Honey Mesquite Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on June 14, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your Honey Mesquite in well-draining soil with full sun, and away from overhead cables or wiring. It is not particular about soil type, and thrives in low-quality soil that would kill other plants. Unpot your sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Be sure to allow room for the primary tap root, which needs to be able to grow downward. Place the sapling in the hole, and while holding it upright and steady, fill in around it with topsoil. Tamp down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of an organic mulch such as bark chips around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weeds.

Watering and nutrients

For your tree’s first year, water it thoroughly once a week. If the leaves start to turn yellow, cut back on watering. Once your tree is established and growing well, it won’t need supplemental watering. Mesquites are desert plants, and can handle even severe droughts fairly well. Although supplemental fertilizer isn’t necessary, if you wish for stronger growth you can feed it with a balanced, slow-release product such as a 10-10-10 formula in the spring.

Pollination

Honey Mesquite Trees are self-fertile, so a single tree has both male and female reproductive parts on it. The fragrant flowers, which occur on spikey racemes, are beloved by honey bees, and mesquite honey is highly prized by many. Fertilized flowers yield bean-like pods in the late summer. In the wild, these are ingested by a range of animals who aid in spreading the species widely.

Pruning

When your tree is young, cut it annually to shape it to the form you’d like it to take. If left unpruned, it may form a multi-trunk shrub. To prune your Honey Mesquite into a tree form, remove all secondary trunks and suckers that appear at the base of the plant. As it grows, you can trim lower branches as well to make it easier to mow underneath. Also be sure to prune out any dead, diseased, or damaged limbs whenever you see them.

Pests and diseases

Mesquite Trees are resistant to most insect pests. Occasionally, they will be bothered by mealybugs, or several varieties of scale insects. A healthy tree can fend off minor infestations. Keep the base of the tree free from leaf litter and debris to avoid giving insects a place to hide. The only disease Mesquites are prone to is stem gall rust, a fungal disease, which may form a canker on branches. Prune out infected branches immediately.

Achieving maximum results

If you’re looking for a t sturdy plant that can handle a tough site, Honey Mesquite might be the right fit. Honey Mesquite Trees have been found thriving in sites as challenging as Death Valley, for example. They are used to desert-like conditions and can even handle salty soil. They also grow well at elevations of up to 1,800 meters. The key to growing Honey Mesquite successfully is giving it some extra care when young. Nurture it well, and it will be carefree as a mature tree. This means watering regularly until that deep tap root can grow enough to access underground water, and pruning carefully to shape the tree while it’s still small.

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