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I'm in a newer development. They planted two trees around my house when they built it two years ago. Both trees are leaning to one side. I believe the stakes were removed too soon.
If I re-stake them, would it help straighten the trees out over time? Or is it too late? I'm afraid, I do not know what king they are.
If they were planted from pots or burlap bags, chances are pretty high they need to be staked for a while. I would ask a local nursery or call your county extension agent, but they may want to know what kind of tree it is first. You could also ask the developer / builder where they got the trees, when they were planted, etc. Also, do you live in a windy area? That may explain the slant since they aren't staked while developing.
In higher-end developments, I've seen them go in and plant trees as the first roads are cut so that by the time the houses go up and everything is developed out, the trees are well-established while in other places, they dig a shallow hole, drop the tree and build a much volcano around the burlap bag (leaving it and the wire there).
Not windy around here. The builder has pulled out a while ago. I'll ask a few neighbors if they know what king of trees they are.
They are not leaning too much, just enough to annoy me. The one in my backyard is still fairly small. Maybe a three inch diameter trunk and the one in front is almost twice that size.
You may be able to straighten the smaller one, just put a stake in the direction you want to pull it. Then cable it and put a lot of tension on it. It should straighten eventually. I think the larger tree will need to be dug up and replanted. It might help to post some pictures if you can.
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