growing black locust

[nsherve]

How long would it take it to grow to a good size if I planted from seed or root cutting? I hear it grows pretty quickly...

[upstatenybowyer]

My guess...

All sapwood bow- 10 years
All heartwood bow- 100

[stuckinthemud]

Quick internet search suggests BL is classed as fast growing with 4 to 6 feet vertical growth per year, but no idea how quick it puts on girth.  Probably need 5 to 10 years for enough width for a bow?

[Pat B]

A shoot from a stump would be pretty quick, maybe 5 or 6 years for a sapwood bow. From a seed or root cutting more like 10 or more years. Growing bow wood for yourself isn't too practical unless you are young or growing for your kids or grand kids.
 You don't necessarily want fast growing wood for bow wood either. Some may be OK but you are better off using wood from a mature tree or a naturally grown sucker.

[Orrum]

X2 Pat. I grew up splitting locust fence posts and also round timbers for our pole barns. Locust will grow straight if in a open field. But if in the woods it tends to twist and dive. It shoots up quick but circumference is slower and it also tends to have a lot of cat faces in it. It grows everywhere in the mountains of Va where I grew up. There are monster big trees sometimes.

[PatM]

I sorted through a pile of Locust my dad cut this spring and a number of pieces were bow sized and only 10-15 years old. Locust seems to form heartwood early and have that three rings of sapwood rule.
  While many people point out that planting bow wood is something for grandkids to harvest, things happen a bit faster.

 I have staves that seem like I cut last year but they are actually 10 years old.

 Unless you are past middle age it's not an unreasonable idea to plant some trees.

[JoJoDapyro]

I planted two saplings, barely larger than a toothpick 2 years ago. The one in the front yard that gets full sun was about 3 inches in diameter this year, and about 18 feet tall. The one in the back yard that gets only partial sun is about 1 1/2 inch and about 8 feet tall. Sadly we had a nasty wind storm and the one in the front split, so it had to come out. The up side is it is a legume, and sets nitrogen into the soil, so it will help your law, or other plants nearby. I would say in a well watered, and sunny spot you would be looking at about 5 years. I have also read that it is tough to grow them from seed.

I live in Utah, so we don't have the best growing season.

[nsherve]

I might could have my wife's cousin find some for me, since he's in the logging business. But, I'ld like to grow some myself, anyway. I'll plant it for honeybees when I'm done working over here.

[stuckinthemud]

Seems like buying a few saplings could be an option instead of growing from seed?

[FilipT]

Plant the sapling not the seeds, BL grows crazy fast

[Badger]

  I cut down about 20 black locusts in 1993, 23 years later they are all grown back straight and tall with about 10" trunks. Ready for harvest. These trees were not watered or cared for in a dry California climate.

[wizardgoat]

I cut a bunch of BL saplings from my wife's Grandparents property a couple springs ago.
All are 8-13 years old, and Pats right, all have 3 rings of sapwood, a couple have 4.
I recently made a bow from one,  overbuilt, took very little set, shoots awesome, but is covered in frets from tip to tip haha. If I were to grow it, I'd probably wait till spring, and go pull out some smaller saps and transplant them.
I'm started 3 Osage trees 6 months ago, I'm 33 so I hope I can possibly make a bow from them one day!

[mikekeswick]

I've planted osage and tartarian maple. Both are getting there My osage is growing really fast now. One good trick is to let them grow for a year or two then cut it back down....hard to do when you have watched your prized seedling grow....but second growth grows much straighter and the tree will send up multiple straight shoots = bow explosion!
10 years can pass in the blink of an eye. A little 'work' now will easily repay you in a few years.

[Marc St Louis]

It will grow in the harsh climate of the North. I planted some from seed a few years ago with less than 50% sprout rate and of those 50% died in the first month.  Then rodents took care of all but 1 of them and it took a beating from a Snowshoe Hare a couple years ago, I had to protect it.  It grew about 4' in length this Summer and is now 6' tall so I think it will make it.  Not growing it for bow wood though as I won't be able to profit from that.  I have planted many trees, seeds and seedling over the years including White Ash, HHB and Elm

[George Tsoukalas]

It is good to see bowyers developing an appreciation for a much maligned bow wood.

Here in NH BL is the first tree to take root when farmland is left to become forest again.

My house is on land that was farmland  and I was fortunate to have a ready supply of BL on which to learn.

Jawge