WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water honey mesquite in California

In July in the Central Valley, established honey mesquite in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Honey mesquite is a thorny, deciduous tree or large shrub from the San Joaquin Valley, the Mojave Desert and northern Mexico. Feathery leaves hang on drooping branches, and spikes of yellow flowers in spring turn into long, edible bean pods. Its roots reach deep for lasting moisture, so an established tree gets by on little irrigation.

TreeCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water honey 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 honey 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

  • Dry soil several inches down around a young mesquite in its first summers means the root ball is ready for a deep soak
  • Wilted or yellowing leaflets on a young tree, with dry soil below, point to a thirsty root zone
  • A young tree that adds only a few inches a year may still be searching for deep moisture, so slow growth alone does not mean thirst
  • Yellowing leaves and dieback on a tree beside a lawn or sprinklers can point to too much water rather than too little
  • Bare branches in winter are normal for this deciduous tree and do not mean it needs water

How to water it

  • Water a young honey mesquite slowly over its root ball and a wide band beyond it, so moisture soaks deep instead of spreading thin
  • Soak the root zone deeply, then let the upper soil dry out well before the next soak
  • Plant it 10 to 20 feet away from a lawn or other regularly watered bed
  • Set it in sand, decomposed granite or clay, since it tolerates alkaline, salty ground and even seasonal flooding
  • Move drip emitters outward as the canopy spreads, and keep the spiny branches clear of paths and patios

Through the seasons

Give a young honey mesquite deep soakings through its first summers, while its roots work down toward lasting moisture. Growth can stay slow until they find it, then speed up fast. Once established it needs little irrigation, though it does better with a little summer water. It flowers in spring, then sets pods, and it drops its leaves for winter. Winter rain covers the cool months in the Central Valley and on the south coast. In the deserts, check the soil during long dry spells. WUCOLS rates it low water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland, in the high desert and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast.

In pots

Honey mesquite sends its roots deep, so it suits a container only as a young tree waiting to be planted. Use a deep pot and check the mix 2 to 3 inches down every few days in summer heat. In the Central Valley and the deserts, check it daily during heat waves. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. Plant it out while young, ideally in winter while it is dormant. A leafless tree in winter needs only a light soak when the mix has dried.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.300.610.921.20.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.300.610.921.20.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan–0.160.310.310.30.31
Feb–0.260.320.350.370.37
Mar–0.430.460.520.580.61
Apr–0.610.560.640.760.78
May–0.830.640.780.950.98
Jun–0.990.690.921.141.12
Jul–1.070.7911.221.14
Aug–0.950.740.931.121.04
Sep–0.720.60.740.860.83
Oct–0.470.460.530.580.6
Nov–0.220.330.360.370.38
Dec–0.140.260.270.260.27
Year–6.846.27.378.518.43

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 low water in the Central Valley, like honey mesquite. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes honey 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 honey mesquite in summer?

In July, established honey mesquite in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, 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 honey mesquite need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established honey mesquite needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 honey mesquite change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates honey mesquite separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water 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.

Are honey mesquite pods edible?

Yes. The long, beanlike pods are edible, with a taste likened to stringy carob. Native peoples of California and the Southwest ground the dry pods into flour and also ate the flowers.

Is honey mesquite thorny?

Yes. Its branches carry straight spines, so plant it away from patios, paths and play areas. Thornless mesquites are sold, but this native variety is spiny.

How far should honey mesquite be from a lawn?

Native plant growers advise 10 to 20 feet from a lawn or other watered area. That distance keeps frequent lawn watering off its root zone. Give the tree its own deep soakings while it is young.

Can honey mesquite grow in alkaline or salty soil?

Yes. It tolerates alkaline soil, sand and clay, and has grown in compacted, high sodium ground. It also handles seasonal flooding. In the wild it grows in alkali sinks and desert washes.

Why is my young mesquite growing so slowly?

A young honey mesquite can add only a few inches a year until its roots reach deeper moisture. Once they do, it can grow several feet in a season and flower soon after. Keep up deep soakings and give it time.

Is honey mesquite good for wildlife?

Yes. Native bees, moths and butterflies visit it, and birds nest in the canopy. Quail, songbirds and small mammals eat the seeds.

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Sources