WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Prosopis juliflora, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Arizona mesquite in California

In July on the south coast, established Arizona mesquite in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 14 gallons a week. Arizona mesquite is a desert legume tree with fine, feathery leaves, catkin-like flowers and long seed pods. Mesquites tolerate heat, poor alkaline soil and drought, and they shed leaves in cold weather or long dry spells. Deep, infrequent water builds a stable tree; frequent shallow water builds a top-heavy one.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water Arizona mesquite, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for Arizona mesquite and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 2 feet down beyond the canopy edge in summer signals that a young mesquite needs a deep soak
  • Leaflets folding and thinning out across the crown during a long dry spell can indicate the tree is shedding leaves to cope
  • Fast, leggy, top-heavy growth after frequent shallow watering signals too much water near the surface
  • Leaning or toppling after a storm in a watered lawn points to a shallow root system from overwatering

How to water it

  • Water well beyond the canopy edge with a slow soaker or ring of emitters, not at the trunk
  • Soak the soil 2 to 3 feet deep, then let it dry well down before the next soak
  • Plant in well-drained soil, and keep the tree out of lawns and frequently watered beds
  • Skip fertilizer and heavy late summer water so the tree hardens off before winter
  • Move emitters outward as the tree grows so roots spread wide and deep

Through the seasons

Water a young mesquite deeply through its first two or three summers while roots go down. After that, deep soaks spaced far apart through the hottest months are enough. Mesquites grow fast in hot weather when water is available, and drop leaves after a hard freeze or long drought. Trees given heavy water and fertilizer handle cold less well. WUCOLS rates Arizona mesquite low water on the south coast, in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the north-central coast or the Central Valley.

In pots

Arizona mesquite is best in the ground, since it builds deep roots and wide canopies. A young tree can stay in a large, deep container for a season before planting. Check the mix several inches down and water when it is dry, which can be every few days in desert heat. Water until it drains freely, then empty the saucer. In winter, while leaves are off, water only enough to keep the root ball from drying completely.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Arizona Mesquite for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Arizona Mesquite as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Arizona Mesquite: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.310.310.30.31
Feb––0.320.350.370.37
Mar––0.460.520.580.61
Apr––0.560.640.760.78
May––0.640.780.950.98
Jun––0.690.921.141.12
Jul––0.7911.221.14
Aug––0.740.931.121.04
Sep––0.60.740.860.83
Oct––0.460.530.580.6
Nov––0.330.360.370.38
Dec––0.260.270.260.27
Year––6.27.378.518.43

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like Arizona mesquite. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Arizona mesquite, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water Arizona mesquite in summer?

In July, established Arizona mesquite in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does Arizona mesquite need per day?

In July on the south coast, established Arizona mesquite needs about 2.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 8.0 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for Arizona mesquite change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Arizona mesquite separately for each of the six California climate zones: not evaluated in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why did my mesquite blow over?

Mesquites given frequent water can grow a fast, heavy crown on a limited root system, especially in lawns. Water deeply and infrequently instead. Avoid lawn sprinklers that keep the surface wet.

Does mesquite lose its leaves?

Yes, mesquites are deciduous and shed foliage in response to cold or prolonged drought. New growth returns in spring. Leaf drop in a long dry spell is a cue to soak the deep root zone.

Can I remove mesquite thorns?

Thorns on young trees can be pruned off and do not regrow from the same spot. Many thorns fade as the tree matures. Wear heavy gloves when you work in the canopy.

What is the clump growing in my mesquite?

It is likely mistletoe, a parasite that takes water and nutrients from the tree. Heavy infestations cause decline over time. Prune out heavily infested branches.

Is mesquite good for a hot west wall?

Yes, mesquites take hot south and west-facing walls and reflected sun. Heat raises demand for the first few years. Check the deep soil more often there while the tree establishes.

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Sources