any one else doing any Mesquite Bonsai out there?

ya as GKEhrlich said they are every where in this part of texas, most consider them weeds on their property. but many people down here to keep them in their yards. i just have a interest in Mesquite particularly the Honey Mesquite because it has so many uses.

as far as re-potting it, i have done it a total of 6 or 7 times since ive had it and pruned roots 3 times.

but from the post so far i take it not to many are trying them. if any ones interested in trying a Mesquite and they are not native where you are, i would be happy to mail out seed pods near the end of next month when the honey mesquite are seeding. if u dont plant them you can always just make tea from the seed pods lol

Hey, those are my Mesquite up there!    The first one was collected in 2012 and the 2nd in 2010, so they are young trees as Bonsai.  Here is the latest pictures on these two.





I had heard the curse of Bonsai folks for years about how they will not live after collecting and how they will not make a suitable bonsai.  Both of these survived transplant from the wild just fine.  I only collect in the early Spring (usually Feb) and usually only dig as much root as will fit in the average sized bussing tub.  The bigger hurdle has been finding suitable material.  Most of the ones you find in the wild look like a bouquet of broomsticks - not something we want.

I like the compound leaf and don't know why someone would want to shorten it. If you want smaller leaves, just grow a Huisache instead. By the way, the 2nd tree is actually a phoenix graft (tanuki), using a sprout from the base. It has only now fused and begun to roll over the deadwood. It took a little while for it to fill the cavity carved in the wood. Another 7 or 8 years and it should look more natural. Mesquite will sometimes die back to veins as Junipers do as well, so this isn't an unusual thing to see in nature.

I've had fun with this species and I'm glad to hear others are playing with it too!

I've heard that further out west where it gets really dry, the larger Mesquite trees are much harder to collect. I guess that would be closer to Midland or possibly the Odessa, Texas area? Tap roots on many of the trees there that can go down 60 or more feet?
But by comparison, Corpus Christi is pretty hot and humid, so it would make sense the trees wouldn't have to go such lengths to find water - and would be easier to collect as a result. I lived in Lovington and Hobbs, New Mexico as a young lad, and remember those mesquite trees growing naturally there quite well.
And, though it gives some Bonsai Purists the 'vapors' or something to see material with compound leaves - I've never had a problem with that tree type and have seen some very nice Bonsai trees developed with compound leaves.   

ya i just repotted my 2nd biggest one yesterday and pruned the roots. they always seem to look real strong right after they get in a bigger container with less roots. i know most will say never to prune more than 20% of the roots off but as long as i have been messing with my Mesquites ive cut 50% or a little more off. i just have to be selective of what i cut. i never take off anything to thick if its near the trunk and i allways leave a nice ball of feeders. ill post a photo tomorrow

ive also notices after pruning branches, within a week each branch i pruned has developed 4 new shoots each comming out from the base of nodes. im surprised at the speed it gets new growth after being cut back a little

I literally just made this account to say, if you are going to stay to sound smart you should probably learn to stop putting spaces before your sentence ending punctuations you worthless yokel.