Black Locust, permaculture food forest tree
www.permies.com Alexandra King of Inspiration Farm (http in Bellinghmam, Washington talks a little about how black locust is great fodder, although sheep might like it so much it can make them sick. The sheep thought the black locust was the best tasting things in a brand new paddock. Robinia pseudoacacia. Brian Kerkvliet, also of Inspiration Farm, talks about other valuable aspects of black locust: fiber, fence posts, tool handles, nitrogen fixer, coppicing, shoots, pole construction, skids for an animal shelter, bee fodder (some of the very best honey) – a long blooming period, leafs out late, allowing the soil to warm before the tree shade kicks in, chicken food … Brian then shows off some tool handles he made with black locust. He talks about how easy it is to peel. He also shows using the bark for a basket. he talks about using it for a scythe snath. He compares black locust to hickory. He shows off some hay rakes. When used as a handle, it is springier than other woods. If the wood is left out in the weather, it won’t rot. Brian recommends black locust for rakes, shovels, hoes and many other tools. Black locust has a large root mass which makes it so it can grow very rapidly. Black locust lasts a really long time even when in direct contact with the soil. Brian shows a black locust seedling that was devoured by sheep and … recovering. Mark Vander Meer of Wildland Conservation Services (www.vanwild.com) in Missoula, Montana, talks about the value of black locust …
25 Responses to Black Locust, permaculture food forest tree
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@paulwheaton12 Thanks Paul. Has anyone used Vilmorin tree seeds?
themoonsbluelight
March 11, 2012 at 4:35 am
@themoonsbluelight see links in description
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 5:27 am
@paulwheaton12 Where can i buy them?
themoonsbluelight
March 11, 2012 at 6:03 am
@themoonsbluelight seeds.
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 6:12 am
I want to introduce this to our woodlots and farm. What is the best way to get a lot of this planted as quickly as possible?
themoonsbluelight
March 11, 2012 at 6:47 am
I’m surprised you guys didn’t mention that the black locust flowers are edible. It’s not springtime without some black locust fritters, in my humble opinion.
m081779
March 11, 2012 at 7:16 am
thought black locust was poisonous to animals
s37d
March 11, 2012 at 7:30 am
@ClaraZettkin As soon as you trim a nitrogen fixing plant, it drops off it’s roots (a tree’s roots are always proportional to it’s height). Once the roots are dropped off, the nitrogen nodules that are attached to the now dead roots become available to the soil (adds carbon as well).
For this reason, all nitrogen fixing trees should be trimmed, preferably for height rather than width. It should also be noted that the tree itself doesn’t fix nitrogen, but the bacteria that live on the roots.
RedMarineNex
March 11, 2012 at 8:02 am
@Gilla1ness Depends how u see it. insect attack is good. means the nitrogen in it it is entering the food chain as insect protein and moving on 🙂
MrJuicemon
March 11, 2012 at 8:26 am
@ClaraZettkin 2 things Leaf fall and root shedding
MrJuicemon
March 11, 2012 at 8:35 am
Cool vid man.would be nice to live in the country.
popebenadict16
March 11, 2012 at 8:55 am
It’s also very drought tolerant, and grows well in harsher conditions than some other trees. If they do get any rot problem, it could be from living in wetter conditions. Cause out in the desert the main problems they get are bugs. Beetles eat them just like goats do! Great vid!
~1NESS~
Gilla1ness
March 11, 2012 at 9:00 am
@ClaraZettkin The roots of the black locust produces a nodule which leaches nitrogen into the surrounding soil. Its works great as a sister tree for fruit trees, especially heavy feeders such as the larger fruit trees.
gottherne
March 11, 2012 at 9:09 am
I’ve always believed Black Locust to be an excellent tree! If it doesn’t have competition for sun light though, you will soon have a “grove” of saplings (which in some case is a good thing). But if it’s mowed regularly while young, it’s not too bad. It even works well for knife handle material (colorful and tough), although not many people use it for that.
RonRay
March 11, 2012 at 9:53 am
Cool video and great info, thanks!
jihadacadien
March 11, 2012 at 10:25 am
Locust is hard to find in lumber yards, because it is very hard on blades, and very crooked in general. You may have to get friendly with a friend with a woodlot.
As for the nitrogen, being a legume, it has nitrogen fixing bacteria living in nodules on its roots, so like Paul said, the bacteria share fix nitrogen while the tree is alive.
Humblefactory
March 11, 2012 at 10:39 am
Great vid - i love this series
FreemanOftheMind
March 11, 2012 at 10:49 am
@paulwheaton12 brilliant comment, just sent me off down a rabbit hole at just the right time , cheers
VonLeachim
March 11, 2012 at 10:58 am
@paulwheaton12 ok , thanks, bit of a broad question I know 🙂
VonLeachim
March 11, 2012 at 11:37 am
@ClaraZettkin it shares nitrogen while it is alive! A healthy tree is 4% fungicide by weight. I think that when it gets to a certain age, it stops making the fungicide and then begins to rot.
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Im puzzled. How does that go together: Nitrogenfixer and does not rot?? If it does not rot, how can it release the N? Great vid though Paul!
ClaraZettkin
March 11, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@docsimonson Cedar has allelopathic stuff – sorta like a naturally occuring herbicide. It will make your growies sad.
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@paulwheaton12 Ya big ol’ meanie! Ya say sumpin’ like dat and dun say why not… Dat’s not right. Anyway… Why wouldn’t you use cedar near a garden? Are there toxins in the cedar? does cedar inhibit the growth of other plant species? Inquiring minds want to know!
docsimonson
March 11, 2012 at 2:02 pm
@docsimonson I wouldn’t use cedar anywhere near a garden
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 2:49 pm
@VonLeachim perhaps one black locust tree on the north side? And I strongly recommend raised beds – and black locust logs make an excellent border.
paulwheaton12
March 11, 2012 at 3:26 pm