How to Plant & Prune Mesquite Trees

The mesquite is one of the desert's finest shade trees. If you choose a native mesquite, you will find it is fairly problem free. The mesquite grows up to 30 feet tall and wide, so make sure you select a spot that it will not outgrow in a few years requiring extensive pruning. When you purchase the tree, keep in mind a smaller tree will establish quicker than a large one, so a 5-gallon size is often the best buy. Also, a multi-trunked tree makes a nicer specimen that one with a single trunk.

Things You'll Need

• 5-gallon size mesquite (Prosopis velutina)
• Shovel
• Digging bar
• Leather gloves
• 2 tree stakes (only if needed)
• Tree ties (only if needed)
• Pruning loppers

Instructions

1. Dig a planting pit for your tree that is no deeper than the root ball and at least three to five times the width, sloping the sides. If you hit a layer of caliche clay at the bottom, you will need to break through this layer with at least two chimneys that are 6 inches in diameter. If you can't break through, you will have to find another planting location as the soil must drain properly.

2. Remove the tree from the container gently, supporting the tree by the root ball. Do not hold the tree by the trunk. Lower into the hole and gently tease the roots away from the root ball. Back fill with native soil, holding the tree upright. Do not use amendments and do not fertilize. Water in well. Remove the nursery stake from the trunk, if there is one.

3. Install stakes only if the tree cannot stand up by itself. Trees do better and grow stronger without staking. If you have to stake the tree, do so in a manner that the trunk can still sway with the wind. Remove after a year.

4. Prune only those branches that are dead, broken or crossing at planting time. Leave all branches on the lower part of the tree for as long as two years, as this helps the tree grow a stronger trunk. After two years, you can start to slowly train the tree so you can walk underneath. Always cut branches back to their point of origin.

   Water the new tree daily for the first week, every other day for the second week and every third day for the third week. Water twice a week during the hottest part of the summer, backing off to twice a month in the winter.

   Do not fertilize mesquite trees, as they have the ability to make their own nitrogen from the air. If you feed them regularly, they will learn not to do what they do naturally.

References

• "Principles and Practice of Planting Trees and Shrubs"; Gary W. Watson, et al.; 1997