Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’, Seedless Hybrid Mesquite
Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ exhibits a uniform appearance, upright growth and open branch angles. Leaflets give the canopy a lush dark green appearance. The characteristics that set this ‘AZT™’ clone variety apart from all other seed or cloned selections is the very small numbers of flowers (and their associated pollen), the complete absence of seedpods (seedless), uniform upright growth, synchronous bud break and, with sound horticultural practices, a root mass growth that is in proportion to canopy growth. The Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ keeps its vase-shaped growth habit with outer branch selective thinned.
Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ is among the more popular, widely used trees in the landscape palette. The tree produces no seed pods, making it ideal for landscape applications from pedestrian patio and walkways to streetscapes, park plantings, commercial and residential landscapes. The form and texture of Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ blend almost seamlessly with surrounding native Sonoran desert trees and shrubs. They are used as theme trees along streets and commercial projects, as screens, wind breaks or barrier plantings, as transition trees back to native species in re-vegetation projects or any landscape applications where ample shade is desired and seed pod litter is a concern. At maturity, Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ can be up to 30 feet tall and as wide with symmetrical, dome-shaped, spreading canopies. The foliage is lacy and fern-like with compound leaves consisting of anywhere from 20 to 40 leaflets. Cold hardy to 10 to 15 degrees F, they can be planted throughout most regions of the desert southwest, including Pima County, AZ and Clark County, NV.
Trees are semi-deciduous losing only a portion of their leaves in warmer winter locations. Some leaves remain through the winter months and are shed rapidly in spring just prior to bud break. In late spring this Mesquites produces a few yellow-green, unremarkable, catkin-like flowers that do not produce seed pods. By early summer other varieties of Mesquites will produce seed pods and shed them to the ground while Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ is non-fruit (producing no seedpods).
The shade produced by Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ can range from filtered to quite dense. Shade is a welcome addition to all desert landscapes but may ultimately inhibit the growth and flower production of under-story plantings. Carefully consider the deep shade produced by mature specimens and the impact that shade may have on the growth and flowering of under-story plants and turf.
Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ will tolerate an array of soil types and growing conditions from harsh, full sun to shady bosque or grove-like plantings. The first 2 to 3 years following transplanting are critical in establishing a well distributed root system. With supplemental irrigation and fertilization, Prosopis Seedless Hybrid ‘AZT™’ grows at a rate comparable to Prosopis Thornless Hybrid ‘AZT’, ‘AZT’ Thornless Hybrid Mesquite. Mature, established Mesquite trees can be naturalized to survive on annual rainfall in desert soils with higher water holding capacity. Trees are most lush and exhibit best growth and appearance with supplemental irrigation during the hot, dry summer months. In landscape settings where water and nitrogen are usually abundant, Mesquites can produce large dense leaf canopies from limited root systems.
Cultural Practices:
Wind damage and uprooting are the products of poor pruning and staking practices and improper irrigation and should not be considered as inherent, unavoidable horticultural shortcomings of desert trees. Plant “Root Management” trees and at installation inspect and shave ¼- ½” of the rootball sides to lessen wind thrown up-rooting of trees. Foster the development of a more dispersed root system and reduce the risk of wind throw by arranging irrigation emitters at varying distances from the trunk to beyond the future tree canopy encouraging roots to "seek out" water and nutrients. Frequent watering is needed to promote good terminal growth on newly planted trees. Once roots begin to radiate out into the native soil remove watering by root flair area. Pruning to remove about 20% of the canopy during the growing season helps promote root development that is proportional to the shoot growth of young trees. Removing more than 20% of the canopy can inhibit rooting, lead to sunburn injuries that can later be invaded by wood boring insects, and encourage undesired re-growth made up of dense flushes of branches and leaves. Selective pruning should be used to promote the development of a symmetrical canopy with well spaced branches. Use tree stakes only when absolutely necessary and then only briefly. Select low-breaking, upright trees as they occupy no more space than a single-trunk specimen yet retain the natural wind resistance of trees found growing native in desert settings.
Irrigation emitter arrangement, planting details, pruning and insect information for desert trees can be found at FAQ.
