Dear Judy,

Here are some pros and cons:

The thornless locust is a gorgeous tree.  It will grow rapidly and provide the shade you are interested in.  However, there are a few other things you need to know.

They develop long seed pods that drop to the ground.  These must be picked up otherwise they will start new trees.  Their rapid growth is due to their very efficient root system and will take moisture from the soil.  If you have other plants or veggies in the area, the tree may take too much water leaving the other plants needing more.

The leaves turn a golden yellow in the fall and the pods contents are edible.  They can develop cankers which are holes or growths that seep sap.  This attracts insects.  Cankers are difficult to get rid of if you can at all.

They grow very tall. This may not be an issue for you though, 40-50 feet tall and 30-40 feet wide.  Pruning will help keep the size down if you wish. They do well in areas with vehicle traffic so they tolerate exhaust fumes making them pretty hardy.  The leaves are easily mowed into the grass around the tree.  They also have very strong wood so they are not prone to breaking off branches in wind storms, not that a wind storm could not break the branch, it just doesn't happen as often as with other more fragile trees.  

The insect issues are bagworms, webworms, mites, midges but with organic sprays you can keep the populations down if you have the insects.  A horticultural oil spray will kill insect eggs sprayed in the fall and after petal fall.  The flowers of the tree are extremely fragrant and attractive.  They are a creamy white and form in long panicles hanging from the tree.

Approximately 10 years ago I simply threw out some honey locust pods into the wooded area in back of our home.  Never did anything, did not even cover them.  We have a beautiful stand of locust trees, no issues that I can see.  But, they do germinate readily.

I hope this helps you with your decision.  Please contact us again with any questions you may have.

Thank you.  I was unable to find a link for reply in the email; went online and the 'check status of question' page wasn't working. So, if this gets through - THANK YOU!

On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:48:23 +0000, "Ask Extension" <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

Hi Judy,

It did come through.  We have had some issues lately, sorry for the problem.  Sheryl