Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mastic Tree
Mastic tree is a tough Mediterranean evergreen that grows as a dense, wide shrub or can be trained into a small single or multi-trunk tree. It reaches about 15 to 25 feet tall and spreads 20 to 30 feet. It takes full sun even in the low desert and needs little water once it is rooted. Leave it bushy for a year-round screen, or shape it into a small evergreen shade tree.
Best for: a dense evergreen screen along a wall or property line, a small single or multi-trunk shade tree, and low-water beds in full sun.
Left bushy, mastic tree grows into a dense evergreen mass 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. Set plants about 20 feet apart along a wall or property line for a year-round screen.
With patient pruning over a few years, it can be trained into a single or multi-trunk tree. Remove the shoots that come up from the base as you go, and raise the canopy a little each year.
It takes full sun even in the low desert and gets by on a deep soak every 2 to 3 weeks in summer once rooted. Water it at the edge of the canopy, not against the trunk.
It needs soil that drains, so break up or avoid caliche. It spreads wide and is hard to keep small in tight spaces. Training it into a tree takes years because it grows slowly and keeps sending up shoots from the base.
- Screen row20 ft apart
- Single trained tree20+ ft apart
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month. Keep up deep, regular soaks for its first 3 years.
It needs little water once rooted. Once rooted, soak it 2 to 3 feet deep about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter. Water at the drip line, not the trunk.
Take off the nursery stake at planting. Stake only if the tree cannot stand on its own or sits in a windy spot. Use two stakes outside the root ball with soft, wide ties, and remove them after about a year.
Shape a young tree slowly over its first few years. Never take more than a quarter of the canopy in a year, and do not strip the inner branches or top the tree.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does a mastic tree get?
It usually grows 15 to 25 feet tall and spreads 20 to 30 feet wide. Give it that much room, and check the Spacing tab before you plant a row.
How fast does a mastic tree grow?
It grows slowly to moderately, so give it a few years to fill in. Buy a larger size if you want a screen sooner.
Is mastic a shrub or a tree?
It grows naturally as a dense, wide shrub. With patient pruning over a few years you can train it into a single or multi-trunk small tree.
How often should I water a mastic tree?
Water a new plant often while it roots in. Once established, soak it 2 to 3 feet deep about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter. Aim the water at the edge of the canopy.
Is mastic tree cold hardy?
Yes. It handles about 10°F, so Valley winters do not hurt it.
How do I train a mastic tree into a tree shape?
Pick one or a few main trunks and remove the shoots that come up from the base. Raise the canopy a little at a time, and never take more than a quarter of it in a year.
When should I prune a mastic tree?
Shape a young tree a little at a time over its first few years. Never take more than a quarter of the canopy in a year, and do not top it or strip the inner branches.
How far apart should I plant mastic trees for a screen?
Plant them about 20 feet apart. They spread 20 to 30 feet wide, so the row fills in as they grow.
Does mastic tree have flowers or fruit?
The flowers are small and easy to miss. It can set small red berries that ripen black, though fruit is not common.
What soil does mastic tree need?
It needs soil that drains well. Avoid caliche, or break through it and dig drain holes before planting.
Is mastic tree messy?
No. It drops very little litter, so it works near a pool or patio.
Mastic Tree for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mastic tree is a tough, low-water evergreen for Valley yards. Left bushy it makes a dense screen, and with training it becomes a small shade tree. Below is what to expect: size, growth, spacing, water, pruning and how to turn it into a tree.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Is mastic tree good in Arizona?
Yes. It takes full sun in the low desert, handles about 10°F and needs only a deep soak every 2 to 3 weeks in summer once rooted.
How big does a mastic tree get?
Plan on 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. It grows slowly to moderately, so it takes a few years to reach full size.
Mastic tree as a privacy screen
Left bushy, it makes a dense evergreen screen. Space plants about 20 feet apart along a wall or property line and let them grow together.
How to train a mastic into a tree
Choose one or a few trunks, remove shoots from the base and raise the canopy slowly over several years. Take no more than a quarter of the canopy in a year.
Watering a mastic tree in Phoenix
Once established, give it a deep soak every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter. Water at the edge of the canopy, not against the trunk.
Mastic tree soil and caliche
Mastic tree needs soil that drains. Avoid caliche or break through it before planting, and backfill with the native soil you dug out.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.