Should I stake this tree?

[notlimahttocs]

Hi all! I live in west central Indiana. We bought this young Austrian pine a few weeks ago from a local nursery. It was potted and already had this heavy lean. The folks at the nursery told me to plant it with the lean facing north and that should eventually correct it. I went ahead and planted it with the root ball level, clearly keeping the lean. My question is should I stake it an try to pull the tree against the lean or should I leave it? We have clay soil here.

Scott

 

[ArtB]

It was potted and already had this heavy lean
And you bought this particular disfigured tree because???
And you planted with the lean , and now want it straight because??

 

[WmTreeCo.]

Theres a 'homeowner helper forum' for posts like this.
You don't neccesarily need to stake the tree for its health. Making sure its planted at the right depth is more important.
They were right, over many years most of the tree will grow vertically and 'correct' itself, but I think the trunk may not ever be perfectly straight.
If you tie it to a stake to try straighten it, use nylon webbing or rubber hose that wont dig into the tree. Also, dont tie anything tight around the trunk.

 

[sb47]

Looks like a classic sign that when it was in the pot it was staked with the stake right next to the trunk. It's a common mistake made by many. You should never place a stake right next to a tree because it blocks the light on that side of the tree trunk and as soon as the stake is removed the tree will bend over to the side the stake was on. The cells on the trunk that have the sun blocked by a stake grow longer cells then the side that gets plenty of light. Then when the stake is removed it leans. Looks like the top is already correcting itself.

 

[Deleted member 152182]

I would take a stake to it if you don't like the lean. put the stake outside the root ball. take some irrigation tubing, hose etc. run wire through the tube and around the stake. problem solved. leave for 6-12 months +/-. Not longer. pull stake and see if its straight. should be by that point.