Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) organically grown flower seeds. Floral Encounters.
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Item # Packet size Nett Weight Number Seeds(approx) Price Qty
Small 0.18 g 10 Seeds. $1.50
Medium 0.36 g 20 Seeds. $2.63

Please note: all seeds are sold by weight and seed count is approximate.

To keep seed prices low much of our seed is semi cleaned. More Info

 

A tough Native American deciduous tree hardy from zones 3-9A. Best known for its amazing display of extremely aromatic flowers that often totally cover the tree in mid spring. Much loved by bee keepers since the bees adore this high nectar tree and can produce a lot of honey just from these flowers. A member of the legume family this tree fixes nitrogen so it aids the plants that grow beneath it. It can also grow on fairly toxic soils and its roots bind together loose soils making it perfect for soil reclamation and soil erosion. Needs full sun but not fussy about soil type but it must be well drained does not tolerate wet soils. Often used for mine sides and reclamation projects because of its fast growth and ability to shelter and feed other species that would not be able to grow there otherwise. This also helps create areas for wildlife, or just people who enjoy sitting beneath its branches. Easy to grow from seed but does need a little work to remove the tough seed coat. Fairly wildlife resistant once grown but deer will eat seedlings.

Description of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
It is grown mostly for its wonderful fragrant flowers that are produces in massive numbers in late spring and perfume the air with their fragrance. Fast growing, to a height of 80 feet (24m) but it can grow taller and larger in ideal conditions. Black locust has an interesting unique bark with characteristic chevron (upside down V) shaped markings on the trunk of more mature trees. The younger branches have pairs of short nasty spines.
The leaves are compound the whole leaf being roughly oval in shape but made up of 3-9 pairs of smaller ovate to oblong leaflets up to 2 inches (5cm) long and 1 inch (2.5cm) wide with rounded at the ends and smooth margins. Leaves are dark green with a gentle hint of blue.
In spring just as the leaves are emerging the flowers unfold. Masses of white pea like flowers borne in dangling pendant racemes up to 8 inches (20cm) emerging from the leaf forks. Each flower is predominately white made up of five petals fused together in a tube splaying out at the front with two upper and three lower lobes the upper ones most commonly have tints of green or green lines. Each flower is borne on a stalk about 0.25-1 inch (5-10mm) long in clusters of 10-30 flowers. The amount of flowers the tree produces will vary by year, some years the whole tree is covered. Flowers are followed by elongated and flattened pod up to 5 inches (13 cm) long and 0.5 inches (15 mm) wide that turns from green to brown in colour as it matures and contains from 4-8 small bean-like seeds. Pods often remain on the tree late into the fall and may even remain over the winter months in some zones.
Trees have a roughly oval shape with rough upward forming branches. The wood is very dense and thus not flexible in younger branches. This makes the tree strong and stable but branches will break if pulled on rather than bend.
Black locust is part of the legume family and therefore its a nitrogen fixer. These trees will can enrich the soil around them as they produce far more nitrogen than they use.

Growing Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) from Seed.
Seeds have a very hard seed coating that needs to be broken before the seed will germinate. This can be achieved by several methods but scratching the surface and soaking hot water appear to be the best. Some sources suggest you use sulphuric acid but this is not recommended. Scientific research has shown that this method is far less effective than scratching and hot water.

Method.
You will need
  • A sheet of course sandpaper.
  • A sanding sponge course to medium course.

1. Place the sandpaper on a flat stable surface and put the seeds on it. Only use a few at a time, 5 -10 maximum. Do not process more seeds than you want to germinate at one time.
2. Use the sanding sponge to rub against the seeds rub hard, the seed coat is tough.

3. Place processed seeds in a small container. Boil some water. pour some into a different container and let it stand. The objective is to shock the seeds and crack the coating not kill them so you need very hot but not boiling water as they could kill the seeds. We found the best way to test the water is to put your index finger in it. If you can hold it there for the slow count of 5 before removing it then its cool enough for the seeds.

4. Place the seeds in the water and agitate it. The objective is to shock the seeds are crack the coating. Shake for a few moments then leave them to soak for 12-24 hours. Seeds that have cracked their coating will swell. If some have not swollen those will need retreatment.

Sowing seeds.
Sow in individual pots or no more than 2 to a small pot in fine sterile seeding mix. Place in cool not too warm location with light and keep moist, not wet. Germination can still be slow anywhere from a few weeks to several months. If seeds do not germinate before outside temperatures reach around 65 overnight place pots outside in a semi shaded area and keep moist. Be patient seeds can be cantankerous and will germinate when they are ready, which is not always when you want them too.

Once seedlings have sprouted move to individual pots after true leaves form and grow on until at least 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) tall before planting out. Ensure that seedlings are introduced to full sun gradually to harden them off before transplanting. Protect new seedlings from wildlife browsing as the will commonly eat young trees.

Location and Care of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Needs full sun but can tolerate some light shade in zones below 6b. Does well on almost any soil type but it must be well drained it will not grow on waterlogged soils.
Will need added water when transplanted until it is established and again while it is young if there is severe drought. Otherwise it is fairly drought tolerant and can grow on relatively dry soils.
This tree produces very heavy dense wood which does not rot easily. This means it rarely falls unless it has been attacked by insects or damaged. However the dense wood makes it inflexible even in smaller branches so they will not bend like many other trees do. Take care on pulling branches down to harvest flowers or any other reason the branch is likely to break off.

Black locust produces many strong surface roots, not enough to disrupt pavements and roadways but slightly deeper where it bonds the soil together. For this reason it is commonly used to bind soils on industrial sites such as quarry edges road cuts. It can also tolerate far more toxins in the soil than most other plants making it an ideal plant for such locations. That in addition to its nitrogen fixing capabilities make it an ideal initial plant for such locations. In dry soils it will produce much deeper roots giving it a solid foundation to withstand environmental conditions and strong weather.

Pruning. These trees need little pruning but avoid doing so in early spring as this can cause excessive sap bleeding that can weaken the tree and make it more prone to disease. Trees will also sucker from the roots so these need to be pruned down to keep the trees from forming thickets.

Planting considerations for Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
This tree is highly adaptable. It can be used to help restore unstable areas. The roots ability to bind soil and tolerate toxins make it a important plant in helping to control erosion and hold soils and rock together on quarry sites. The ability to fix nitrogen can help other species to grow where they would not have been able to before.
However this can also be a problem if the trees seeds spread and begin colonizing other areas as they can out-compete native plants and take over areas where they may be considered undesirable. This is especially true after fire has burnt a forest.
Care should be taken when planting this tree to ensure it is not in a location where it will be considered a menace.
These trees have been planted throughout the world because of their aromatic flowers which have a very high nectar content making them very desirable to honey bees. They will often produce whole crops of honey just from the short flowering of these trees. For this reason they may have been planted en mass in some areas then the spread can make them undesirable to others who are not bee keepers.

Pollinator and Wildlife with Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)..
The most important is the flowers which are a magnate for all pollinators. The flowers are high in nectar and honey bees can create whole crops of honey from these flowers in the short blooming season.
The large, dark seed pods provide food for quail, turkey, grouse, pheasant, and songbirds from autumn to early spring. Small wildlife often nests among the branches, utilizing the tree's thorns. Attracts deer and bees enjoy its flowers

Problems with Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Being a Native American tree many native species have evolved to prey upon it. The most common being locust leafminer (Odontota dorsalis) which can occur almost yearly. For the most part this just causes tunnels in the leaves and the trees recover. However on occasion there can be a increase in the insects one year and they can totally defoliate a tree. For the most part the trees recover but if it corresponds with a long drought the trees may die.
There is also a wide variety of other insects such as locust twig borer (Ecdytolopha insiticiana) which can kill young trees. Locust borer (Megcallene robiniae) makes tunnels in the wood which can be used as entranceways by the heart rot fungi Phellinus rimosus or Polyporus robiniophilus which can kill the trees or at least make them unusable as lumber.
Depending on what zone the tree is growing in there may also be scale insects, caterpillars, whiteflies, weevils, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt, and leaf spots.

Harvesting Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Flowers when they are in full bloom. Take care not to pull the branches down to harvest the flowers as they break easily.

Toxicity.
All parts of the plant (except the flowers) and especially the bark, should be considered to be toxic . The toxins are destroyed by heat.

Culinary Uses of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
The flowers are considered a delicacy in some areas. Ensure the stems are first removed and then cooked and used in making jams, jellies and syrup for pancakes. They can also be made into a pleasant refreshing summer drink.

Medical uses of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Reports have shown the flowers contain an antitumor compound called benzoaldehyde. They are also cooked an eaten as a treatment for eye ailments.
Both the inner bark and the root bark are considered emetic and is used as a purgative. There are some reports that the seedpods are narcotic.

Other uses of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Due to its dense nature the wood has been used to make many different items including fence posts, mine timbers, poles, railroad ties, insulator pins, ship timber, tree nails for wooden ship construction, boxes, crates, pegs, stakes, and novelties.

Because of its resistance to rot using as fence posts is extremely important especially on organic farms where the use of many material is prohibited. Often whole tree limbs or small harvested trees are used as fence posts rather than processing them into traditional rectangular lumber.

It has been used extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia for erosion control. It is considered superior to all other trees for creation of nurse crops. Black locust is fast growing and provides protection for slower growing species to flourish underneath it. Its nitrogen fixing ability also helps other plants grow especially in reclamation projects where the soil may be contaminated with toxins. Growing fast they provide habitat for many wildlife species including game birds, deer, squirrels, and many smaller rodents. Deer like to browse the small seedlings.

Other names for Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
common locust, false acacia, green locust, pea flower locust, white locust, Yellow Locust

 
Item # Packet size Nett Weight Number Seeds(approx) Price Qty
Small 0.18 g 10 Seeds. $1.50
Medium 0.36 g 20 Seeds. $2.63

Please note: all seeds are sold by weight and seed count is approximate.

To keep seed prices low much of our seed is semi cleaned. More Info