Any suggestions??

[Whitespider]

I just walked next door to the shop and picked up about a dozen or so Honey Locust pods.
I'm figuring it'll be fun for the 5-year-old and I to start them in the house, and latter transplant them in the yard a woodlot.
Besides, I need something to replace all the dead and dieing elm trees, the soon to be dead ash trees and of course the oaks getting hit by wilt and such.

So... what do I need to know about planting Honey Locust from seeds?

 

[Mac88]

So... what do I need to know about planting Honey Locust from seeds?

Soil, water, sunlight. I like planting trees.

 

[Cheesecutter]

I hope there the thorn free variety.

 

[Woody912]

I just walked next door to the shop and picked up about a dozen or so Honey Locust pods.
I'm figuring it'll be fun for the 5-year-old and I to start them in the house, and latter transplant them in the yard a woodlot.
Besides, I need something to replace all the dead and dieing elm trees, the soon to be dead ash trees and of course the oaks getting hit by wilt and such.

So... what do I need to know about planting Honey Locust from seeds?

That they have enormous thorns that I would not want anywhere around my house. I suspect the thornless ones are either sterile or might come as 2nd generation thorned ones. They are hard to kill when they get started!!!

 

[Whitespider]

These trees (three of them) are thorn-less... but that's a good point about the thorns., something I hadn't really thought about.
From my studying I've learned there are two ways to get a thorn-less Honey Locust...
1) Selective breeding, in which case I'd think the seed would produce thorn-less trees (but I ain't sure, just guessin').
2) Using shoots from upper thorn-less branches, in which case I'd think the seed would produce trees with thorrns (but I ain't sure, just guessin').
I think I'll go with the idea they're thorn-less... but still use a bit of common sense where I plant them.

I also read soaking them in water until they swell and starting them in the house woks better that scarification... but, that's only what I've read, and that's why I'm asking.

 

[Cheesecutter]

I've seen here on AS that locust spread like wildfire. I don't see that at all. I have that big thorny bugger in my pasture and my neighbor across the road has a thorn less one. I've been here 30 years and to my knowledge neither of these trees has reproduced even though both have a ton of pods. I know the cows eat any leaf they can reach, but today I read they also go nuts for the pods. I wonder if the thorn-less aren't fertile.

 

[rarefish383]

Whitespider, If you can find some of the seed pods from the old thorned Honey Locust, the ones that are about a foot long, they are fatter than the thorn less ones. If you peel them open they have a thick stringy yellowish goo in them that really does taste like honey. I guy that used to work for my Dad made beer out of them. Good luck with your project, Joe.

 

[kyle1!]

I have thorny locust in my yard near my garden and I'm pulling/hoeing alot of them every year. They can be invasive within a certain distance of the tree if left undisturbed but since the seeds are not wind blown or spread easily by animals you don't see them spread like wildfire such as mulberry, silver maple or cottonwood. I planted some pods and just seeds of THL in a ground out stump last fall hopefully they come up. THL are pretty quick growers once started.

If I'm planting tree seeds I will soak them in water because the bad seed usually floats and the good seed will sink. Then I let mother nature do the work by planting the seeds in the fall for winter stratification. Keep the area mulched and fenced to keep the critters away. M success rate is rather good with seed but I'm planting hundreds of seeds for that 1 or 2 trees.

Brian