seasonal growth on many conifer is called a whorl .. look down about a foot.. and see last years whorl ... one went straight up.. and the others are pendulous ... its normal ... it does it itself ...

what looks concerning to me.. is that you may have a stunted.. or lost the middle bud ... i can tell from the first pic ... get us some better pix.. before we go on with that issue ..

that is some heavy duty staking ... is there a reason you thik it need remain .. at a min.. by fall.. it should be gone ...

someone ought to be able to get you a better name.. i am blanking on it right now ... something along the lines of picea abies pendula

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=picea+abies+pendula&iax=images&ia=images

ken

BTW: you can estimate the age of a an unpruned tree .. by counting the whorls .. or by the scars left.. if you can see them

https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Botany/Book:Forest_Measurements-An_Applied_Approach(DeYoung)/04:_Tree_Age/04.3:_Field_Technique_Tips_for_Counting_Whorls:

oh.. and i see the drip irrigation ... you will need to insure .... in the heat of summer.. that there is moisture down thru the entire root mass planted ... and that might be hard to do with drip lines .. unless you are willing to run them for many.. many hours on end ...

by digging 4 to 6 inch holes with a tablespoon or hand trowel .... you will need to FIND OUT about such ... and you may need to put a hose on a trickle to get it down there ... once properly watered to depth.. then the drip line should be able to maintain it ...

it is impossible for us to tell you.. in your soil.. with your location.. and your weather.. how it all works with your plant ... hence the need for you to go all Sherlock Holmes on it .. lol

ken

Thanks Ken, never heard of a whorl before. I hope he is not stunted, but he is what he is. I used t-post because that's what I had on hand, planned on adding pvc

over the t-post in the future to influence growing upward to about 8' before turning him loose. As for the drip, just put that down this Spring and don't trust it enough yet and find myself still doing a lot of watering by hand. Not sure if these pics are anymore helpful.

The common one with this general appearance is Picea abies 'Reflexa' ('Pendula' of commerce). And yes, it does not grow upright unless staked.

Instead of using a couple of homely wire fence stakes (and a bungee cord) get a single, taller and more cosmetic stake of some kind and insert it as close as you can get without driving it through the existing root mass. And use garden or tree ties to secure the upper section of the main stem closely to it at several points.

Keep it clapped against this support each year until the desired height is reached, the growth seems firm enough that it will hold itself in position after the stake is removed at the end of the multi year training period.

And then expect subsequent growth to head back toward the ground. So that you end up in time with with a broad mat of ground covering branches* sporting a shepherd's crook like configuration in the center.

The replacement stake will have to be as tall as you want the main stem to grow. When selecting the new stake you will have to allow for it being shorter after being driven into the soil. So that means it will have to be more than 8 ft. long.

Use mulching to enhance water management of the bed, by establishing a protective layer that prevents direct sun exposure from baking moisture out of the soil all summer.

*One in Britain was ~13 ft. across after 25 years

I will be mulching as soon as I am confident with drip hoses

If you have concerns about watering...I suggest tree rings. Flat rubber bladders that ring the trunk of the tree and into which you can run water with your hose. They gradually release the amount over the course of a day. I bought them when we installed five large evergreens and these rings kept them alive during a hot, dry summer.

Looks OK. The curving "new" leader should dominate & look better as time progresses.

In order to maintain control of future development main stem needs to be tied in closely and securely to the pole.

Interesting features like that curve make for a unique character.

I agree the curve will blend in better after the tree sets more side branches. Just keep an eye on it so the extra weight of those branches doesn't pull it down.

It being a 'Reflexa' it will bend over at some point unless this is prevented by keeping it following the pole. And if it gets away from you sometime the stiffness of its mature growth means there will be a limit to how much you can bend it.

Yes, I'd probably tie a bamboo or plastic stake directly to the trunk so the leader could be supported by that. Not a full length stake, just long enough so one could tie it firmly to the trunk below the leader, then tie the leader to the stake. Just for the season until the leader hardens off next fall. Correct?

I do what Bill suggests on my Picea pungens ‘The Blues’. An 18 inch piece of a narrow bamboo stake has its bottom secured to hardened off old growth and the new growth is secured to the top. Each year I move it further up so that I now have a 7 footer. I’d lose that fence post,

tj

Thanks Bill I did put a bamboo stick on and will attach the new leader if it continues to grow. tsugajunkie that post is staying for the time being. Too much wind in that spot for me to feel comfortable turning him loose.