Black locust seed harvesting question

[Brad_S.]

 Between fence posts and the current craze for hop growing that requires larger poles, there's a good demand for black locust around me right now.

I would like to start a Locust Grove on some available acres that I have in the hope of supplementing my retirement income down the road.

"Volunteer"  seedlings seem to thrive and take off very quickly attaining a nice size in just a few years. I would like to collect the pods off of some of my existing trees and sow them for sprouting next spring.

How do I know when the seeds in the pods are fully developed and ready for harvest and should I sow them this fall or very early next spring?

[curdog]

The pods will turn brown and get dry when they are ready to pick. I don't know for certain, but I'd say you could plant them in the fall. They would naturally fall off the tree and land on the ground in the fall,so it should work for planting them.

[Ron Wenrich]

Here's the USDA fact sheet on black locust: http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_rops.pdf   They're saying that seed isn't necessarily the best method for seedling.  But, they do cover what you need to do to get a seed bed started.

The volunteer seedlings you are seeing may be sucker sprouts.  I have a batch of black locust growing on my property, and I attribute the new growth to sucker sprouts.  These can also be a source of for seedlings.  Seems to be a bit more labor intensive. http://www.gardenguides.com/82966-propagate-black-locust-cuttings.html

For seeds, you'll have to scarify them to break down the hard outer coating.  From what I've seen, they put the seeds in boiling water.  You can plant as soon as the fall, or you can store the seeds in the refrigerator for several years.  If you store them, you don't scarify until right before planting. 

[Brad_S.]

Thank you both for your information. I of course googled it but trust information I receive here much more than random google returns!

[Blue Noser]

I have experience growing black locust from seed. I simply pick the pods off of trees with desirable form when they dry out (once they go brown) in the fall (September-October) and remove them from their pods ASAP (typically within a few days) to allow them to dry better. The following spring once outdoor conditions are suitable for growing I crack the hard outer shell of the seeds with nail clippers and plant in Jiffy plugs. I have always experienced high (90%+) germination rates. My seedlings often grow to several feet in the first year if transplanted into larger pots as they grow and are otherwise properly cared for.

[TKehl]

I'm glad you asked.  We've been considering planting some in the poorer pastures as a Nitrogen fixer and lumber. 

Like this: 
http://silvopasture.ning.com/forum/topics/creating-silvopastures-with-black-locust
https://silvopasture.ning.com/forum/topics/trees-into-pastures

One more thing, the flowers are edible.  Supposed to taste like pea shoots, but we were traveling during bloom last year and missed trying them.   :(

I've done quite a bit of looking, but found more in this thread than hours of i-net search.  Thanks!