:>Hi, :>I have a few mesquite trees in 8" pots that I started from seed last year. I know that's :>unusual, but it's a small way to have a little bit of the southwest here in Boston. :>They are now a year old, and about 1.3 feet tall. :>Here's my question. Each has five or six branches emanating from the central stem, and :>they are a little rangy. If I were to cut the branches back maybe halfway on each, would :>the trees be likely to become bushier, or would it be harmful to them? :>Is there such a thing as bonsai mesquite? (Only half joking.) :>If pruning or cutting back is good, is this, just before what I would guess might be a :>dormant period, the right time to do so? :>Thanks for any thoughts on this, :>Ed
: Well, mesquite are usually multi-trunked and I have them coming up all over my : yard from seed. The one I have is very old and it makes a ton of seed pods. I : allowed one of the saplings to live and in one year it great almost 8 feet. : However, it does have multi-trunks. At first, the foliage reached the bottom of : the plant, but as it ages it "cleans" itself and takes on more of a tree form. : You may have something there about bonsai, but you may have to do some research : on that.
: I have had a whole side of a mesquite tear off from a storm and within a few : weeks branches were growing up where the trunk ripped off. So, I would say : before it breaks in spring, give it a try. I think if you provide adequate full : sun and as much heat as possible by allowing them to grow in front of a south : facing wall where it gets hot, the trees will get bushier on their own.
: Victoria