Honey Locust

joninnyc

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Hello.. new to this forum, and new to Bonsai in general. I have been fascinated with these beautiful trees for a long time, and finally have some space to try things out.

I live in New York City, and have been collecting Honey Locust seeds (they are all over the place) to start a bonsai. I keep managing to get them sprouted (in potting mix) and growing for a few weeks, and then they suddenly wilt over and die. I read that Honey Locust likes poor soil conditions, but not really sure of the best way to reproduce this. Btw, I have all the seedlings growing inside.

Is there any advice for getting these guys stably growing? Am I setting myself up for failure for my first tree? Should I try something simpler, like a ficus, or buying a nursery tree and working with that? Also, I don't really have much of an outdoor area to grow anything.

Thanks so much!
 

rockm

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You've probably got "damping off" wilt which is a fungal infection in seedlings caused by wet conditions.

Honey locust do not "like" poor soil--they tolerate it. Trying to replicate bad soil is counterproductive and could be the base cause of your fungal problem..

Also, FWIW, Honey locust make for difficult bonsai for the most part. BIG thorns, pinnate, compound leaves that don't reduce are big reasons why they're not more common as bonsai subjects. Too much work for mediocre return...

Keeping them indoors is a death sentence...
 
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Attila Soos

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You've probably got "damping off" wilt which is a fungal infection in seedlings caused by wet conditions.

Honey locust do not "like" poor soit--they tolerate it. Trying to replicate bad soil is counterproductive and could be the base cause of your fungal problem..

Also, FWIW, Honey locust make for difficult bonsai for the most part. BIG thorns, pinnate, compound leaves that don't reduce are big reasons why they're not more common as bonsai subjects. Too much work for mediocre return...

Also, young branches easily die back and they re-grow from the base of the branch, so pruning can be tricky.

I grow one, just for curiosity, but it is a crazy plant: unpredictable, you never know how it is going to react to whatever you do to it.
 
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Even Daniel (Robinson) can't make one look good. :eek: That thing looks like Jabba The Hut. It's my least favorite tree in the work garden.

I'd take a ficus over a honey locust. Not to sound discouraging... it's just not a great way to start. Of course, I'll also say starting from seed in general is not a great way to start... but that is a whole different conversation. ;)

Kindest regards,

Victrinia
 

mcpesq817

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Be very careful with honey locust thorns. If they scratch you, you'll be ok, but if they happen to stick you in the area of one of your joints, you can become seriously ill. My brother was stuck in the knee a year or so back and his knee swelled to twice the size, and his temperature spiked to 103 causing a hospital stay. A friend of his was stuck in the thumb and his finger swelled to the size of a golf ball. Doctors don't seem to be all that certain as to what causes that reaction.
 
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