Help! My Mesquite tree is driving me nuts!

Summary – This homeowner loves the look of her Mesquite Tree but is tired of the dropping beans and is concerned her yard is not big enough to handle the large root system.

Dear Rosie,

We’re in a new subdivision – 5 years old and the lots are narrow. The builder planted a Mesquite tree in our front yard, 3 feet from the sewer line. We pruned the tree so it would grow more quickly and are pleased with its size and stature. Photos attached.

However, the Mesquite beans are a nightmare. A wire rake barely works. My neighbor sits under her mesquite and picks hers up by hand. This is in the summer and it’s not pleasant.

I’ve talked to the man who does our pruning and weeding, about the beans and the roots. He had two suggestions:

1) replace the larger stone with a smaller stones which will allow the beans to be raked.

2) plant something with less-invasive roots – like a Bottle Brush tree.

It’s a killer decision to take down a 30′ well-developed, healthy tree. If we did, we might plant Bougainvillea, or Texas Ranger Sage and give up on a tree entirely. 

As I said, the lots are tiny.  Any tree is eventually going to break up that sewer line….or will it?  And won’t every home in our subdivision with a tree in the front yard end up with the same problem?

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