Western Honey Mesquite

[jwoodjr5]

Hey all, first thread here and wanted to show the progression I'll be going through with this Western Honey Mesquite (Prosopis Glandulosa var. Torreyana)

4/23/2023
This was the tree when I saw it a nursery a few weeks ago


From this angle the trunk is about 3" however, both nebari and trunk look much better from the side adding another few CM and creating some more interest.

Thoughts

- The rugged bark is beautiful and shows some strong potential.

- As much as I would like to keep all the branches, there's a conflict regardless of which angle I choose as a front

- The tree feels like it just wants to be styled in a naturalistic way. It has some long branches that can be turned into deadwood to give the tree an image reminiscent of Mesquite trees seen in the Mojave Desert.

Side

- The left most branch feels like a more natural continuation of the trunkline and has more interesting movement.

- The branch coming toward the camera feels out of place, the branch coming from the right feels okay but it's too straight and doesn't have much interest.

- I proceeded to adjust potting angles and spent several hours just staring at the tree in different ways.




5/2/2023

- The tree speaks! Here is the newest angle

- I removed the rightmost branch in the above photos. It went against the flow of the tree and even as a deadwood feature felt very out of place due to how long the branch appeared without branch closer to the trunkline.

- There is a thin branch slightly toward the photo at the top center of the tree. It's quite flexible so I will get out the raffia and wire and create some further interest.

- I'm hesitant on removing more of the longer straight sections as I'm considering bringing the foliage in toward the center and creating a Jin feature out of those longer portions letting them rise above the overall shape of the tree

- Still playing around with angles, I may get a bit more extreme with the potting angle. I'll keep assessing it and letting the foliage grow

 

[Tieball]

Welcome to Bonsainut and making the leap to your first posting.

 

[Tieball]

I’m a fan of naturalistic styles. I just find the style exciting to my imagination. On your tree there are quite a few straight branch sections. These straight areas may need to be dealt with even when pursuing a naturalistic style. The good thing though is that you have many branches budding that can loosen up the straightness.

Perhaps when several of the new-growth branches lengthen those straight sections might not appear so straight.

Staring at a tree from different angles is a good thing.
Nice tree!

 

[Michael P]

I love mesquite in the landscape! Rarely seen as bonsai, good luck with this one.

 

[Arizona bonsai]

Here is our volunteer mesquite that grew in our front yard, its a few years old. It did not have a long tap root luckily.

 

[jwoodjr5]

I’m a fan of naturalistic styles. I just find the style exciting to my imagination. On your tree there are quite a few straight branch sections. These straight areas may need to be dealt with even when pursuing a naturalistic style. The good thing though is that you have many branches budding that can loosen up the straightness.

Perhaps when several of the new-growth branches lengthen those straight sections might not appear so straight.

Staring at a tree from different angles is a good thing.
Nice tree!

Completely agreed on the naturalistic style, it's where I think we as bonsai artists really are challenged into that blend of art and nature at its rawest.


I'm thinking I'm going to let it run the rest of this year and see what kind of branching and buds it'll give me before trying to force anything at the moment.

I'm likely going to reduce many of the branches and streamline the appearance a bit more. Some quick phone eraser tool work to show one of the potential lines I'm seeing for the tree


Quick observations on the tree tell me it backbuds reliably as all the old pruned branch stumps are budding out.

It being a tree endemic to the Southwest Deserts has me guessing the growth is fast and hardens off quite quickly so I'll look to utilize that speed in my future chops

 

[jwoodjr5]

I love mesquite in the landscape! Rarely seen as bonsai, good luck with this one.

I have a deep appreciation and fondness for many of the species native to the Southwest

Much of the issue I've read seems to be in that they are incredibly difficult to collect due to the obscene lengths of the taproots.

As it's already in a pot I'm really hoping I'll be able to avoid that issue.

 

[Tieball]

The phone eraser path looks mighty fine. I can see excellent potential just as you do. Well thought out direction you’re taking.

 

[Goodroot]

I picked up a small honey mesquite last summer from a local nursery. I’ll get a pic tomorrow. It’s about 18”, give or take a few. I’m in East/NE Tx. I just read that in the wild, their tap roots can go as deep as 150’! I’m gonna give it a go, since it’s in a pot and in my possession now. Y’all think the tap root would keep trying to grow on me? Maybe check the roots once a year?

 

[Goodroot]

Here’s what I have so far.

 

[Goodroot]

Hey, I just realized mine did not lose leaves this winter. Is that correct?

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

It's atypical for mesquite to keep its leaves throughout the winter, but not out of the question. It depends on what kind of winter you had, how/where it was kept (how protected was it from freezing temperatures?).
Around here, mesquite is the predominant tree across the flats and canyons of the desert. They are all leafless rn, and tend to be somewhat of an indicator plant, as winter is over if you see leaves popping.
They do have extreme taproots, as you said. According to the USFS, the longest one on record was actually 190 feet! Kept in a pot, especially on a bench, table or concrete, the taproot shouldn't be an issue.
There is further information in this thread.

Thread 'Native to the Northern Chihuahua Desert'

Jun 25, 2024

I have been trying to learn as much as I can about bonsai overall, and I've decided maybe I'm starting off too broadly. So since I'm struggling to find a lot of information or examples of specimens that are native to my area, I will begin this thread in the hope of
1: Creating a resource for others in like climates, created by those living in those areas
2: Learning as much as possible about the species that either thrive, survive, or take a dive.

My experience is primarily what I've (hopefully) learned from the trees I've killed. Mostly that I haven't yet exercised the patience and...

• Desert O'Piñon
• arid desert native species
• Replies: 47
• Forum: Miscellaneous / Other

• 

When I lived in North Texas, Honey Mesquite could easily reach 25 to 30 feet, but here in the desert, they are scrubby, scraggly shrubs, rarely taller than 10 feet, except for the few that are cultivated in yards or purposeful landscape plantings. But definitely an interesting subject for bonsai, with the twisty, curvy structural branching, interesting bark, attractive green foliage, and I personally like the thorns. Following this with curiosity.

 

[Cmd5235]

I’d love to get one to try! I’ve spent a lot of time in the southwest and always thought they’d be a great tree to experiment with, specifically as a larger tree

 

[MyrtleMcArdle]

Beautiful tree, does it produce bean pods ?

 

[Goodroot]

Mine actually did lose leaves. Coming back to life slowly.