How long has it been planted? And what size was it when it was planted? 5 gallon? 15 gallon? Most mesquites look really ratty now because last year's leaves are dying and they haven't started new ones.

Chilean Mesquites make great shade trees. Yours should grow at a moderate rate and mature to a size of 30 ft. x 30 ft. Mesquites can tolerate growing in a lawn situation although it isn't ideal. The water needs of your lawn are drastically different than the trees. While lawns usually need water twice a week in the summer, an established mesquite only needs water once every three weeks or so. The amount of water applied is different also. Grass only needs water to moisten the top 6 - 8 inches, while trees need water down to three feet. To compromise, be sure to deep water your trees periodically either with a hose or drip system. Eventually the shade from the trees will cause the grass to become sparce. Even shade-tolerant grasses will struggle under the trees. When this happens you may want to cap off the sprinklers under the tree and use a shredded bark mulch to cover the bare soil. Don't prune newly planted trees, except to remove broken or dead branches. Wait for at least one year to do any pruning - early June is the best time, but minor trimming can be done at other times. It is normal for mesquite branches to droop to the ground. On the branch you mention, try working from the tip of the branch back and remove a shoot where it intersects with another branch or shoot. This will lighten the weight on the end of the branch. As far as staking goes, be sure to remove the original nursery stake that is next to the trunk and replace it with two wooden stakes placed outside the rootball. Allow the trunk to move a bit within the ties. This creates strong wood in the trunk. The ties should not cut or bruise the trunk - old pieces of hose with a wire inside are great or you can purchase ties. Your goal will be to remove the stakes in about a year. More information on pruning and staking can be found in the book Pruning, Planting and Care by Eric Johnson, Ironwood Press. It's available in local bookstores or on-line. Another great book is Desert Landscaping for Beginners by the U of A Master Gardener Press. It has a chapter on pruning, one on watering, one on turf care, citrus, roses, cactus, landscaping for wildlife, etc. I've included the link below. I hope this helps. aztreelvr certified arborist Here is a link that might be useful: Desert Landscaping for Beginners

That's pretty bad drainage. I would guess the issue is clay soil because caliche and/or hard pan wouldn't be responsible for keeping water in the hole. The water would still soak into the soil horizontally. So if you did have the chimneys it doesn't sound like the water would make it to them. My personal thinking is you could dig a 10' wide hole and amend the soil but you'd still have a hole that didn't drain, nothing would really be solved. I'm a "it is what it is" kind of person. A mesquite has the best chance of finding its own way, they do this for a living. So I never add anything for natives, and a mesquite, hybrid or not, is close enough for me. If it helps at all I grew thornless mesquite from seed this summer in a bucket with no drainage.

It's difficult to recommend one over the other with so few details but I can offer some info from my new favorite book: "Pruning, Planting and Care by Eric A. Johnson" Chilean Mesquite: Semi-evergreen, 30' high x 30' wide, Full sun, Hardy to 12F, Moderate water use. Mesquites in general require a large volume of soil area because they have rapid and aggressive root growth. Withoug enough soil area for roots to spread, serious problems occur, especially in windy areas. Trees will topple over. They also require adequate and deep moisture so those roots go deep, deep, deep. This way they will have a good anchor in windy times. On the upside, mesquites are beautiful trees with interesting branch structure. They are hardy and use little water. California Pepper: Evergreen, 25' high x 40' wide, full sun, hardy to 20F, full sun, low to moderate water use. Growth is rapid and branches hang to the ground. Use in open garden areas where competitive roots can spread freely. White summer flowers develop into clusters of red berries in winter. The challenge of this tree is also wind related when the trunks and branches become large. Quite often they are damaged by wind storms. Limb breakage causes trees to become unbalanced and exposes the trunk to decay. Prune to thin out excessive growth early in spring prior to hot weather. HTH. Mary