Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management Black Locust yay/nay ?

At first I thought this might be some type of shrub Esperanza. App ID lists it as Black Locust. I have Honey Locust on the property and I try to kill it whenever I can just because of the thorns vs tires issue. There’s a lot of this showing up in an area that the timber was cut a couple of years ago.

A search shows it offers some browse opportunities for deer, quail utilize the seeds and it’s a host for a bunch of butterflies/insects.

That being said, if it has the thorn characteristics as the Honey Locust I’m thinking about spraying it. Anyone have any positive experience with it ?

I have a large black locust with no thorns. Can’t say anything positive or negative about it. I have a decent sized honey locust nearby with sparse thorns. Around it are seedlings or suckers that do have spines. I’ve been cutting them to the ground as they are in the lawn-adjacent area of my camp. I have about 40 honey locust seedlings from collected pods that I plan to put along a perimeter on my property to keep two-legged varmints off it.

If you want to plant a living security hedge I can probably get you some Trifoliate Orange cuttings or seed. That stuff is evil.

Kbush, I have a few stands of trifoliate orange on the property already. But the locust has wildlife value which the orange does not.

I would spray them out. They do have thorns and wildlife benefit is minimal compared to what they may compete with.

Thanks. That was the general direction I was leaning.

But you have to admit, it makes one heckuva barrier

What about the fact that they are a nitrogen producing legume??.....Are there other species that benefit from the locust's presence that might not be there otherwise??......I'm not sure about it but I would think an individual plant of the size of a tree would have a bigger footprint in this manner than just your regular old bean or something......Just a thought

Potential cover for quail or young turkeys was another thing that came to mind looking at the shape of it......especially if you could get it to grow bushy

I’ve got a ton of black berry brambles (too many probably) and a bunch of Beauty Berry in the area.

There’s just not that many “legume trees” out there in the mix as compared to other things……I was just looking it up and didn’t realize redbud was also a legume……along with mesquite and acacia……Acacia is a common tree used in helping to restore areas of desert…..

I would be inclined to want to leave some of it and at least observe it as I have to imagine that it fills a niche that few other plants can duplicate……To me legumes seem like the most important species that we manage and it would just not feel like I was taking the right path to be blessed with a crop of legume trees and then kill them even if I didn’t understand their purpose in the beginning…….This is just me thinking out loud though so by all means kill it if that’s your prerogative

Edit: That's ^^^^^ assuming you're not gonna be driving a tractor over this area

Yeah that whole driving tractor/SXS is what creates my problem with both Locust species.

Some google info..........

A mature black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) fixes and deposits approximately 75 to 200 kg of nitrogen per hectare each year, which equates to roughly 65 to 178 pounds per acre.

The tree acts as a natural fertilizer through a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria (Rhizobium) in its root nodules, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms. This nitrogen is released into the surrounding ecosystem via

-- Leaf litter: Black locust leaves are high in nitrogen and decompose quickly. Research shows that leaf litter can return around 86 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ to the soil.

-- Root decay: Root die-off and nodules continually feed surrounding soil.

Because of this nitrogen-fixing capacity, soils situated under established black locust trees often display elevated organic matter and double the local nitrogen levels compared to adjacent non-leguminous forests.

You sure that's a Black Locust and not Honey? Black range is Cumberland , Appalachian and Ozark Mountain regions. Very young Black Locust can have thorns , but "lose" them . They are nowhere near as large and long as Honey Locust .

Not 100% sure. Was going off what app told me. I know leaf shape can vary, especially on young seedlings, but these leaves are more round and equal in shape than the Honey Locust I’m familiar with.

I may let a few go to see how they develop.

My brother eats those pods when they dry some (Honey Locust).He said they’re good. I haven’t…..

Not going to say I wouldn’t, but I haven’t been that hungry since 1987 (USAF survival school Fairchild AFB)

There's a couple of them on the edge of one of our green fields. When they go to dropping pods, the deer start wearing them out.