Sourcing Thorny Honey Locust

Howdy folks,

I'm trying to cultivate Honey Locust for a living barrier (and nitrogen fixer, possible fodder, etc...), and given the location on the property, the thorny variety would be ideal.

I've seen helpful posts here about propagating them by seed and root cuttings, but I'm having difficulty finding them in the wild around here. The thornless variety abounds in yards. Can anybody offer me advice as to the best way to source this gnarly stuff if it doesn't seem to grow on its own around here (short of driving to a place where it does, I suppose)?

Hi Arkady,

No shortage of them at my place. Happy to send you some seed pods if you want when they set this spring. Just PM your mailing address.

Please think long and hard before planting. They can be difficult to control and they are extremely fast growing. They are hard to eradicate and will be hard on equipment/people. Their thorns are no joke!
Having said that, if you do wish to get some seeds look no further than ebay and you can cheaply get some desired seeds or maybe a helpful member on this website can help you out.
I eradicated all of mine or I would send you some.  Good luck in you endeavor!

Thanks Artie. I appreciate the fast reply.

Kaleb: thanks for the advice and well wishes. I've heard the same warning from others as well, so we're being very deliberate about their placement.

Arkady,

I have honey locust too—and wish I didn’t!  Is it OK for me to ask why you want them?

Not judging, just curious,

Eric

Eric-- certainly. In fact, it'd be great to have some others who could offer insight or raise more red flags.

Where we're moving to this summer, the skunks seem to really go after peoples' bees. Bears occasionally as well. I'm hoping to experiment with thorny Honey Locust as a deterrent (without any grand illusions that it'll mean much to bears), either coppicing and using the cut dead material outside a covered hive enclosure, or putting a few together as a "hedge" around it, or both. I'm attracted to the notion that George Washington promoted such a use. I don't have concrete plans to use the plant as a (possible) nitrogen-fixer or fodder provider, but I don't mind having this to think about as well.

The location of the hives is fairly remote from the house; this combined with our limited budget means we're probably not in a place to put up electric fencing or heavy-duty chainlink around the hives. Of course, among the other risks I'm weighing, I realize that the loss of 3+ hives because of a half-baked Honey Locust hedge could equal the expense of putting up a solar-powered electric fence.

I welcome anybody who would be willing to check my thinking.

https://permies.com/t/32189/Honey-Locust-Coppicing

https://faculty.virginia.edu/honeylocust-agroforestry/agroforestry/Honeylocust%20and%20Pasture%20Agroforestry%20(2003).htm
https://faculty.virginia.edu/honeylocust-agroforestry/agroforestry/Browse%20Agroforestry%20Using%20Honeylocust%20(1991).htm

Seeds aren’t set yet, Arkady, but here is what you are in for with Honey Locust!  

Sorry, meant to include this one too

It took me two years to rid our hill of honey locust.  I was astonished at the thorns - I didn't know such things existed.  Of varying lengths, they seem to be where you don't expect them.  The leaves and flowers are pretty.  They spread like blackberries.  If you hack one down, underground the roots spring into action, creating 5 new ones.  Here, there, and everywhere.  

I don't know where ours came from.  We don't have a grown tree, and I haven't seen any near here.  The leach field for our septic system was built up in that area, and my husband suggests that soil with seeds was imported.

I went to church on Good Friday and discovered another use for honey locust.  The crown of thorns that encircled the cross was made of those fierce thorns.  A good indication of suffering.