Mesquite trees can be very fast growing when their roots are not disturbed by the potting and repotting that goes on in the nursery industry. In five years, the mesquites that I have planted from seed are taller than the ones grown from potted plants.  Great news – mesquite trees are one of the easiest trees of all to grow.  You could consider them a fruit tree,because the pods are highly edible.  We share mesquite recipes on Savor the Southwest.

Cover image above: large mesquite trees like this on are homes for native birds, like this great horned owl.

July is a Great Time to Start Your Mesquite

Seeds are ripe on mesquite trees, and the rains have started – so conditions are perfect for planting some mesquites in your yard. Or better yet – help your city become less of a heat island. Do some guerrilla planting of a tree that can also feed people. Another advantage of mesquite trees is statistics show that neighborhoods with tree lined streets have lower crime rates. Not sure why that is, but it’s pretty strong statistics.

Mesquite harvest and processing of the beans is covered on Savor the Southwest. There are also more than a few recipes on how to use the bounty of this beautiful tree. (Mesquite no-bake cookies are YUM!)

All Mesquite are NOT Created Equal

There are a number of mesquite species and some are NOT native. This has lead to problems in the urban landscapes. Non-native mesquites from the grasslands of Argentina and Chile grow fast – so they were once very popular in landscaping. Problem is that they have very shallow roots and tend to knock over walls, heave sidewalks, get into septic systems, and can even crack house foundations. Now mesquites have a bad name with homeowners and that is a shame.

Our Sonoran Desert native the velvet mesquite is slower growing, but it is a far better choice for a number of reasons. Unlike the non-natives, velvet mesquite is well adapted to our climate, and it feeds the native animals. Velvet mesquite leaves serve native butterfly larvae and Gambel’s quail.  The pods nourish almost every Sonoran Desert inhabitant, from bunnies and squirrels to coyotes, javelina and humans.  The native velvet mesquite also has deep tap roots, making it much less likely than the non-natives to blow over in the swirling summer winds that often accompany the monsoon rains.

Many Hybrid Mesquite

Since all species mesquites can cross-pollinate each other, it is now difficult to find pure velvet mesquite. If you go far outside your town you may get a pure species. But the pollinators may fly up to three miles between plants. You may even find a nice mother plant with beautiful tasty pods and not a thorn to be seen – but you can not know who the father of those seeds inside the pods is. He may be a real “junkyard dog” of a tree, and you will want nothing to do with his offspring. And other pods from the same tree? Different fathers!

All this is by way of telling you that plan to remove some of your baby trees. In other words – over-plant the space. I always tell you not to do that, but here is the exception to that rule.

Plant Where You Will Never Move the Tree

Harvest a handful of seed pods, then plant them, pods and all, where you want your tree to grow. Water well and stand back. The pods have fibers in them that help hold the moisture around the young seeds.

Two (or so) Weeks Later

When about twenty little seedling mesquite trees have several clusters of true leaves, select the one or two with the most velvety blue leaves. Get rid of the rest. All will have thorns as babies. But get rid of any that are excessively thorny. I had about 20 seedlings and got rid of all but three. In October, I picked the tallest, straightest of the three little trees and the other two were removed. In the immortal words of my Plant Propagation professor, “Catch ’em young and bring ’em up right.”

How to Grow Mesquite

It’s easy.  Only five things to remember if you use my Five Elements of Gardening (based on the Ancient Greek elements).

Earth = Soil

From seed just plant it in native desert soil. Avoid clay soil if possible. The hole should be about half an inch deep.  Half an inch!  Not too deep.

Water

Water the soil around the seeds every day or two. Too much water and you will have rotten seed pods. So how often you water depends on if you have well draining soil or not.

Once you have baby trees, if you don’t get any rain for 7 to 10 days, water your baby trees. Their roots are small at this point. Water so the moisture sinks about a foot deep. The roots will grow nice and deep to collect that water, and you never have to worry about shallow roots.

Air = Temperature

If you live in a place that gets below 15F in winter, try to site your mesquite in a place where it will be protected from winter cold.  As they get older their bark thickens and they are more cold tolerant.

Fire = Sun

Mesquites can take full sun. The also like to grow in clusters called bosques. If you have the space, I highly recommend starting a bosque. In five years it will be a shady paradise.

Ether = Care

You will have to protect your buried pods from the critters that like to eat mesquite. This is every mammal as far as I can tell, including dogs, coyotes, mice, packrats, ground squirrels, rock squirrels, rabbits, and – of course – javelina. Maybe not cats.

Do not fuss too much over mesquite. Certainly do not fertilize. Do not fertilize mesquite trees (or any plant in the pea family). They have a special relationship with bacteria that turn the nitrogen in the air we breathe into nitrogen they can use for growth. If you want to encourage more rapid growth of your mesquite, mulch it with an organic mulch, not rock mulch that your HOA wants. Build a decorative tree well and the HOA can’t complain if you fill it with bark mulch.

Another Benefit of Seed Grown Mesquite

When you plant from a pot – you will have to worry about getting the tree at the right depth in the soil. Improper burial of the root flare is a real problem for some species of trees. When you plant from seed, the tree will plant itself at just the perfect depth for it’s species.

Let me know if you have any questions. That’s what the comment section is for!

More about Planning and Care of your yard

The Month By Month Guide offers tips for your landscape (including perennials listed here) in every month of the year.  I have a less than 100 copies left and am offering them to you – my loyal readers. When you buy from me you get a signed copy!

From the review:

“A great reference book is key to successful gardening in the region where you live. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening takes the guesswork out of gardening for anyone residing in the Southwest. With this book, you’ll know what to do each month to enjoy a thriving garden all year, from January to December. Chronologically organized, this guide is full of critical gardening when-to and how-to advice, along with illustrated step-by-step instructions.

The book’s author is Jacqueline Soule, a Tucson-based gardening expert. She knows this arid region inside and out, and she’s written several articles and books packed with her gardening advice. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening showcases Soule’s expertise in one easy-to-read guide.”

Profits from the sale of this book go to the Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.

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