These trees grow so quickly that I actually doubt you'll be very successful Bonsaing it.It sounds interesting but I've been studying this art form for a long time and have yet to see a mature one.Members of the pea family are notoriously difficult to bonsai well....Good luck with it!

This is awsome. Im actualy very curious. I have been asking alot of questions about this as well. The black locust is amazing. its the hardest wood in the u.s and is awsome for burning. it puts out alot of heat and burns slow.. it rots very slowly Theres a saying that a wall made from black locust will last fifty years longer then rock.. lol. plus it makes very durable lawn furniture. Why we dont take advantage of this what they call invasive tree i have no idea. It is said that the tree is very difficult to kill seeing that it will regrow from even thick stumps. And is known to put out new trees from roots left in the ground. I think it will make a very exellent bonsai. I think the tree is very magistic in its power to survive. The leafs are wonderfull" i wonder if they can be downsized." and the flowers are very nice.. much better then the other (purple robe variety). If you dont mind id like to stay in contact with you. my search for a wild speciman began a week ago when i heard about this tree on talk radio. making arguments of its renewable energy aplication. and why we dont take advantage of it. Ill put pictures up when i find mine..

I thought I was the only person who could be interested using a locust tree as a bonsai! I'd like to stay in contact also. I have six seedlings and am going to try growing some from seed. Am I correct in thinking that I will need to find conditions that will slow/stunt the growth without killing the tree? Are we on a road parallel to trying to make bonsai from bamboo sprouts?

As many have said, Black Locust is a very fast growing species. It also has compound leaves, which will nearly always look out of scale. That being said, If you are new to bonsai, having a fast growing species in which you can experiment with be a great learning experience. Experience and knowledge of how a tree will react to your actions will make bonsai a very rewarding activity.

I would look at pictures of mature "acacia trees" as a general idea of how I would train a Black Locust.

Here is a link that might be useful: Acacia Tree

Hi. I too would like to a black locust tree. It's at out 10 fl tall snd has grown into a fence. The roots go down into a hole in a cinder block. Did any of you have luck with yours?? It's trunk is on one side of fence and the branches are all intertwined in the fence. I was going to cut it to a much smaller size then get as many roots out of the cinder blocks as possibly. I'm very new to this and would like to try to do this fall or next spring. Please help.

What you're suggesting is NOT something for a newbie and would be difficult for anyone - do you have any idea of what a root system that old would look like, or the weight involved, never mind dealing with the cinder block?

I'm decided to go with another tree and the woods that have millions of them. I really want to make a bonsai out of one of there trees .

Right now I'm attempting a mulberry tree.

Mulberry has been trained as bonsai often. A much better choice for your trials. Buds back better too.

Just a tip - your tree will grow and develop much faster if you leave it in the ground for 3-5 yrs. You can't meaningfully style it much before then anyhow and you want a relatively fat trunk (even at 5 yrs it won't be impressive, but at least will be the start of something you can then cut down and regrow smaller branches for. Otherwise, even if you don't get it into a bonsai pot right away, all you'll have is a stick in a pot that'll take lots longer to be good for much than if you let it grow out in the ground. Maybe you can find something already developed enough, and with interesting trunk movement, to work on now. But I suggest you research whatever you can before cutting or digging - a local bonsai club would be a big help.