often with numerous leaflets. ... The common honey locust, or thorny locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), of North America is a popular ornamental plant, though it is an aggressive invasive species in some areas outside its native range.

Is honey locust nitrogen fixing?

Honeylocust is a member of the leguminous family, but lacks the root nodules where bacteria symbiotically fix atmospheric nitrogen. ... Recent research at Yale University in the USA suggests that honeylocust does fix nitrogen directly in its roots without the formation of nodules.

Are honey locust fast growing?

This tree grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24" per year.

Are honey locust trees valuable?

Since sawlog quality trees are not abundant, the species is not often traded in the wholesale market, but sooner or later, every hardwood sawmill will likely produce some honey locust lumber. For the woodworker looking for something a little different and at a reasonable price, honey locust could be the ticket.

How do you keep a locust tree from spreading?

One method of honey locust control and black locust control is to cut back the trees every growing season. Cut both new stems and new growth—you likely will need to repeat this step several times over the years. Spreading hay over the area could help prevent new trees from sprouting.

How do you get rid of locusts?

How Do You Get Rid of Locusts?

Protecting valuable shrubs and garden plants with insect mesh or cloth that is not green because green colors tend to attract locusts.
Removing locusts by handpicking them off plants.

Is honey locust good for firewood?

Honey Locust - Honey locust firewood is excellent for burning. It is a very dense hardwood that puts out a lot of heat and a very long burn. For firewood, it is comparable to black locust as far as heat output. It is a wood that can spark and pop so best to have a closed fireplace or wood stove when burning indoors.

Do honey locust trees bloom?

Honeylocust blooms appear on the tree between May and June, clustered on racemes. The small blooms of the thornless honeylocust are yellow, greenish yellow or greenish white and are not terribly showy. ... Blooms give way to large seed pods which can grow up to 12 inches long or more, but are usually between 6 and 12.

Why is it called a honey locust tree?

Description: The Gleditsia triacanthos, or honey locust as its commonly called, is a decidious tree native to the central United States. It blooms relatively late in the spring and produces yellow leaves in autumn. The tree gets its name from the sweet, sticky pulp it produces.

What's the difference between black locust and honey locust?

Bark and Thorns: The black locust tree has bark of a dark color with a pattern of furrows that look like rope that's intertwined. Honey locust trees, on the other hand, can have brown or gray bark, and you'll see clusters of red-brown thorns among the branches or single thorns lining each stem.

How deep are honey locust roots?

Honey locusts have strong, deep taproots that extend as far as 20 feet down as opposed to most trees, which only extend 3 to 7 feet beneath the surface However, unlike the classic tap root system, honey locust trees also have profusely branching roots, as is characteristic of heart root systems.

Do honey locust trees smell?

The flowers of the honey locust tree are petite and pale green. In male trees, the flowers form in dense clusters, while female flowers are more loosely arranged. They have a very strong scent.

How do you eat a honey locust?

As for honey locust, I have eaten the hard mature seeds (roasted and boiled). Roasted they are soft enough to consume, though still a bit harder then anything you would normally eat. A bit of a sweet flavor. Taste pretty good, but it's a bit like eating a sunflower shell (in texture).

Is black locust edible?

Although the bark and leaves are toxic, various reports suggest that the seeds and the young pods of the black locust are edible. Shelled seeds are safe to harvest from summer through fall, and are edible both raw and/or boiled.

Are locust seeds poisonous?

Toxicity: Black locust is poisonous to all animals if ingested. Although fatal cases are rare, recovery may take several days or even weeks. There have been reports of children poisoned by chewing the inner bark or eating seeds.