To care for a Desert Museum palo verde tree, plant the cutting in a sunny area with well-drained soil, water the tree periodically, and prune the tree to a beautiful shape in the summer. Taking care of this kind of tree requires a water source, a shovel and pruning shears.
- Plant the cutting
Locate an area of full sunlight with well-drained soil. The palo verde tree offers beautiful filtered shade from the sun, so choose an area where shade would be appreciated. Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball of the cutting and three times as wide as the root ball.
- Water the tree
Allow the tree to get plenty of water periodically; it especially needs water when it is young to establish a strong root system. The Desert Museum palo verde tree is a drought-tolerant tree, so be careful not to over-water. Over-watering can result in weak branches. Under-watering causes the tree to lose its flowers.
- Prune the tree in the summer
Keep the classic shape of the palo verde by cutting it back in the summer. This tree should maintain the shape of a vase, narrow at the base and wide at the top. The yellow flowers appear from the spring into the summer, so wait until after the tree is finished flowering to prune.
