Any way to "shape" this black locust back into something presentable?

Question

I have two black locusts that were planted in the fall a year and a half ago. They did great last year but through construction and reworking all the dirt in that area, they look like this, this year. Is there any good way to "reshape" the one back into a tree or is it just a hopeless cause? The other looks very thin on leaves, but has them growing still out to the edges.... I've heard black locust don't die easy, but it seems I've managed to get close at least somehow... Thanks

Answer 1

The black locust or Robinia pseudoacacia has a wide distribution across the world yet very few people can be found who say it is a good tree. Michael Dirr in his massive volume Manual of Woody Landscape Plants calls it an "alley cat" type tree which can survive under the toughest conditions.

The one situation where this tree will not do well is permanently wet soil. I believe I see a culvert in the background which should drain the soil but if it runs with water year round this might not be a good location for these trees.

Basic maintenance is:

• roll back the grass for at least foot around the base of the tree and mulch
• get a lopper or sequiturs and cut back the dead growth until you see live wood
• the tree on the left of the picture appears to have lost it's leader. Check that the major branches on the left side which are taking over from the leader are not growing together or have bark inclusions which can cause splitting in high winds
• the tree on the right appears to have suffered some trauma which has caused numerous suckers to sprout from the trunk. If you cut these to encourage growth at the top they will resprout. Try ripping them off if they are new and they are less likely to sprout again.

Patience will help you with these trees. They are tough and adaptable. You could easily choose to do nothing till next spring and then cut back to where new growth is showing.