So my chicken and I were examining this tree, wondering how to straighten it and she said “why not ask the Growing Fruit group”? So here I am, asking if it can be done.
It looks like it would be perfect if I were going to do one of those two trees in one hole magic tricks. But I really wanted a whole tree and also I don’t have another crooked tree to plant with it.
Any suggestions?
You could do the traditional method and straighten it with a stake – just drive a stake into the ground and attach the leader at multiple points with some kind of wide tape or fabric that won’t girdle it. After it’s had a season of growth, you could probably remove the stake, given how young it is.
Looking at the picture, though, I noticed that your tree is still potted. Why not plant it into the ground at an angle, so that the leader is going straight up? The imperfection at the very bottom will become imperceptible over the years as the trunk thickens. Granted, the roots won’t be in an ideal configuration at first, and you’d want to make sure that the tree stays stable in the ground at first, but those problems should also correct themselves after it starts laying down more roots.
It’s OK to plant the rootstock at a total angle like that?
What if the roots end up planted vertical instead of side to side, is that OK?
We haven’t had our bare roots that long, but we got them just in time for a blizzard so I put them in pots to protect them.
It was nice last weekend so we started putting them in the ground but this one I haven’t planted yet because I’m still thinking about if I can get it straight.
I had a kaffir lime before that had a graft position like that and it ended up looking like it should be planted on the side of the hill.
I’m not an expert, so if a plant physiologist comes in here and says otherwise, go with them.
But it is common to prune roots anyway when you are planting a new tree. You could just prune off any roots that actually end up pointed straight up, and then prune some off the top of the tree to balance it.
Also, since the tree is bare-root and probably hasn’t grown out any fine roots during dormancy, I don’t think there would be any harm in manipulating the roots to exactly where you want them to go. I often do this when I plant bare-root trees in heavy clay soil where I am concerned about the roots circling in the planting hole – I carve out channels in the clay and stretch out the roots along the channels. Seems to have been working for me.
The main thing I’d be worried about would be the tree’s mechanical stability in the ground until it gets established and puts down more roots. Other than that, I don’t think the rootstock being at an angle is cause for any concern.
Marten has the right plan. Plant it the way you want the top orientated. The roots won’t mind in the least as long as they’re covered.
Then prune off any branches that aren’t what you want. I usually prune a newly planted tree very hard. Most of those branches are probably too low unless it were in a pot.
Thank you, I will take a really hard look this weekend and see if I can come up with a pruning plan.
I had a tree sort of like yours and I did as Martin suggested. I planted it where it was mostly straight and had to work with the top part to get it straight. Mine had a couple of more crooked parts to the main trunk. It took a couple of years but the trunk is straight. No fruit yet since it is still pretty young but at least the tree will not fall over when I do get some fruit off of it.
Good luck.
Plant it at an angle so the trunk is vertical
