Sometimes trees grow so rapidly in tree tubes that they bend over – sometimes quite sharply – after emerging from the tubes. So what do you do about it? Answer: nothing, nothing at all.
This past spring a customer texted me a photo of a sawtooth oak that grew incredibly fast in its tree tube, and kept right on growing fast after it emerged. The main leader was very bent. He asked if he should prune or stake the tree. I said no, it will straighten out on its own – and it will do so quickly. It’s great (and, for me, rare) to be right!
I have been tracking this tree’s progress in previous posts. Here is the latest installment in “As The Tree Straightens.”
April 11, 2014:
52 degree bend in trunk (click to enlarge).
July 20, 2014:
39 degree bend (click to enlarge).
September 17, 2014:
17 degree bend (click to enlarge).
So in five months the tree went from having a 52 degree crook in the stem to a 17 degree bend. By this time next year arrows will be jealous of its straightness.
And, oh, by the way, it only grew about 4 or 5 feet this year.
