Plant of the Week - Mesquite Trees

What is the most common tree of the Desert Southwest?  It is the Mesquite! Honey and Velvet Mesquite Trees can take the extreme heat and the cold! This tree grows fast so you don't have to wait long to enjoy it's beauty. Like many members of the Legume Family, Mesquite trees restore nitrogen to the soil, which is another great aspect of this desert tree. Mesquite Trees are great for shade. The Shade from these Native Arizona Trees create a 10-15 degree cooler temperature. Mesquite trees have massive root systems, Mesquite trees have lateral roots that extend far beyond the canopies of the plants and taproots that penetrate well below the surface of the soil.  Some mesquites may live for more than two centuries, according to U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

There are three common species of native mesquite trees:  Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens),  Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), and Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina).

Mesquite Tree Care
Caring for mesquite trees is a simple process after the tree has fully matured. Mesquite trees need a full day’s worth of direct sunlight to grow. Make sure to plant your mesquite tree in a place where it will always have a lot of quality sun.

Good staking is crucial to the Mesquite tree, especially in areas with severe summer storms, monsoon season, or high winds. The shortcoming of a Chilean or Honey Mesquite tree is wind damage. Proper staking and proper watering is essential to help avoid wind damage with your mesquite trees.

Make your Mesquite trees “seek out” water and nutrients by careful arrangement of your irrigation emitters and scheduled deep irrigation. This will foster the development of a more dispersed root system and reduces the risk of wind throw.

Pruning will keep your tree from becoming messy, while stimulating new growth on those branches that you pruned. The dead, diseased, broken or weak branches, drain the Mesquite tree’s energy.

A word of caution, Mistletoe is a parasite that is common to Mesquite trees. While pruning keep an eye out for it.

Mesquite tree leaves and bean pods 
Mesquite bean pods are rich in carbohydrates and have very low moisture content, making them an excellent source for harvesting, processing, and storage.  A variety of animals eat the seeds such as quail, dear, javelina, coyotes, squirrels and rats.

Historic records have indicated that almost every part of the mesquite tree has a use. The Pima Indians of southern Arizona referred to the mesquite as the Tree Of Life.

During the inevitable droughts and deprivations of desert frontier days, the mesquite trees served up the primary food source for caravans and settlers.  Mesquite beans became manna from heaven.

Medical studies of mesquite trees and other desert foods, said that despite its sweetness, mesquite flour (made by grinding whole pods) is extremely effective in controlling blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Native Desert Tree – Honey Mesquite
These native trees are extremely drought tolerant. Honey mesquites are more rounded with big, floppy, drooping branches.  The foliage is feathery and straight – paired with sharp spines on twigs. The Honey Mesquite has pale, yellow, elongated spikes and bears straight, yellow seed bean pods.

This tree normally reaches 20 to 30 feet, but can reach as tall as 50 ft. The growth rate is medium.  Honey mesquite will make new growth from a root or stump if it is cut down, making permanent removal extremely hard.  If a single trunk is cut down the Honey Mesquite will replace it with a multiple trunk version.

Native Desert Trees, Velvet Mesquite Tree
(Prosopis velutina) Velvet Mesquite is the most common of the North American varieties, it ranges from southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and most common to the Chihuahua and Sonoran deserts of Mexico.

Velvet Mesquite Trees are a deciduous plant; the benefits are they are able to retain moisture during the winter or exceptionally dry seasons better because water does not escape through the leaves.  These Mesquite trees have elongated bean pods. They are very sweet to taste when ripe. The Velvet Mesquite tree has thorns.  The length of the thorny spikes can vary even on the same branch.

For the first year, deeply water your mesquite tree every week or so until it has properly matured. Once your velvet mesquite tree has matured, it can survive with a little supplemental water in addition to natural rain. In case of droughts, do water your mesquite trees more often.

Velvet Mesquites hold the record for deepest root (160 feet); these tap roots can tap into deep, underground water supplies that aren’t available to the average plant. 

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

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