Lessons From a Mesquite Dune Project

UPDATE 2022: I presently have lived in Sweden now for 16 years now. Swedish people think I'm out of my mind when I tell them I miss the Deserts of the Southwest. My Swedish wife and I will be coming for a visit this coming October. She wanted December or January and I said no I want to feel and experience warmth again. Our last visit was in the month of September a few years back and there was a hot humid monsoon rainy period one of those weeks. Monsoon season is my favourite time, but not so much for her. But the plants all loved it by their response in growth over that period. Monsoon rains are amazing in how they effect plant growth, but that is another subject. In any event we compromised and concluded that we will be visiting in October 2022. But I'm updating this post with some additional things which hopefully are beneficial and helpful to landscapers and gardeners living in warmer climates. 😁

San Felipe Creek Ecological Reserve Project

Image - David Baainbridge

Okay now let's be serious. The subject I'm writing about in this post takes place near the junction of Hwy 78 & Hwy 86 in Imperial County near the Salton Sea. There is such a rich history here on constant change in a land of extreme environmental challenges. Lake Cahuilla or Salton Sea have filled and dry up many times over the centuries. Many here reading are not even aware of this, but the Spanish explorer, Juan Bautista de Anza(1774-1776), on his second expedition with Fray Pedro Font encountered a most intense snow blizzard at this location accompanied by extreme freezing temps which killed several cattle and hosres. It's all recorded in his second journal which is available to to the Public which they can read in English. Below is a map of the general area of the Mesquite Mound experiments conducted next to Hwy 78 in Imperial County.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s I used to drive once a week, usually on Friday, to El Centro and Brawley for work. Then one day while driving west on Hwy 78 after passing the Border Patrol checkpoint on the right hand side driving west just a mile from the junction turnoff I noticed there was some sort of planting project going on. Wooden framed towers with water tanks on top of them. Something being planted with chicken wire cages as protection as well as barb wire fences to keep larger critters (possibly people as well) away. Southwestern Native Desert Plants were being installed and remote irrigation techniques were being experimented with to see what techniques would work best in recreating Mesquite Mound habitats which in the past had been destroyed by off road vehicle use and further north in Coachella Valley by massive land development. 

Image - Bike Across America - Hwy 78

Here is a link to the website of the group responsible for this Mesquite Dune Experiment. It was conducted by the San Diego State University SDSU - Soil Restoration Group.

SDSU: Mesquite Dune Experiment Area in the Yuha Desert, California

Image - SDSU

The reality is that I never really paid this project much attention other than slowing down once or twice and passively giving it a short glance as I parked along side the road. I never once saw the people involved with the project, otherwise I would have stopped and asked questions. I did stop once and gave a closer look. I was wondering of course what specific species of plants were used and what was the purpose of these plantings. I could have sworn one plant was Texas Ebony, but I could be wrong. Never the less I was curious, but I have to be honest that it wasn't till some years later that the project took on more meaning when I thought back on the purpose of their project. It wasn't till a few years back I looked at the website link posted above which describes what the San Diego State University project was all about headed by David Bainbridge.

The SDSU Soil Ecology Restoration Group's purpose of these studies have included evaluation of the nature of disturbance, soil remediation, seed collection, processing, and storage, dustfall and erosion control, plant production and outplanting techniques, remote site irrigation, plant protection, direct seeding, and the re-establishment of mesquite mounds along the San Felipe Creek watershed region of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  The primary goal of these studies has been the mitigation of off-road vehicle damage, road construction, and mining. Once again, you may read further about this Project which was created by San Diego State University's Soil Ecology Restoration Group.

Mesquite Dune Experiment Area in the Yuha Desert, California

Here's an interesting link to the map that gives an idea as to actual location. The area is about a mile or so from the Hwy 86 Jct on Hwy 78 and just north of the San Felipe Creek Ecological Reserve in Imperial County California. This map is from the California Department of Fish and Game and just about where you see on this map at about the green Hwy 78 sign is where the Project Habitat Restoration Site is located.

San Felipe Creek Ecological Reserve 

Let me give you an updated visual of just what the place looks like as of last year June 2011. My wife and I stopped there on our way back from Brawley CA with my brother Lance going back to his home in the Mountains at Ranchita and I took a number of photographs. Some Mesquite outplantings not doing so well and other Mesquite trees were very impressive. 

Coming from the Jct 86 east to west with
Mesquite Site on left

photo: Mine

Ignore that masked man behind the Tamarisk Curtain! On a cautionary note: beware of the soft sand road shoulder off the south side of Hwy 78. The US Border Patrol regularly grades it to track illegals. No low clearance vehicle should attempt to park on the experiment side of the Highway.

Notice not all made it but this one is still going as 
are others in background

photo: Mine

As you can see here, this little Mesquite seedling was still hanging on but just barely. Considering this project started in 1995, that's Kool.

photo: Mine

To the left notice the built up mound structure ??? The basic frame was a straw bale covered by the native soil. Not sure why they built them this way other than ease of workload and cutting costs. As time went on the bales would deteriorate. The idea is that blowing sand would catch under the Mesquite tree and build it back up naturally.

photo: Mine

I'd say half the project didn't make it but this experiment was about restoration in remote areas with minimal interference at the beginning for establishment and then letting nature take over from there.

photo: Mine

Now there were some areas where there was great success examples of large mature Mesquite trees as you see here above and below.

photo: Mine

One of the things I noticed about these particular successful tree locations were the fact that they were not in a mound or dune situation. These were in lower water catchments where Thunderstorm Summer Monsoonal Rains coming up from Mexico in July/August had some of the downpour running off the road and collecting here in small basins which filled to capacity. This was noticeable by the dried mud cracklings all around on the ground.

photo: Mine

The area is fenced mainly to keep people out and I was surprised by many of the Herbivore Protective Guards still left on most all of the trees since the website said these were removed in 1999. Still, some impressive looking trees for an area that receives less that 3 inches of rainfall a year. The road runoff here may provide more than double that rainfall table totals. This may effect some accuracy rain data for the remote site location, but if these had the ability to tap into underground water table, then any lack of rain or low rainfall amounts would not be a factor. San Felipe Creek wash is only a couple hundred feet away just south of this location. For as long as I can remember (many decades), the San Felipe Creek Wash just south of here always had slow moving surface water, but this changed some time back in the early 2000s when it completely dried up. As far as I know it remains dry which is not surprising given the change in climate and California's extreme drought conditions.

There are some important techniques employed in the way of irrigation they used that I totally agree with and some things I do not. I'm not really into the idea of drip irrigation here on this site location or for that matter in an urban landscape setting. It's a remote site, so they did have water tanks up on wooden foundation towers which I actually did observe personally. Not sure how often they filled the tank of how often they fill the deep pipe irrigation pvc pipes. These tanks now are long gone. Not sure also how long or deep those pipes were in the ground next to the Mesquite seedlings. Again, as they themselves stated, these studies have included evaluation of the nature of disturbance, soil remediation, seed collection, processing, and storage, dustfall and erosion control, plant production and outplanting techniques, remote site irrigation, plant protection, direct seeding, and the re-establishment of mesquite mounds along the San Felipe Creek watershed region of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The primary goal of these studies really was restoration of Mesquite Mounds or Hummocks and finding out what would be the best available techniques for success. If that is true then some of the results should bare this out. One of the most admirable things I read at the end of their literature is the hope they had that people reading about what they did would take to heart and experiment on their own with similar projects and report back their results. I agree. Now let's look at why I became interested in the progress of their work.

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My Personal Interest in the Mesquite Dune Project and Practical Application

Above: Coachella Valley Windbreak - Railroad corridor

My personal interest in this subject involves practical application in the real world about how such techniques could be used to build large tall berms of rock and sand and planting miles long and landscaping them with desert natives like Mesquite and Palo Verde, Ironwood, Cat's Claw Acacia, etc and replacing as many as possible Tamarisk windbreaks like the example shown above from the Coachella Valley's Southern Pacific right-of-way corridor with giant Tamarisk. The one above is indeed a sand and rock berm with massive Tamarisk plantings which have probably been there for many decades. But I have always wondered why not replicate or biomimic Nature and build much bigger earth and rock berms structures and mass plant them with dune mesquite and other native desert plants ??? Follow the techniques laid out in the Mesquite Mound Project and create a natural sustainable desert landscape barrier which will require no irrigation water.

Years ago in the early 1980s I stopped by the Desert Water Agency in Palm Springs and spoke with Ron Baetz who was running a program of testing and experimenting with various desert native plants and other desert plants from around the globe to see if any would be a better fit to replace the Tamarisk which despite their reputation as being a tough desert survivor, but they needed regular irrigation to hold up to the strong winds and blowing sand which tore up their foliage. As long as they irrigated, the trees continually repaired the damage. But if they turned off irrigation they turned rangy and defoliate. If you look at the two illustrations above and below, you'll see two physical designs of actual earthen berms, each with different structural design characteristics which cause the wind to respond differently to the structure.

The main idea behind actually building berms out of sand and rock is that unlike Tamarisk and Eucalyptus, the native Mesquite, Palo Verde, Ironwood, etc do not grow as high. However a permanent berm structure could be easily covered and held together in place with species such as Mesquite which already form mounds or hummocks. Oddly enough I have seen many of the desert country clubs build such privacy barriers around their clubs perimeter which actually illustrate my point. When I first moved to Riverside County and worked in the Coachella Valley, mesquite dunes could be found every where and in La Quinta which had the biggest 50' or 60' high mesquite dunes I've ever seen in my life. Amazingly these hills consisted of sand which were literally smoothered by a mass of healthy bright green dune mesquite. Looking on Google Earth I have found there is not a one single giant Dune in existence today. Everything is bulldozed and been developed into rich folk country club playgrounds. In the artist conception below, imagine a earthen berm structure stretching for mile covered with native desert small trees creating a microclimate of cooler environment for which agricultural fields benefit on the down wind side. At the end of this post I'll provide some outstanding examples of what countries much poorer than the mighty United States have done. Anyway back to the main topic on growing and planting techniques.

My vision of how building berms patterned after dunes could be constructed and plants with Mesquite, Palo Verde, Ironwood, Desert Willow, California Fan Palms, etc, for the purpose of replacing Tamarisk and their seed bank which would help the wild riparian areas if restoration is to be undertaken in the future. This would prevent new seedlings from appearing if the seed availability is reduced and human infrastructure such as city & town landscaping (both private residents & municipal Parks, etc), industrial windbreaks, etc will always continue to offer a bounty of Tamarisk seed if not removed. The big monumental task is educating the average person who likes their big Tamarisk for easy desert shade. Multiple benefits to wildlife and water savings.

Designing Windbreaks to Trick the Wind and Change the Air Flow Dymanics 😎

I love this illustration above. It illustrates utilizing different size trees and shrubs in order to trick the wind movement by allowing some cross breezes to move through the lower part ofthe break and preventing the more turbulent winds to stay higher up preventing instense downdrafts caused by a windbreak which is designed as a wall barrier. With natives, perhaps California Fan Palms could be incorporated into the lower postion of the dune bearm. There is so much irrigation in Imperial Valley that I believe water is fairly close to the surface that even some natives such as Fremont Cottonwoods and Arizona Sycamores could be used. These trees will grow roots down 20+ feet looking for moisture.

 Mesquite Dunes: Practical Solution to Tamarisk Removal & Replacement

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  Things the Mesquite Dune Experiment did correct & some things not so good.

The very best techniques I saw them using was PVC Pipe driven deep into the ground near each Mesquite Seedling which actually forces the water very deep underground instead mostly remaining on the surface where Desert heat from the Sun further cooks the water in the tiny drip line system and the majority of it evaporating anyway near the surface. I wrote previously here in this blog about this basic natural phenomena of the Mesquite's natural ability even when dormant in the wintertime to take surface waters from rainy season and pump them deep down into the subsoil layers of the Earth which has technically been given the term "Hydraulic Descent" which is the opposite of summertime's lift. This deep Earth pumping action downward is actually the best storage treatment to use with regards water. No evaporation as would happen if applied at the surface. Where else will it go but to be used by the Mesquite tree ?

The reference link for this phenomena is found here:

http://creating-a-new-earth.blogspot.se/2012/03/hydraulic-descent.html

Below is a link to a PDF on the Irrigation techniques used:

Irrigation For Remote Sites

Here are some examples of the deep pipe irrigation's ability to facilitate water into deeper soil layers which in turn encourages deeper root growth and movement down into the subsoil.

These same techniques can be utilized with deep rooted native bunch grasses and other desert trees and shrubs. Notice also the technical mechanisms for preventing animals, insects and other debris from entering the pipes ? A solid white PVC cap may also be used.

http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/SERG/techniques/mulch.html

Images - SDSU

Another method would not only allow the plant to stimulate it's taproot downwards, but also protect against hungry herbivores like Rabbits, Squirrels, rats or mice as you can see the damage done above.

Let me offer an illustration of how a hole drilled beneath the root level would be better adapted to not only providing water at deeper root layers, but also creating the best area of water storage to be used by ONLY by these plants. You've got to put your thinking cap on here for a moment and imagine just how viewing elements of nature can be replicated in an actual implementation by human mechanical means to give a great head start at success, which is what everyone wants in the first place. So just a little extra effort for those enthusiastic about a project shouldn't be a problem. See Below:

Take a look at the root zone level deep down. Ideally this is where you want the water to end up and remain stored in the deeper surrounding soil layers for the plant to utilize to the full potential. The Gopher hole beautifully illustrates how this can be done, though maybe not at such a diagonal angle. BTW, I used these exact methods described above back in the late 1970s and they DO Work!!! Clearly there are a number of means of which are available to humans to make this task much easier and more efficient. There are of course mechanical attachments for smaller garden sized or bigger tractors for boring holes with an auger. In many cases this could be used not only for posting large hollow PVC Irrigation Pipe into the ground, but also for long drilling much deeper slender holes for planting the actual seedling grown in another unique container method which I'll allude to further down.

Some of this may even seem a bit radical, but if such a project is important enough, then quick success is the ultimate goal, then certainly nothing should be over looked. Humans have accellerated the destruction of our planet's environment. Clearly it is entirely proper to find better ways of speeding recovery along and in the most efficient manner possible and available. We can no longer in any areas rely on just letting nature take it's course as what was practiced in the past. Eco-Activists complain about people interfering with nature all the time instead of letting nature just do it's own restoration minus human help. The biggest problem is that the complexity of nature has been reverse engineered too much in some places and completely deleted in other areas around the earth. 

Yes, to a degree I also like this point of letting nature do it's own work, however humans have created a climatic change of events on our Earth. The normal behavioral patterns of  historical weather patterns cannot be counted on any longer to continue to provide proper hydration and moderate temperatures. Removal of vegetation and disruption of plant community ecosystems Earthwide has almost destroyed the cloud formation mechanisms of many plant ecosystems as a result of plant community removal. As already posted in this blog on some of the side pages along the lefthand side, there is major scientific evidence to show that plants (trees, shrubs, etc) regulate cloud formation around the globe even locally. Fast establishment of these Mesquite plants by getting their roots deep into the earth to tap into it's energy and deeper layers of water table and tapping into the negatively charged electrical conductivity are imperative. If people actually understood the mechanisms for which plants create & moderate weather and have attempted to replicate these through innovations, then you don't need to create all these fake counterfeit weather schemes. What we need is the original.

Techniques I didn't like, but the failure is not their fault.

Long time traditional methods of propagation and conventional containerized methods long used are another hindrance to some desert or dryland trees and shrubs re-establishment. I understand this has been the tried and true standard for decades and All conventional Retail Nurseries still practice these and successfully. But most of these nurseries are selling to a novice public who most likely will not be replicating nature no matter how many times you preach it to them on how things actually work in the natural world. Here's what I mean. Take a look at the outdated conventional ways of growing Mesquite Seedlings in various containers for out planting. This may be okay for Joe/Jane weekend Gardener and landscaper, but not remote planting projects. My choice for coastal and inand native trees and shrubs are one gallon containers. Anything above that does not work for me, but I understand the impatience from most weekend gardeners and professional landscapers, they want instant tree or shrub, so five gallon containers or above work best for them. But for me I am mainly concerned in the begining root infrastructure development. But especially so with plants which are members of the pea family which need deep roots as opposed to a lot of lateral roots.

image: Valley Permaculture Alliance

So what's wrong with the picture above and the container used ??? Is anyone aware of just how a Mesquite Tree root system develops out there in the real world and what step by step observations you would see if you had X-Ray vision to peer into the underground soil profile and actually watch how the taproot develops first and foremost above all else ??? So what happens first when seeds from members of the Pea Family germinate ??? Take a look at what they want and need to happen in their desert environment. And by take another look let's go back and look at the illustrative drawing of a mature Mesquite tree and it's entire root infrastructure. From this illustration can you read exactly what the genetic informational instructions demand happen first within the Mesquite's early beginning encoded within it's DNA ??? When I conducted my first desert seed experiment back in 1980, I used seed collected from a desert native called, Cat's Claw Acacia (Senegalia greggii), formerly known as Acacia greggii, which I collected in the hills just above Palm Springs, California. I used the old elementary school test with a very large Mason Canning Jar and paper towel trick. I wanted to actually see illustrated before my very eyes just what happens below ground, figuratively speaking of course. Wow, I was thoroughly surprised, but did not expect this. I had one out of three Cat's Claw Acacia peas germinate and the Acacia taproot grew very rapidly and straight downward. No other roots appeared from the pea growing laterally. Once it hit the bottom of the jar it spun around and around numerous times in several revolutions and just kept doing so under the water level. At about one month I set out up Rattlesnake Mountain in El Cajon to outplant it in the wild because my Dad did not want it in the yard which was mainly lawn. At time of planting, I tried to dig a hole that was at least three foot (almost meter) deep. It was tough going because the geology contained a lot of fractured broken granite rock. The Acacia plant foliage above itself had only two inches tall growth of leaves, besides the immature first leaves which are shaped like beaver tails. I'll post further below a photo of how tall the Acacia was when I planted. I would have liked much more growth, but my problem was the taproot was almost 3' long. But now look here at the tall tree container David Bainbridge is displaying.

Image - David Bainbridge

Above here you can see the container David Bainbridge is holding which looks perhaps to be being a meter tall container produced by Stuewe & Sons and I get the idea behind that.  The photo at right is of a smaller tube and the little tree pulled out to illustrate the value of longer planting tubes as opposed to past one gallon containers where plants known for taproots merely spin around and become root bound. From a logistics point of view the tall long containers makes perfect sense. As I have stated and illustrated, a Mesquite, Palo Verde, Ironwood, or Acacia have complex blueprint instructions of encoded information embedded within the seed's DNA which requires that all of the Mesquite's resources be first put to work developing an extremely long taproot it's going to survive 50+ Celsius or 122 Fahrenheit heat in Summer. Mind you, such heat would in reality be more intense at ground level in open sunlight. We're not talking high temperature readings in the shade, because there is no shade here as most of the area is a moonscape. In my experience native plant members of the desert pea family plants (Mesquite, Palo Verde, Cat's Claw Acacia, Ironwood, etc) germinate in the later part of Summer when Monsoon Rains are in full swing. Air is humid which is a plus and the despite intense downpours for which most runs off hard baked surfaces, I believe that the mesquite is somehow capable of moving water from the surface and forcing it downward through the taproot structure to the root tip which operates as a type of bore hold auger relasing moisture ahead of the root cap's growth much the way well drillers may use a water pressure drill for boring through tough geology. Even mycorrhizal fungi work in the same way with water and acids they manufacture for boring through tough geology. There is no doubt the soil profile in the desert is bone dry much of the way down. As previously stated, there are studies which have found that Mesquite perform an activity known as Hydraulic Descent. This ability utilized by a mature Mesquite tree is where winter rains which results in excessive surface moisture can be taken in by the tree's lateral root system and pumped downward through the extremely long taproot and released into the subsoil. Thereby water reserves are stored to be later used during the hotter summer months, But some of that water released deep down may even percolate further helping to recharge the acquifer or water table. Rain just doesn't percolate down through soil, plants facilitate it. This phenomena is performed by many shrubs and trees eathwide and in all the various ecosystems. Hence I've written about the devastating effects of people who buy land and without any forethought strip the land bare and hurting themselves in the process. Look at the illustration below.

There are many plants (trees & shrubs) which will perform this service and you should Google it. Type in your favourite native tree or shrub you are curious about and along with that the terms, Hydraulic Descent, and see what pops up. Same thing with the term, Hydraulic Lift & Redistribution, which is the opposite of downward descent and is a service performed in the Summertime where mositure is taken up at night from several meters down and brought to the surface and resdistributed through the lateral roots, then through the mycorrhizal grid or fungal network to other plants whose survival depends on the services of trees like Mesquite or Palo Verde. See the opposite illustration below. 

But this ability to perform Hydraulic Descent I believe is what helps Mesquite Seedlings bore their way through dry desert soils to eventually reach the wetter water table. And they must do this very rapidly as the window of opportunity does not stick around long. Mesquite and Palo Verde thus become nurse plants for other young plants like Saguaros and Organ Pipe Cactus. Take a look of the next illustration below. Sadly, this service is rarely discussed in plant discussion circles in all the usual social chats and it should be. For years the researchers who discovered these phenomena were never part of the mainstream Science circles, but rather the fringe in a sense, known mainly to people of similar research interests. Both Elementary School and High School textbooks should be pursuing this as a major teaching, but they are not.

Although in past I was all for the long tall container for Mesquite, Palo Verde and Acacia trees to accomodate their long taproots, I began to worry that utilizing such containers and eventually trying to remove the tree without breaking the root structure and potting media under so much weight would be a major challenge. The photo up above of the girl who works at Derby Canyon Natives where the girl is pulling the tree from the foot long tube container illustrates how you would almost have to allow much time to pass for the tree to develop a root bound web in order for the tree to hold the entire root and potting media together. Judging from the tree height of David's tree which looks anywhere from 12" to 15" it would appear so. But the amount of weight of root and potting media would seem to be much more weight and risk of breaking apart when removed and attempting to lower in a bore hole. Maybe I'm wrong on this. I have seen where some meter plant tubes have no bottom when plant and the entire tube is lowered into a large bore hold and the tube pulled out leaving the potting media with roots and plant intact.

Again, when I planted my Acacia tree up on Rattlesnake Mountain it was about the size of this little Acacia seedling shown in the photo here on the right or maybe a bit bigger. But it was amazing just how much taproot I had. So while at one time in my life I was all on board for long tall deep containers, I abandoned the idea of tall long nursery containers for desert trees in the pea family because of the taproot and the danger of trying to remove the tree and breaking the root infrastructure in half. But I did find something else which I believe can keep the long root structure intact and can be lowered and buried in a deep hole much more successfully and without disturbance. I also like the idea of direct seeding, but it must be done believe it or not during a normal time of year when monsoonal moisture is in the air as this is the only time I've only ever really obsevered them germinating summer which actually very rapid. It's possible they can germinate in wet winter or spring weather, but I have never experienced this before. Take a look at my mother's place where in Septmber 2015 Southern California experienced a incredible monsoonal downpour and thunderstorm with initial heavy rains followed by several hours of light steady showers. The humidity was intense 100% even for days afterwards. The very next day after the storm in the morning, we had Baja Fairyduster and Mexican Red Bird of Paradise seeds germinating everywhere right on top of her concrete driveway in less than twenty four hours. Having tested Palo Verde Seed and Cat's Claw Acacia seed for germination, I can attest that taproot formation is very rapid. I'll explain a bit more further down, but I believe direct seeding can be successful if done properly at the right time and conditions. Below is a photo of the the desert shrub seeds germinating right on top of the concrete driveway. Click on the image to magnify it.

Image is mine from 2015

Mesquite are unique compared to other members of the pea family in that unike the others, the Mesquite pod does not split and pop out the seeds. Instead they must be eaten and sent on a acid trip through an animal's disgestive system which scarifies them a bit. Same goes for the Umbrella Acacia or Fever Trees (Acacia tortilis) in Africa which I just wrote about in a previous post. They need the same breakdown action of the very hard polished seed coatings in order for water to penetrate and stimulate the germination processes. Hence taking a acid trip through an Elephants digestive tract provides this service. Stomach acids or juices can make this happen. Then germination is as you see it above within the animals dung. So below here is an experiment I have done in the past, but this time in Sweden. Although I have used USA southwestern natives Mesquite and Catsclaw Acacia before, I'm hoping these other members of the Pea Family like Palo Verde & Mexican Red Bird of Paradise I acquired while visiting the Canary Islands will offer the same results. Below in North America Mesquite bean pods must move through the digestive tract of a cow or a deer. In the picture below on the left are germinating Mesquite seedlings in a Cow patty. On the right a single Mesquite seedling immerges from Deer pellet. The sotmach acids work to break down the hard outer shell which allows water to penetrate triggering germination.

So what do we do first. Here's what I have done exactly two days ago from this writing here. We went to Tenerife in the Canary Islands in February 2012 this year. I walked around local neighbourhoods and collected seeds from Poinciana - Mexican Bird of Paradise, Paloverde and other seeds from the pea family there. I wanted to replicate a propagation experiment illustration I have performed many times since the late 1970s. I actually had this experiment in mind for when I came back from our trip earlier this year, but I've been putting it off until now. To replicate the acid etching necessary for the breaking down of the hard seed coatings, I used two sheets of sand paper with the seeds in between. I then pressed and rubbed back and forth to create scars on this outer coating which is technically termed scarifying. Take a look. 

Inside my kitchen

After I performed this task, I take a glass and put all the seeds into the bottom. Then taking hot tap water I pour this over the seeds and let them soak up as much as will make them swell while the water cools off. I do this head start method with almost everything I germinate anyways, even for gardens. The only thing unnecessary with Mesquite and other seed from plants in the pea family is there is no need for cold stratification. Just let the water cool and set for exactly one day or two. You'll even notice the water tint a little from some tannins that may be present, then it's time to plant, but in a very unique way for this experiment.

image: Education.com

First we've got to get out our observational thinking caps and get our replication act together. With the method I use here (glass &  paper towel school boy experiment you see above) this allows the plant itself to illustrate for you just exactly what the DNA or genetic informational blueprint instructions are communicating to us as to it's first needs and wants in step by step processes which follow an order of importance as to what comes first. This is exactly what I do, but first, what do we know about a Mesquite's needs in such a hostile environment and what allows it to survive such unforgivable extremes in climate ? Take a look:

Bursage Nurse Plant

In the wild a Mesquite seed will put ALL of it's energy & resources into building a long deep root system. It has a very strong deep penetrating taproot in the wild as do African Acacias and other dryland successful plants. The glass experiment will illustrate and communicate this to you what exactly is most important to it. Obviously any lateral side roots will be less important because IF this tree seedling does NOT  first make it to deeper layers in the native soil where at least some element of moistness is available, then it fries when summer heat makes it's appearance which comes rapidly as the season accelerates. Many of the more successful ones will be under some small nurse plant which will shade it that first year. Those in the open have less chance of surviving when Temps are at 40+ C (100+ F) and of course the ever present danger of hungry herbivores. Many plants you see in the wild (like the Bursage above) that look as if they are of little account to you because they have no ornamental horticultural value in your eyes are in reality nothing of the sort. They usually are the necessary process for succession of higher plants to get their start in the environment. The plants in the open are definitely at risk.

Mesquite Image - (Musings from Tucson 2012)

The Experiment

Okay back to next step after soaking seeds. I have an almost two foot tall clear glass vase I used. I pour in warm water into the bottom then lined it with the papertowels which was a bit tricky. You need a fairly even towels placement all around the perimeter and it has to be damp. Only then can you place in and insert the seeds where you want them near the top. I also put a plate on top to allow the atmosphere to be relatively in a constant humid state. Air pockets are okay here. Remember you want to observe everything these roots do. When I first did this experiment with Catsclaw Acacia, the most important thing these plants did was to grow a taproot to the bottom and it proceeded to spiral numerous revolutions around the bottom before any small sprigs of leaf appeared from the actual seed. What does this tell us ? One thing of interest to me was the fact that once the taproot penetrated down far enough and into the water, it just kept growing. I thought at first once it hit the water, that would be it. The goal was met, but apparently not so. In the wild such water tables ate many many meters down, not a foot. So lots of long straight growth is all it's programmed to do for quite some time. At the time of planting up on Rattlesnake Mountain in El Cajon CA above my mum's place, I had to drill by hand a meter deep hole because that is how long the taproot was. The actual plant with leaves were no more than an inch or two in height when I planted. Again I ask, what does this tell you about container innovations ? Here's are the results so far after seed insertion just less than 24 hours ago as time of typing here. Keep in mind that this rapid germination is a part of the genetic informational instructions which is guiding things from within this plant's DNA that prevent this plant from fooling around and wasting time producing leaf growth in an environment that is otherwise hostile and merciless.

Can you believe this ? 
What kind of instructions are being followed here ?

I'll update this page here as time goes on with more photos. I'll write up a separate page on the side of what I believe will be a superior containerized process for nursery applications for outplanting in a remote environment. Keep in mind the city landscape situations are not the same for a one gallon root spiraled bound plant. At home a gardener is like a nurse taking care of a patient on life support until the patient can make it on their own. Remote planting has no such pampering privileges. So stay tuned! Special Note Here: I'm going to create a special page and update that on this desert seed germination and propagation experiment. It will be located with the other resource pages in the upper right hand side of this blog. Seed are really taking off now and this should be fun.

Swedish Mesquite Seed Propagation Experiment: What can we Learn from the Plant's DNA Communication ?

Mesquite Planting techiques for Remote Restoration sites

Image is Mine

Not long after my trip to the Canary Islands and collecting the seed, I was in a Swedish home improvement store over here in Gothenburg called, Bauhaus and also another called, Hornbach. Surprisingly I stumbled upon some jute mesh products in the Plant Nursery department made by a company called FloraSelf where strips of Jute (burlap) one meter in length and maybe 5" wide. They are used  here in Sweden as a soft choice for tree ties for staking or even as wraps around a fruit tree's trunk to protect wood bark from splitting during wide temperature swings or extremes particularly when it freezes. You can at least see the width of the Jute bands from the image above right as I'm holding it in my hand. Below are images from the US Forest Service. They have used long planting tubes for some time now, especially with pines and oaks which also have a prominent taproot early in life. Take note of how roots are forced to grow long and deep instead of spinning within and shallow pot eventually becoming root bound. Note in the 2nd image how the planting tube containers are placed in specialized holding trays. My idea of meter (3' - 36") long plant tubes would require more modified holding trays.

US Forest Service

US Forest Service: Container Characteristics Affecting Plant Development

USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station

But suddenly it clicked in my brain that I could sew a type of tubular planting sock which would be a meter long and mimic the idea behind David Bainbridge's tall tree container by Stuewe, but with the main concentration on facilitating taproot growth only. My issue as I mentioned before is being affraid of removing the delicate seedling from that tall tree container made by Stuewe & Sons and under the weight of the roots with potting soil possibly having half the potting media with rootsystem fall apart before it gets safely lowered into the hole. At least I believe a sock would provide a safe way of the rootsystem being completely lowerd into the bore hole intact and where any and all new roots could very easily move through the Jute burlap and out into the native soil verticlally and horizontally. Below is a picture of me sewing a Jute Sock from the long strips I found at the Swedish home improvement store. And sewing with a strong Jute twine which was also available.

Image is Mine

When I finally got the time and motivation to actually sew the Jute tube sock mesh together, I had already understood I would need some sort of a meter length of PVC pipe to use as the model guide as far as size. Also the same 2" PVC Pipe would then be inserted into the finished Sock which would facilitate filling the sock with potting media mixed with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. As the sock fills the pipe is gradually removed until the sock has a tight fill of potting media. Another important component of the Media would be making it a 50% mix of Vermiculite for better aeration and for easier water percolation downward through the Sock once planted into the bore hole. You can see samples of the pipes I purchased for the various components of my system. Once the sock if filled completely with potting media, then the planting sock could be lowered into a larger PVC pipe to be held in place along with other tubes to be supported and held within a simple plant tube holding tray as pictured below. The idea of a 1 meter or 36" (3') long or deep planting tube for outplanting at remote restorations sites is nothing new. Take a look below at a Creosote Bush planting project with just such a method. Great techniques for a hot and dry environment with little rainfall.

Wilderness and Backcountry Site Restoration Guide

Joshua Tree National Park

"The restoration staff at Joshua Tree National Park in California uses a 36-inch (914-millimeter) "tall" pot and an 18-inch (457-millimeter) "half tall" made from 8-inch- (200-millimeter-) diameter PVC pipe with a removable mesh bottom. Creosote bushes or other shrubs grown in these pots for 6 months or so can be transplanted easily into machine-augered planting holes. Their root systems are deep enough to reach the available soil moisture. Plants grown in large containers such as these are the most expensive, but sometimes stock from large containers is the minimum tool necessary to assure outplanting success." 

"To establish native vegetation on the exceedingly dry Mojave Desert, the staff at Joshua Tree National Park, CA, developed 36-inch (914-millimeter) "tall" containers and 18-inch (457-millimeter) " half talls" (top photo). The mesh bottom is removed before the containers are planted (bottom photo). The container is removed by lifting it from the planting hole."

Joshua Tree National Park

Now back to my pipe and Jute or Burlap mesh planting socks. The Pipe on the right in the photo below here is the one I had in mind where the top couple of inches of the mesh could be somehow slipped over and attached to the lip of the pipe to hold the tube sock in place. It does not matter that there may be air all around the sock which will be kept damp. The sock inside the pipe cavity will allow the plant roots to be air pruned and hopefully force growth downward. After that a potting mix which would be at least 50% Vermiculite would be loaded into the sock via the 2 inch PVC pipe used earlier as a sewing guide. Once the sock or tube is full, then lower it into the protective plant pipe. Then a single Mesquite, Acacia or Palo Verde seed could be inserted after it has gone through the scarifying process and soaking for 24 hours. At that point the pipe with loaded sock and planted seed would be placed into the modified holding tray designed for 3 foot (meter) tall tubes. If you note below the tube or pipe on the left hand side of my photo, I chose this pipe to be used as a deep watering pipe which would be placed inside another bore hole maybe a foot away from the tree as you saw in the animation above.

Deep Pipe irrigation is the only way to go. The genetic instructional information within the DNA of such desert plants would easily respond to it. I would not drill holes down the side of the deep pipe as you see in the illustration or in most commercial manufactured deep pipes. I want the water which fills the deep pipe to drain and soak completely a meter down. I'm not worried that the tree may not get water near the top. Tree roots have an inner sensing mechanism in which the root cap or tip can detect where water is present underground and grow it's roots to that source of moisture. I wrote about this phenomena which is known as Hydropatterning and it's an amazing read. Once again I agree with the material present by David Bainbridge and his team. The biggest compliment and hope is that people reading about the techniques used try and experiment on their own and if possible make improvement and share these successes with others.

Image - TwoChances Veg Plot Blog

The next two photos above and to the right side here are from a gardening blogger over in the Salisbury, United Kingdom. His blog is called, Two Chances Veg Plot Blog. He did a unique Parsnips growing experiment which to me beautifully illustrates just what I'm trying to get folks to picture here with Mesquite germination, planting, growing equipment container & tray components, and quite possibly the best restoration project techniques. Root crops like Parsnips and Carrots have a long prominent taproot, yet this man took them further. Take note first of the meter tall containers he used. They looks almost identical to the one I purchased at Hornbach Home Improvement store here in Sweden. Must be a universal E.U. size thing. 😄 Anyway while his are buried in sand, mine would require a modified holding tray with the bottom remaining open. Next take a look at how long the white Parsnip taproots are. When I finally planted my Cat's Claw Acacia on Rattlesnake Mountain and pulled it from the large mason jar, it was two and a half foot long and white as snow just like these Parsnip taproots. The only lateral roots the Acacia had where up at the very top near to the root collar and leaves. But once again, this is merely illustrative of just how plants in the pea family should be cared for and trained prior to out planting. regular one gallon pots will not do. Oh you can use them, but the goal here is to give them the best headstart in a harsh environment at a remote planting site. Once planted, the deep water irrirgation pipe may be used for as long as needed and thereafter removed and used elsewhere for other projects.

Just a Quick Word about Inoculation

Illustration provided by Bashan Foundation

Dry micro-polymeric inoculant of Azospirillum brasilense is useful for producing mesquite transplants for reforestation of degraded arid zones

Further Reading & Viewing Resources to Improve Your Own Remote Planting Techniques

Sustainability Leader: Desert Restoration

Bainbridge Slideshow: Planting and Plant Protection

 Bainbridge Slideshow: More efficient irrigation systems

Deep Pipe Irrigation Leaflet

Other projects going on within the San Sebastian Marsh Area for your interest

Below here are some projects ongoing and in a way associated with the restoration projects for this area of Tamarisk removal and Mesquite Bosque and other native Riparian Habitat restoration. Besides plants, other wildlife are generally taken into consideration. The Mesquite Dune Experiment also offers ideas and innovations for replacing ALL Desert Agricultural Windbreaks which mistakenly continue to utilize an introduction of Mid-East & North African Tamarisk Tree species which have rapidly gotten out into the wild and taken over many stream, lake and river habitats and decimated whole native plant & animal populations.  Future article already on the draft board for that. Stay tuned and enjoy the photos and links below of things most are not aware of.

STATUS OF THE DESERT PUPFISH, CYPRINODON MACULARIUS (BAIRD AND GIRARD), IN SAN FELIPE CREEK - IMPERIAL COUNTY CALIFORNIA

One of the sad things to have taken place is the almost disappearance of the once abundant Desert Pupfish ( Cyprinodon macularius ) which had a historic range which included the lower Gila River basin in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. It inhabited the Gila, Santa Cruz, San Pedro, and Salt Rivers as well as the lower Colorado River from around Needles California, to the Gulf of California. Apparently there are remnants of them in the Agricultural drainage of Imperial Valley.

The Deserthas been replaced in many areas by the Sailfin Molly ( Poecilia latipinna ) which is originally found in fresh water habitats from North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Preferring marshes, lowland streams, swamps, and estuaries, the sailfin molly is very common in peninsular Florida.

San Sebastian Marsh- San Felipe Creek Watershed Restoration Project Federal FY03 Annual Work Plan

The above link deals with the restoration of the San Sebastian Marsh Delta of San Felipe Creek. The Creek it self upstream has three major tributaries with San Felipe Creek coming from the west out from the mountains around Julian California. The other two are Fish Creek and lower Carrizo Creek and upper Carrizo Wash from Ocotillo California. Just a couple of other links to the San Felipe Creek delta which empties into the Salton Sea. Incredibly in a miniature way it mirrors the delta of the once mighty Colorado River into the Gulf of California, but now is almost nothing more than a dry alluvial fan with a few puddles of marsh. Take a look at these three photo & their links and scrutinize the vast size by clicking the magnifying glass tool on that link. Locals will remember when Hurricane Kathleen came through in September 1976 or 1977 that dumped several feet of rain into the Imperial Valley with Ocotillo receiving 6 inches an hour at the storms peak. The resulting tributaries converging on the San Felipe Creek Delta would have destroyed and wiped out ALL those Farmlands you now see in the picture. The Salton Sea itself rose by several feet which should illustrate the vast amount of water from that storm. Anyway, the area or region is beautiful in so many way. It has far more potential for beauty than even the experts realize that surpasses all money making ventures. So ask yourself, what do I walk away with here with all this information I had no idea extisted previously ??? Well, you relax, ponder and meditate upon it. Not that mind emptying religious nonsense, but rather the comtemplative reflection of the information you've just taken into your mind and planning just how it can be used through practical application. If you don't physically get up off your duff and literally apply this information, it's gets lost. Like David Bainbridge's concluding comment in one of those links stated, the biggest hope they have is that readers will take their experiences and make some kind of practical application personally and improve upon their ideas and techniques and shhare them with others. Here's how I do it. I like soothing background sound effects and here below is one of my favourites. It's appropriate don't you think ??? 

Just a quick Word about Where to Purchase Jute Products and Where to Purchase

I just wanted to show folks just what people over here in Sweden use this Jute Burlap cloth bands for. Wrapping around tree trunks for one purpose for protection for fruit tree with severe winter climate. Bark on many fruit tree is not overly thick and dense for protection. Also they use them for tying trees to a stabilizing pole or stake. The jutr is a natural soft texture which will not harm or rub bruises on bark when wind picks up. I google for Jute products in USA and found the use of a lot of greenhouse plastic mesh which many would be familiar with. I prefer the jute in making the socks because I want it to basically break down and deteriorate as time goes on and I do not want harm to the rootsystem as it expands.