One meter high Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. plants were planted in four different geomorphic units (vegetated saline sand sheet, upwind slope (7°) of a parabolic dune, top of a parabolic dune, and a fill area) within a desert ecosystem. During the first nine‐month period, low and moderate watering was applied with or without manure application. After this period, irrigation was abandoned and plants were left under the natural desert conditions. Performance of P. juliflora plants was judged on the basis of their growth in height and survival percentage. P. juliflora at the top of a dune area under moderate watering produced growth and survival results similar to that produced by low watering with manure treatment on the upwind slope of a parabolic dune area. The deleterious effect of groundwater salinity was noticed in the form of a reduction in survival rates during a dry period (Jan. 1985‐Oct. 1987) when no water was applied. This study showed that xerophytic plants such as P. juliflora can be successfully grown with moderate watering in an open sandy desert ecosystem.