Pics would be good on this one, Mike. Don't like the sound of "prune the leader", but there may be something that can be done. We commonly have so much new growth on regular green HL's that our city forester jokingly welcomes the yearly barrage of leaf hoppers, aphids, and plant bugs that invariably attack this species. Show us what you've got please.

As much as I detest much of the staking/guying/placing of bamboo sticks...etc. this might be a justification for something here. That said, this is in effect identical to what I reported above with regular green HL in this city-they all do that, and aside from our usual double-staked trunks-not sticks tied to the tree mind you-they do come out of it. Hard to believe I know, but I'd still be leery of weakening the tree with a too-rigid support system, whatever you end up doing.

Miketropic, hi there, I was wondering if you have any honey locust seeds/seedpods, and if you do, would you trade for postage? Thank-you in advance/B

Just an update on this. I chose not to stake the tree. I did run a support around the upper part to keep the top from making the tree lean but I did not straighten up the top. It is still growing quickly and still horizontal..hoping it will right itself next season with out me having to cut the heavy top out of it.

On a side note it has made a few sets of leaves that are "normal" sized for a regular locust while most of the leaflets on the same branch are the small honey locust type. Anyone ever seen this before?

miketropic, that's the way honeylocust makes leaves. First leaves on a new sprout will be compound, later leaves doubly-compound, if the sprout is vigorous enough.

Miketropic, your locust looks like it could benifit from some chelated iron as well, leaves look a bit yellow.

Its a sunburst..its suppose to be yellow :) I still don't think its growing right or will come out of it but I will leave it and see what it does

Gledtisia 'Sunburst' is a guilty pleasure for me. They're over planted around here, but they can make for a very nice tree. My neighbor across the street has a nice one that's about thirty years old. I covet my neighbors tree...

did it grow sideways like mine lol?

Mike, I think it would be interesting to take a series of photos over the next five years to see how your tree transforms. My guess is it will be just fine and eventually take on a more conventional habit. It may take longer than five years for this to happen, but eventually it should make its way upward.

One of the things I like about this tree is the periodic flushes of new yellow/gold growth during summer. The larger the tree gets the more subtle and appealing this feature becomes. We don't seem to have the disease issues with this tree that others report.

I hope it sorts itself out of someone is going to hit me up wanting this new golden weeping locust lol

miketropic, what happened to your tree? I have the same thing happening to mine and am not sure what to do about it.

7-25-23:

AeroGlyphics,

Here's a picture off my honey locust from seed started 2018.

The first 3/4" x 6 ft. pole, started at 4 ft. off the ground, wasn't tall enough, so I added a smaller diameter 3 ft. pole at the top but that thinner (3/8" dia.) pole bent so I took it off.

No signs of the first pole chaffing the bark and that one was on since last spring, so I tied another 8 ft. 3/4" pole with sisal twine right over the top of the 6 ft. pole, even a little higher.

Once those branches stay in place for one season they generally stay put.

I'm hoping to take all this off later this Fall.

I also cut back on the water this season because of the unbridled growth these trees are known for. So far, I seem to have slowed it down.

Every mature tree I've seen have a normal, decurrent manner of growth but I know there are variations in different trees of the same species.

Just an update: 9-30-2023:

I know I waited too long to put this stake on the folded top branch. It was already very woody by the time I got around to doing it.

But being it was near 90d bent to the left to start with, I think it stayed pretty much 'up' but still had a slant that started halfway up the trunk of ~15d with stake removed.

So, I decided to leave the stake on until everything hardens up completely in a month or so.

bill

Honeylocust is the largest tree of those I planted (tuliptree is taller but more slender), over 60 ft tall after 19 yrs from an OIKOS mail-order stick. Planted it in one spot and moved it next year further from the house -- good thing. Longleaf pine beside it getting crowded.

Mines only getting about 15 ft. tall.

I wouldn't have worried about it but it's right out in front of the house.

And the flopping seemed to compound itself as most of the growth was coming from that top leader.

Whatever it does after this it will be on it's own.

I won't be able to reach that far up but at least now it's high enough that it won't look so weird if it does some flopping.

Before it was bend 90d at about 8 ft. up (the middle of the tree) and I didn't want to wait and see. I almost waited too long the way it was.

6-2-2024:

Update.

I was going to leave the stake tied to the tree until Fall, when everything was hardened off, but this year has been so windy, and I was a little concerned about the rod cutting into the bark or even taking a bend somewhere along its length.

Then yesterday the south wind blew hard from early morning to late last night. Bending the tree back and forth, sometimes to almost a 90d, with top branches flailing out horizontally, even with the heavy stake attached.

This morning, the wind had died but the only branch, pointing south that was high enough to add some balance to the upper part of the tree, was dangling down. It had been twisted so much during the night it didn't break but it had damaged the fibers in the wood to the point I had to remove it.

I also noticed some wearing on the bark where the rod contacted the branches.

So, the rod came off today. The tree has hardened up well since last season and is standing pretty much on its own. But I pulled the tree back a little over center with a long nylon strap until the tree is fully hardened off this Fall.

Other than that, it looks good and if any flopping occurs higher up, it won't be that big of a deal.

Gleditsia Triacanthos: Grown from seed 2018.

:-)

Bill, honeylocusts grow so quick that I wouldn't be afraid to trim them back however much you want to better its form.

Yeah, live and learn.

Been a foot of rain this spring and summer and HL just love that.

The tight, 8ft. stake was fine last year and winter, with the tree being that small but I should have taken it off this spring before the unbridled growth began and staked like I have now. But who knew the wind would get channeled so hard like it did with the HL in the bullseye.

The stake btw: has a deep radial bend to it now.

I thought about pruning and still might. The hot weather has just begun here so likely a lot of growth yet this season. I really like to keep as much of the weeping/swaying as the tree will stand.

I think maackia had the right idea, saying after a couple years staking, things were good. Mine appears to be getting to that stage, it's like the tree lignifies better with age.

And to add: The coarse woven nylon strap will do bark damage if it contacts the tree.

Always use a soft nylon or similar material where it contacts the tree.

:-)

I've had wind "sculpt" young trees before. Wind blew a young catalpa over a bit, and a sprout grew from near the base straight up. Instead of cutting, I preserved that and now it has a sturdy fork near the bottom. I even stuck a stick between them for several years to spread them and make sure it wouldn't be a "weak" fork.

Seems like every seedling deciduous tree I've planted, has taken a lean around a few years old, even though it's pretty stable in the ground. This one is no exception and has favored toward the street and the neighbor's driveway (in the background) which is NNE.

Last year I did remove some branching on the east side, which seemed to help the lean for a while, but this tree will put on >3ft. of growth on multiple branches each season.

Today, winds are from the WNW, and it's standing perfect and there's hardly any tension on the cable.

I don't mind the flopping but like maackia said, it was in a very unflattering way. 8^)

8-2-2024:

Update: 8^/

Nothing ever goes quite as planned.

I cut off about half the branch (upper right) that wants to pull the tree over to the east by its sheer weight (viewing toward ENE in picture above).

But with all the rain and heat, that branch grew back to almost the same as before in the last two months.

I also realized with the one cable pulling the tree to the south, was of no help in keeping the tree from tipping to the East. Plus, the trunk was also bending to the north above where the cable was tied so the cable didn't prevent that from happening either.

Now attaching the cable in a higher location up on the tree presented a problem of its own and I wasn't going to start climbing ladders again.

Solution: Took a plastic coated bicycle hook and an eye hook and screwed them into a small block of wood (see picture below).

Then tied a cable to the eye and use a bag tie to fasten the wood block to an 8 ft. garden stake. That way I could stand on the ground and place the hook where I wanted it. :-)

(I added the second cable after the hook was on the tree using another hook and pole to hook it in the eye already in the tree).

Then tied the cables to some stakes in the ground.

Picture of cable: Wrapped it in nylon to prevent chaffing the trunk.

That way I can pull the tree in two directions, further up on the trunk for more control on what happens.

With two cables, I can pull the tree to the West and the South.

We had strong winds the other night and it worked great!

The last night I was looking at the tree and decided that the Fork pulling the tree to the east didn't need to be there at all. The west fork appeared to be more of a continuation of the trunk (straight up), so I got the pole saw and clipped off the East branch. And I really think it looks better and will look better as the tree develops over time (little white spot below the hook in the picture is the cut).

eta: I really believe that east branch thought it was the main trunk and maybe was before it 'flopped' and put more growth on that side than any other branch on the tree.

:^)

8-11-2026:

The rest of the story.

After maintaining a nylon strap all 2025 season, wind broke the nylon stocking that connected the hook to the flat nylon strap, that was October, I just left it off last winter.

Then last spring, the tree still had a little too much lean northward for my liking so I put the strap back on.

About a week ago, a wind broke the nylon stocking for a second time. So, almost 3 years of supporting the tree with a strap.

The tree now appears to have stiffened up.

I've quit watering it already last season and maybe that's what the tree needed, some dry for it harden up. But it looks good now and I should be done tending to it, finally.

Guessing at least 20 ft.

They are fast growers. After only 21 yrs, mine has become a monster at 65 ft and now spreading wider -- I'm thinking it has more mass than any other tree I've planted (tuliptree is taller but thinner). The earlier freeze killed all the primary buds, but when it came out later minus flowers, the leafage is unusually dense. This is the case w/a number of other trees here too.

PS Being down low near the septic field prb'ly helps.

Thanks beng,

Planted from seed in 2018, mine would've no doubt have been bigger yet if I had watered it during the dry spells the last couple of years.

It was putting out new growth earlier this season when getting pretty dry.