Shademaster Honeylocust Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on July 5, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your tree where it will receive at least six hours of sunlight a day, away from overhead utility lines, and in soil that drains well. The spot you choose should also be at least 20 to 30 feet away from your home or other buildings. Unpot the sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Fill in around the roots with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of an organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth, being careful to keep it from touching the trunk.

Watering and nutrients

During its first year, water your Shademaster honeylocust tree once a week — more if conditions are very dry or hot. Once it is well-established, you can cut back on watering. To see if it needs supplemental water, check the soil 2 inches below the surface. If it’s dry, give your tree a drink. Mature trees with well-developed root systems will rarely need watering. Although your tree doesn’t require fertilizer, you can feed it when young in spring with a balanced, slow-release product designed for landscape trees and bushes if you wish.

Pollination

Although the Shademaster honeylocust tree has small yellow blooms that appear in clusters in early summer, they do not usually lead to seed pods, as is the case with thorned varieties of honeylocust trees. The flowers have a light fragrance, and they may attract pollinating insects.

Pruning

Monitor your tree, especially when young, for broken, diseased, and damaged branches, and prune these out when you see them. Other than this, however, you should not need to prune your Shademaster honeylocust tree. It should naturally assume a strong central leader (trunk) and pleasing, rounded canopy on its own.

Pests and diseases

Insect pests that may be drawn to your Shademaster honeylocust tree include aphids, leafhoppers, and spider mites. Keep your tree healthy so that it can resist infestations, and consider releasing beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, which eat aphids. Few diseases target these trees; they may occasionally show signs of fungal cankers, leaf spot, or powdery mildew. Again, keeping the tree healthy will help it fight off disease pressure.

Achieving maximum results

Your Shademaster honeylocust tree should live for more than 100 years. And for much of that time, it will need little care. The key to ensuring that your tree has a long and happy life, though, is to pamper it when it’s young. For its first few years, until the root system has grown and become established, give your tree a good drink whenever the temperatures rise. During its first years, your tree may be putting on 3 to 4 feet of new growth a year, expending a great deal of energy to grow. Even though fertilizer is not required, you may give it a boost in the form of a feeding with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer to ensure that it has the nutrients needed to allow it to achieve its full potential.

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