Mesquite for Soil Regeneration and Tackling Acidification in Drylands
Mesquite and Soil Regeneration: Fixing What’s Broken Underground
Acidic soils disrupt the balance of nutrients, harm beneficial microbial life, make it harder for plants to grow, and strip land of resilience. Mesquite can help undo the damage.
Nitrogen Fixation and pH Balance
It starts with nitrogen. As a legume, mesquite teams up with rhizobia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms plants can use. That natural input helps reverse nutrient loss from leaching and chemical overuse. According to one review, mature mesquite trees can fix between 30 and 40 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, per year.
In a study, composted mesquite reduced pH while increasing organic matter and available phosphorus. It’s especially useful in drylands where soils swing wildly between too basic and too acidic depending on use, irrigation, or mining legacy.
How Mesquite Fights Soil Acidification
Acidification happens when calcium, magnesium, and other base cations leach out and hydrogen ions take their place. That pushes pH down and locks nutrients away. Mesquite helps fix this by cycling nutrients back into the soil and reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers.
Because it’s a perennial with a deep root system, mesquite pulls minerals and water up from subsoil layers and redistributes them near the surface. Its fallen leaves and pods build organic layers. That makes the soil cooler, more porous, and better at holding moisture. Erosion slows down. Over time, soils move closer to neutral. Microbes return. And so do other plants.
In systems where overuse of nitrogen fertilizers or acid rain have pushed pH below healthy thresholds, adding mesquite compost or planting mesquite directly can help reverse that trend.
Rebuilding Soil Life From the Ground Up
Most farmers write mesquite off as a nuisance. But in regenerative setups, especially silvopasture or dryland farming, it can be an integral piece in replenishing the land. No fertilizer, no irrigation, just deep roots, dropped pods, and built-in soil repair.