Table of Contents
1. Black locust wood is useful for lumber, paper pulp, posts, and fuel. This clone growing in Hungary is straighter than most trees in North America, where borer insects and heredity typically produce crooked trunks.
Are locust trees good for anything?
The tree has been used to support nutrition in other crops, from grains to other trees. Research has shown increases in nitrogen in barley grain crops interplanted with locust, and black walnuts interplanted with locust as “nurse” trees were shown to rapidly increase their growth.
Are locust trees poisonous?
The bark, seeds, leaves and twigs of the black locust tree are toxic to humans, cattle, poultry, sheep, and horses. The black locust grows 40-100 feet tall and is most common in the southeastern states of the United States. The black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) is extremely poisonous if consumed.
What happens when you cut down a locust tree?
Aspens, willows, poplars, some acacias, some locusts and many others do this. If a tree is cut down and the stump is still connected to living neighbors through the roots, it can survive indefinitely, and you might find it sending up shoots and leaves (even if you keep removing them) for years.
Are locust good for garden?
Giant Grasshoppers and Spur-Throated Locusts may damage citrus foliage and fruit, occasionally other fruits and grapevines, as well as ornamentals such as roses. Wingless Grasshoppers damage bean, brassica, pea and potato plants. Other vegetables may also be damaged if populations are large.
Are locust trees good for firewood?
One lesser-known tree that makes great firewood is black locust. Not surprisingly, the same density and durability that makes black locust good for fence posts also makes it among the best firewood trees.
Why do locust trees have thorns?
These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna, which may also have been involved in seed dispersal, but the size and spacing of them is less useful in defending against smaller extant herbivores such as deer.
Why is it called a locust tree?
Etymology. “Locust” comes from the Latin locusta, meaning both “locust” (the insect) and “lobster”. By analogy with a levantine use of the Greek word for the insect, akris, for the pods of the carob tree which supposedly resembled it, the pod-bearing North American tree was called “locust” starting in the 1630s.
How can you tell a black locust from a honey locust?
Honey locusts can be distinguished from Black Locusts by their longer, widespread thorns and longer seedpods. The bark of the two trees is also quite different in color and shape, and the Black Locusts flowers are large, showy white clusters, while those of the Honey Locust are creamy and insignificant.
Are locust trees bad for dogs?
The entire black locust tree, especially the bark and shoots, is toxic to cats and dogs. If consumed, it can cause kidney failure, weakness, nausea, depression and death. If ingested, any part of the plant is poisonous to dogs and may cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, arrhythmias, and respiratory depression.
Is the honey locust tree poisonous?
Honey locust can produce numerous thorns that are capable of puncturing implement tires. Though not listed as a toxic plant, contact with thorns often results in sore wounds that are slow to heal.
How do I stop my locust tree from shooting?
Option #1: Cut all the honeylocust root suckers at the base and apply a small amount of systemic herbicide, such as Picloram (Pathway or Tordon RTU). Picloram only works on freshly cut stumps.
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.
Should I plant a black locust tree?
Plant black locust trees in a location with full sun or light shade. It prefers loose soil that is moist but well-drained, although it adapts to most soil types. Water the tree often enough to keep the soil moist during its first growing season.
Is black locust a good tree?
Black Locusts are a good tree for erosion control, land reclamation, and for a durable hardwood that grows extremely fast. They benefit wildlife, can be used for fence posts and hardwood lumber, and produce very fragrant flowers in Spring. Why don’t Black Locust Trees rot / decay?.
Is locust the same as grasshopper?
Locusts and grasshoppers are the same in appearance, but locusts can exist in two different behavioural states (solitary and gregarious), whereas most grasshoppers do not. Spur-throated locust nymphs do not form bands and the adults do not lay eggs gregariously, but they do form dense swarms.
What is the hottest burning wood?
The hottest burning wood is Hardwood. Hardwoods like ash, birch, oak, maple, and most fruit trees are the best burning woods that will give you the hottest and longest burning time. These woods have sap, pitch and are cleaner to handle than the softwoods.
Is locust wood easy to split?
Black Locust is easy to split, burns hot but is very difficult to start by itself.
What wood should you not burn in your fireplace?
Watch out for any wood covered with vines. Burning poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, or pretty much anything else with “poison” in the name releases the irritant oil urushiol into the smoke. Breathing it in can cause lung irritation and severe allergic respiratory problems, the Centers for Disease Control state.
