THORNLESS GLEDITSIA IS FAST GROWING AND DROUGHT TOLERANT 

    As we increase the fungal population in the soil, equally the biomass production per areaincreases, for their good growth and the acquisition of the necessary nutrients. Nutrients come from soil particles (sand, silt, clay).

 It provides mild shade and the leaves are great food for earth worms and soil microorganisms. Trees also help a lot to capture carbon from the atmosphere.

ADDING DIVERSITY TO THE ECOSYSTEM 

   There is no monoculture in nature. By planting Gleditsia in a vegetable garden, orchard or pasture, you increase the diversity and so your soil becomes more fertile.It also attracts beneficial insects and pollinators, increasing the biodiversity in your ecosystem and makes the soil more fertile.

We plant our orchard according to the following scheme: we plant two walnuts and then one Gleditsia, so each nut has neighboring views.

  The Gleditsia physically creates a barrier for pests and diseases. More detailed information about Thornless Gleditsia in permaculture orchard visit following link:https://youtu.be/UG7GXekQ1-8?si=W64qENCjzdrwK3kb

REGENATIVE AGRICULTURE

The more we use the methods and principles of nature, the more successful we will be, we will have less costs and increase the quality of the production.

Gleditsia works with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. Thus it produces nitrogen for itself, but also for the other plants around it.

For example alfalfa. It is a great crop, but when we grow it alone as a monoculture, after a few years the soil is over-compacted because of too much nitrogen and a lack of carbon (the balance between carbon and nitrogen is disturbed).

Gleditsia INCREASES SOIL NITROGEN, REDUCE to Zero use OFNITROGEN FERTILIZER, increase SOIL aeration and water holding capacity .Gleditsia has a lot of benefits especially in Regenerative Agriculture.

BENEFITS: MEDICINE AND FOOD FOR HUMANS, ANIMALS AND PASTURES 

The leaves and pods are used medicinally, and the pods can be made into flour. When combining trees in a pasture (Silvo pasture) and Agroforestry, the great benefit of Gleditsia comes from it`s podswhich has high sugar content (between 29-39%) and it successfully competes with sugar beet.

The leaves can be dried and used for fodder. It is possible to do the so-called chop and drop (to cut leaves and branches and use them as a mulch). Coppicing or pollarding can be applied (cutting at different heights according to needs and desired effect).

In the state of Alabama(USA), there are plantations with 118 trees per hectare yielding 3360 kg. pods and you can produce over 6000 kg. hay under the mild shade of the trees. In the long run, it is very profitable with almost zero cost to grow these trees.

There are many options for the Gleditsia to be used for feeding animals. Adaptive rotational grazing is the world's best and cheapest practice.

The Gleditsia extends the cool season grasses growth in the summer and provides thenecessary shade in the summer. When you have Gleditsia you will have more nutrient dense food for the animals.

Coppicing Gleditsia will produce very good feed for animals (example in early spring). The leaves are high in protein, break down quickly and therefore are very beneficial for grass growth.

Gleditsia improves the humus content of the soil, makes it more fertile and increases its ability to capture and store larger amounts of water, which is extremely important especially in hot and dry summers. On our farm our natural grass fed and finishing lamb operation growing shade are crucial to maintain good average daily gain (ADG) in lamb meat production.

Follow this link for more information on history of Gleditsia in Bulgaria. It includes recipes for leaves medicinal use and pod food use. 

https://search-2.blogspot.com/2023/01/gleditsia-protiv-kashlica-ponizhavat-kruvnata-zahar-vliyaiat-dobre-na-cherniya-drob-.html?m=1#gsc.tab=0

PRODUCTION OF TIMBER

Gleditsia is known for the hardness and strength of the wood. When we cut and harvest the wood, the tree will grow back, this time stronger and faster because it already has a strong root.

Gleditsia does not have any invasive characteristics and should not be confused with acacia, as it is quite different.

Gleditsia has a bad reputation because of its large 10 cm spikes, which can be dangerous and injure people and animals, and can easily puncture a tire.The thornless Gleditsia does not have these problems and risks.

Thornless Gleditsia can easily be controlled with animals or mechanically. 

In order to get all the benefits of the Gleditsia, but without its drawback – the thorns, the Gleditsia you plant must be THORNLESS.