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Southwestern Gardening

seeking Palo Verde info

19 years ago

Hello World-

I am a desert tree lover and I was looking to become educated on how to grow Palo Verdes and Ironwoods in Arizona. Is there an educational resource out there that could tell me the proper techniques? Should I start from seedlings or seeds? Is scarification necessary? Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks and have a great day.

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Comments (6)

lantana_babe
19 years ago
Start with the Botanical gardens and their websites. The one in Phoenix/Tempe has plant sales twice a year. One thing to consider is the issue of thornes. There is a new variety from the University of Arizona that is thorn free. A nice touch when you are pruning the tree. Sure saves on bandages.
wilnetaz
19 years ago
You can get Palo Verdes cheap at any large retail store like Homedepot etc. I've had luck with them as small as 2' Try to make sure the water get deep under the roots.
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I like your choices. The question is were the grubs causing the problem or feeding on the problem? You definitely should ID the grubs, but I would suspect overwatering--as in are you still watering a tree that no longer needs watering?--or, depending upon the species and cultivar, 20 years old may be at its lifetime anyway with that accounting for it. IDing grubs usually revolves around examining number and pattern of 'butt hairs.' (aka raster) Best left to the MG clinic I suspect. Here is a link that might be useful: MC MG (if not in Maricopa, adjust accordingly)
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overrocked
19 years ago
I, too want to plant ironwoods ( i already have a 3 yr old 15 ft palo brea) I actually like thorns! I also planted 3 mesquite with thorns in the front yard. The Palo Brea was only a 3 ft sapling, but it sure grew fast! It now shades the house. I was hoping to just get a few cuttings from an ironwood and try to propagate them like poplars. (i took 3 cuttings from a cottonwood and 6 months later I have 5 saplings)
randit
19 years ago
We are considering buying three big Palo Verde trees..$$..the new cultivar known as 'Desert Museum'. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find more information on the hardiness of this cultivar, or any Palo Verdes in the Las Cruces, NM, area. We live on a SW "bench" over-looking the Mesilla valley. Would love to buy/plant these trees..but don't wish to waste the moolah, if they will "do a Frogger" (croak) in the first bad winter that comes along. Anyone in NM growing Palo Verdes successfully.? Any experience with 'Desert Museum'...?
Pagancat
19 years ago
Overrocked, you might want to just go ahead and get a small Ironwood - they are known to be veeeerrrrrryyyyyy slow growers.

HTH!
graysmoke
17 years ago
How successful is one liable to be using a volunteer for trying out palo verde, it is from in-laws yard and put in mine a few months ago and growing vigorously. Can growth be controlled to manageable size withholding irrigation and pruning?

I am destitute from paying to have trees removed because of growing so large they become susceptible to wind damage, have in the past had three microtheca eucalyptus and four shoestring acacias removed for that reason and three queen palms because of age and other problems. This is getting too much for the pocketbook. Miss the shade and the trees though.

How severely can one prune without losing a palo verde, in fractions, say up to 1/3 or 1/2? And will they survive after establishing, without irrigation in E Valley Phoenix area?
I sort of think the eucalyptus and acacias might have been controlled by eliminating irrigation after mature, is this true?

graysmoke

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