those trees need a cooling period to be healthy...you would need to mimic seasonal changes if you wanted to keep them indoors

Black locust needs a lot of extra light to be happy indoors. I grew a few from seed another year, germinating in January to give them an extra long first growing season. They got tall and weak stretching for more light. I had to cut them back when I finally put them in the ground outside, they couldn't stand even gentle wind anymore. I grew catalpa at the same time and they had no problem at all in same light.

ahhh..more pot facts ....

where are you ????

you said: I plan on keeping them inside for a couple of months while they get a head start on growing and was wondering what exactly should I do to help them stay healthy?

==>>> well thats easy.. PLANT THEM OUTSIDE ... or leave them outside in pots properly stored for winter ....

interfering with the plants NATURAL annual Circadian rhythm .. will NOT give them a head start ...

and i would suggest.. that if you dont kill them.. you will stunt them ....

besides the natural dormancy period.. short of a properly controlled green house ... it will be near impossible to manage watering [media selection] .. heat.. and light .. in winter.. especially in a house that has a forced air furnace... humidity being the big problem with such ... and you cant just throw them outdoors in winter in many places .. again.. where are you ...

now all that said... i am not trying to stop you from experimenting... that is ALWAYS good.... but you will need to address every variable i mentioned .. and probably a few others .... and come near to perfecting them ... to succeed ...

your thoughts of giving them a head start by keeping them close and cosy ... borders on what i call ... LOVING YOUR PLANTS TO DEATH .... the bottom line.. is that deciduous trees NEED to go dormant .... and you cant change that .... no matter how much you 'care' .....ma nature has been at this for billions of years.... and you arent going to out think her ...

but again... do have fun trying...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

It seems an odd time of year for this. If you had a VERY young sapling, I could see starting it indoors in late winter/early Spring and planting it after last frost. At this time of year I'd say plant them outside and water them regularly through August.

Grow lights shouldn't be need through August.

Thanks for the responses guys!

And the reason why I asked some questions about putting them in pots and such is because I'll be heading off to college, and I want to plant a tree that is a great source of nectar so in the future when I keep bees they'll love it. I won't be living with my parents forever, hopefully lol, and I just wanted to see if I could keep them in a pot for a number of years until I get my own place and such. But it doesn't seem like it'll work unless it's a dwarf tree. But thanks for the info!

I have a black locust tree growing in a pot that stays outside in the summertime and inside in the winter, it lives in a 12" pot and is under a grow light with a 12 hour period in the winter. My tree is 5 years old and i keep it trimmed back, I will let it get cold enough outside that its leaves fall off before I bring it inside then in about 3 weeks it has sprouted new leaves and is happy till spring when it goes back outside. Its 12 inch pot sits in a larger pot that I keep full of water for it. I know I am breaking every rule of caring for it but it seems to be very happy and looks quite striking in my living room. I keep it at about 6 feet tall.

Brian, could you post a picture of your tree. I have a black locust seedling in container, few months old. My young daughter and her friend found the seed in their school backyard and wanted to grow it as a symbol of their friendship :) I told them to stratify it in the fridge last winter for few months and they planted it this past summer. Want to show them what size it can grow into indoors in a container :)