I have big trouble with one of my 7 Purple Robe Locust trees. All look healthy except for this one. It made a feeble attempt to blossom and leaf out. The blossoms died off within 3 days. Now it has very minimal green leafing all over the tree (not just in one area) but the leaves wither in the middle of the day and look crispy. Late in the day close to sunset there is again minimal green leafing which lasts through to morning. I had a arborist look at it, he saw no borers and no obvious reason why it shouldn't be as healthy as the others. I've given it some SuperThrive but I'm afraid I'm going to lose it. If anyone has suggestions please help!

Purple Robe is more recent and is on the dark side. 'Idaho' it is no longer certain what is the true item, more than one form may be in circulation at present - with each having different characteristics. Here, for the most part Purple Robe (and sometimes some other varieties) are what is seen at outlets now. All named forms are liable to be offered grafted. Bristly locust being a wild species could be encountered propagated in some other way. You might also find it grafted on a trunk of another kind to produce a small tree.

5" 3mm??? Do you mean it's 5 feet tall and 3cm in diameter? If so that sounds awfully expensive. Have you looked around for a better price? the purple robe locusts are probably the fastest growing tree or one of the fastest growing trees you can get but it's not something you would really use for a front lawn specimen. They have the reputation for growing places that nothing else will because of its tolerance to conditions and soils and the fact that it fixes nitrogen. They're a bit of a novelty if you love to watch plants take off. Of course if you want something really nice, then it's back to the drawing board. You asked for replies only from people that has one of these so I didn't reply originally. I have planted a few black locusts before in an area that needed some erosion control on a cleared hillside. Other than that, I don't think there's many folks on this board that have them because they really aren't that great of a tree for the average yard. They are a pest magnet. I don't know if you're having a hard time finding trees there but it seems like you're starting at the bottom.

Moderation in all things? Too much water is not the best, too little is not the best. And, I share your frustration in trying to figure out how to get it "just right". I personally live in a semi-arid climate with clay soil and summer temps often in the upper nineties. My trees get some water from lawn irrigation system. However, I supplement that in the hottest part of the season with soaker hoses around the drip line for a good deep soaking about every three weeks. I'd try that and vary the soaking intervals until I figured out what the trees liked best.