I’ve got a plum tree and peach ree that have copped a lean. They’ve been in the ground for about 4 years.
Is this abig deal? I see mention of it all the time on sites, but never if there is a negative to it. some say they even like it.
No picture right now as it’s dark.
Depends how much weight is on it. I have had trees snap under a certain weight. Keep in mind perennials have a “memory” though. Annuals do too but not as a strong of one. With plants they will detect how strong the wind is and try to strengthen based on the wind, they will get a wet snow and try to get stronger to deal with the snow. So a new try will be more prone to breakage. That being said even my trees that are likely over 20 feet that have been here longer than I was alive have been shown to break with enough snow. With those trees it does not matter though because they are so massive even with a break there is a million other branches to compensate.
Depends also on how large you expect them to grow and what the rootsystem is like. I’ve seen tilted trees “kneel” and rip half of their shallow roots out of the ground (and the rest off). In some trees like mulberries falling down (usually in more than one piece) is a normal thing after 150+ years It’s rather picturesque and they will even root wherever the trunk and branches touch the ground. It is something of a rejuvenation mechanism like in willows). Same thing is happening to our Williams pear under it’s loads of fruit and new growth. 1m of trunk on the ground and new leaders going straight up. (we’ve cut off the original leader).
But I don’t really see a plum or a peach doing the same.
They are young enough to correct. You may have to prop the plum up later which is not great in the trunk. A peach may be fine, but I’ve never had an “overloaded” peach tree
Thanks. Yeah, I’m not letting them get over 10’, & would like to keep them around 8’ high and maybe 12’ wide max. we’ll see how things go.
I had an old orchardist tell me if I’m really worried, “don’t be afraid to dig them up in early winter & replant them, I’ve moved dozens of tress, mainy of them quite big, and they’ve always done well with it…”
Had trouble with leaning trees. Didn’t correct it when young and they had to be pulled out. But they were kinda big. One was an Apricot.
Some of my apples on seedling rootstock that had a hard time while getting established (winds and floods) actually corrected themselves. They were grafted low, shot out a new trunk and that took over from the leaning one. I have also grafted some rootstock suckers (growing straight) on others for when I have to remove the leaning trunk.