# Black Locusts falling over?



## davej (Sep 29, 2008)

I have a problem with black locusts falling over every time there is a windstorm. Are these trees particularly shallow-rooted or something? Thanks.


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## masterarbor (Sep 29, 2008)

Old Black Locust often get root rot.


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## motoroilmccall (Sep 29, 2008)

Never seen it to be honest, and I've never seen a Locust rot, anywhere. Unless bugs get in them, which is also rare, they seem to be pretty hardy tree's. Could be the soil you're in. Even if it does fall over, they are root suckling tree's, and they grow in a hurry. 

I took down a 28" DBH Locust earlier this spring, and by early September I had at least 2 dozen new Locust chutes, a few standing 7" high. Darn things grow everywhere. If you want to kill them, Roundup the main stem, it'll kill all the suckling chutes.


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## fsfcks (Sep 29, 2008)

Would Roundup be enough? Round here we use Remedy for locust on agricultural land.


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## biggen0_8 (Sep 29, 2008)

A friend of mine has a woods full of them and they go over every time the wind blows. Seems like they always bring up the roots when they go.


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## S Mc (Sep 30, 2008)

I would be curious as to what kind of soil(s) the black locust are in where they are blowing over. (Previously mentioned contributor.)

I can't remember seeing a single black locust being blown over in any of our windstorms.

Sylvia


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## ScoutmasterRick (Sep 30, 2008)

S Mc said:


> I would be curious as to what kind of soil(s) the black locust are in where they are blowing over. (Previously mentioned contributor.)
> 
> I can't remember seeing a single black locust being blown over in any of our windstorms.
> 
> Sylvia




I wonder if it is a regional thing...maybe related to climate. Here in North Alabama Black Locusts are very prone to rot and blow overs. We had two neighbors who had a couple blow over in each of their yards. They are also bad to drop dead limbs ( sometimes very large limbs).

Its ironic because if you cut Black Locust before they start going bad they make great fence posts because they are so resistant to rot.

I have seen this problem with Black Locust in both red clay and loamy mountain soils.


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## motoroilmccall (Sep 30, 2008)

They do drop branches, I'll give you that. Always gotta be extra careful dropping them, keep your eyes up. 

Must just be the soil you guys are in, I just tried pulling one over last night (been clearing some hunting land for a buddy) and the D6 broke the tree in half before it pulled the roots outta the ground, no rot inside either. 

Roundup seems to kill them around here, right after you cut it drill some holes in the stump and pour some in, and around the base as well. We have Roundup ready crops, not Remedy ready crops, can't have that stuff near the fields.


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## treesurgeon (Oct 5, 2008)

*black locust*

in new york, the black locust are unstable in wet soils. also in areas where they grow in groups where thinning of the underbrush was done. 
thinning the canopy does not always fix the problem. seems to be root related also. these trees also sucker shoot out of the root systems just like apple trees, which might cause an undesireable root system for the new tree.


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## treesurgeon (Oct 5, 2008)

i had the same problem tried to pull one over in dry soil. even after grinding some of the roots, the tree still snapped at the bottom. but 30' from that tree, in a wetter area, these tall skinny locust were falling over left and right.


motoroilmccall said:


> They do drop branches, I'll give you that. Always gotta be extra careful dropping them, keep your eyes up.
> 
> Must just be the soil you guys are in, I just tried pulling one over last night (been clearing some hunting land for a buddy) and the D6 broke the tree in half before it pulled the roots outta the ground, no rot inside either.
> 
> Roundup seems to kill them around here, right after you cut it drill some holes in the stump and pour some in, and around the base as well. We have Roundup ready crops, not Remedy ready crops, can't have that stuff near the fields.


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 6, 2008)

I saw a new one down just yesterday. In a grove planted way too close together. They have been there for 30 years that I know of and the biggest one wouldn't go but about 16".

Also lucked into harvesting about 10 cord from two patches of total blowdown. They were big, old ones and went down in what was suspected to be a tornado or microbursts - left a path some 30 miles long by a mile or more wide but skipping and hitting.

The Black Locust blowdowns I have seen do not seem to have a tap root but one very wide root ball.

Harry K


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## Mkarlson (Oct 6, 2008)

Every where you look in this part of Indiana are patches of locust both honey and black also some combinations of the two I think. In this area they do blow over frequently. Mostly the smaller 6-12" diameter trees very tall, straight, and very little rootballs.


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## Mkarlson (Oct 6, 2008)

Wanted to correct myself...most the blow downs are the black locust trees. I think the wind is even afraid to touch the honeys


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## beaverswap (Oct 12, 2008)

Around here in the capitol region we have alot of black locust. Every wind storm we have a mess. A few years ago we had 20 some locust to clean up including one that hit our house after a wind storm. I think the reason they blow over is mainly due to the soil they grow in and they seem to grow really tall and really fast. The soil we have around here is pretty much sand. They blow over alot.


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## IgnatiusJReilly (Oct 12, 2008)

Around here we have a lot of black locust and, here too, they're among the first to blow down. The tree guy a neighbor brought in to do some major cleanup after Ike said that they were prone to breakage from being weakened at various spots by these;

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/locust/locust.htm


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 13, 2008)

IgnatiusJReilly said:


> Around here we have a lot of black locust and, here too, they're among the first to blow down. The tree guy a neighbor brought in to do some major cleanup after Ike said that they were prone to breakage from being weakened at various spots by these;
> 
> http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/locust/locust.htm



And for a sample of the damage:







Oddly, the stuff that they have killed weighs way less than a same stick of dry good locust. Much less than can be accounted for by the tunnels to my eyes.

Harry K 
Harry K


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## IgnatiusJReilly (Oct 13, 2008)

This isn't from the abovelinked site, but the same guy told me that the rot happens a lot at the first branches on the b. locusts, which are high, which would explain why the tops come off a lot I guess.


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## davej (Oct 15, 2008)

Clay soil here in STL. Some of the trees do have rot. Some seem to fall just because they can. The yellow and black bug does not look familiar to me.


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