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Locust pods and leaves

 
gardener
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I picked up some bagged leaves the other day.
Turns out they were locust.
Probably honey locusts n the pods are filled with sticky sweet stuff.
I added 3 bags to the chicken's composting yard.
They don't seem impressed.
I'm worried now that the pods in particular will not break down.
What are your experiences with locusts trees and their pods?
 
pollinator
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Location: Denton, TX United States Zone 8a
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I've seen locust pod bits still holding together after 30 day or 90 day compost, but not big enough that it bothered me. There's a lot of sugar in those pods! Makes them helpful to get a compost going. The big worry for me with locust (if you're talking Gleditsia triacanthus) is the thorns and the seeds. The seeds will happily sprout after a trip through the compost heap, and those thorns are wicked, wicked things. I use them as nails around the house, fun little conversation piece but they'll go straight through glove, shoe, hand, foot, tire, etc.

 
William Bronson
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Thanks for your reply!
I don't usually worry about seeds because chickens kill a lot of things, but now I'm wondering if I should turn these pods into biochar  or ferment them instead.
Maybe boil them?
I could even set them back out for  city green waste collection to take.
 
Cody DeBaun
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I bet they'd make good char! Probably hard to get them dense enough into a container to make it worth the burn, but I'm not biochar expert.
I'll bet they ferment, too! 20-40% sugar content, or so I read.
For me, I pull the seeds out anyhow (more bean trees), and lumps in the compost have never bothered me any!
 
William Bronson
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I turned the compost today, a Christmas treat for my girls.
There were lots of worms, the pods are breaking down but the seeds persist
No sign that the girls eat the seeds, but they are pretty overfed any way.

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