The ground isn't frozen yet.

A tree that size I would put (2) pieces of rebar in the ground at least 4' and right next to each other - about 6" past the trees dripline (skirt). Then use some heavier rope but put a thick piece of towel around the area on the trunk you will be wrapping the rope around to pull it back to vertical. From the appearance of the tree's height, I'd probably go about 30" up from the ground with the rope.

I think they sell 8' rebar or maybe it's 10'. pound em down so you have 4' above the ground...

Dax

i would ignore it..

when the trunk is a foot thick ... and the tree 40 to 50 feet thigh ... it wont matter a hill of beans ...

you can tell.. it was sheared by the wholesaler.. and is outgrowing such ... taking on.. its more normal form above ... just an observation .... but now that i think about it.. are you sure it wasnt sheared loopsided??? .... in other words its an optical illusion ...

forgetting the bottom sheared part.. the part above.. growing naturally.. looks about as straight as ma nature can do it ....

are you sure.. you cant find something important to do???? ... like worry about that early duplicate leader?????

can you do it.. sure.. why not ... the real question is.. should you do it ....

heck.. you could cut it down for a xmas tree... and start over in spring ....

ken

Just dig a hole on the side it's leaning away from and tip the plant back to vertical. Fill in the hole and relax.
Mike

Probably root-bound - a very common occurrence these days with the highly prevalent use of container grown stock that has not been kept potted on in a timely manner throughout the entire production cycle, with balled in burlap, field grown plants not escaping this as these have often been grown in containers before being planted in fields - in which case tree won't necessarily be able to correct itself later at all.

Look at the top of the roots to see if the tree is going in circles or sitting on a fist (knot, lump, turnip), that it has started to pivot over on.

Nice work Mike.

Dax

I believe these trees showed up with some kind of metal cage instead of burlap. I'm not 100% on that, but that's what I recall.

The trees were all trimmed before I got them, but for the first year they grew a tremendous amount. I'd say most of the needles visible in the photo are new growth. The tree is perfectly symmetrical, so yes the tilting you see is real. The other trees installed are all vertical.

About digging that hole - that sounds like an easy solution. I think the landscaper said what they would do is stick a rod in at an angle towards the root ball, and then push the rod toward the tree to upright it. If I dig the hole instead, how close can I get to the original root ball without damaging too many roots? Root damage is my main concern.

I'd leave it alone, but I think I'll be dead before this thing reaches 60 ft high! lol.

probably couldnt kill it.;. if you ran it over with the truck ... they grow about 3 to 5 feet per year... it will be 30 to 50 feet within a decade ... you bought a forest tree.... we hoped you would be around longer than that ...

sorry.. dont see it crooked...

if there is a next time.. buy no bigger than 3 feet ... bare root it.. do root surgery if needed.. and plant it yourself ....

30 bucks for 5 of them ... at the link

you have problems.. because you went for the instant gratification of size ....

ken

copy/paste this link.. to see your tree.. in nature:

https://www.google.com/search?q=picea+abies+forest&client=firefox-a&hs=Mzu&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ezl5VKvlO8vbsATkowI&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=832&bih=745&dpr=0.9

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Can you post other pics from different angles?

Its tough to see whether there really is an issue or not. Better yet a level picture at ground level to see how this thing is sticking out of the ground would be best.

Knowing Picea abies this plant should have rooted nicely after a full year in zone 6. You'll have to literally dig it out and reposition. Odds are if it settled to the degree you're stating, it probably has to be raised up on one side not just tilted.

Again that picture of the trunk coming out of the ground will be telling.

Here are a couple of pictures from early in the season. The leaning tree is the one most to the right. I'll try to get a photo of the trunk and post it later today.

Ken - that's interesting. I didn't realize they grew that fast. My landscape guy kept saying how fast cypresses grow - like weeds, but didn't indicate so much about the spruces (at least I don't remember). I'd love to see these trees get nice sized over the years. Please look at the large tree to the right in the background in my neighbor's yard. Look familiar?

Whaas - I looked at taking a photo of the trunk, but with all the snow on the ground it's a little hard to get a good shot. I can say that the trunk at ground level doesn't look bad. It's just hard to get in there and get a good angle on it so you can really tell with all the branches in the way.

I also believe this tree was straight when it was put in, like the others above. It isn't a case of a vertical root ball with a crooked trunk.

This is actually trivial. Pull it straight, do a little digging perhaps, wait a year. Are you thinking all these individual growing trees have to look identical?

I'm squarely in the do nothing camp. It may not be perfectly straight, but this will be a distant memory in a year or two. In the mean time, think of it as character. ;)

Hmm. Well, really my thought process was that all 9 were put in vertically, and one of them fell over a little. The landscaper said he'd right it when the ground was soft, but never did anything. So I figure maybe I'd straighten it up.

Basic: By distant memory in a year or two do you mean it will straighten it self out, or I'll just get used to it? :o)

It is a nice, sunny chilly day so I thought I'd go dig a hole next to the Norway to see if I could upright it. It rained for about 24 hours yesterday. Well the more I dug that hole and realized the tree wouldn't budge (like it was in concrete) the more I got to liking the tilt in the tree! I guess that settles it. :)

The tree tilts to the north, and the sun arcs from the south, so maybe the sunlight will pull it back up straight.

Ground may have been froze to a point but like I mentioned that plant likely rooted out and won't just tilt.

Good call, leave it be.

Yeah, looks like you were right. I think the roots have spread pretty well. I know when I'm beat. I'm not happy with my landscape designer. He tells me all the things he's going to do (like fix the tree) and then never does much of it until it's too late... NEXT!

Thanks for the advice.