Should be fine as far as the bend is concerned. Might want to take the pot off and make sure it's not too root bound. Seems like quite a large tree for the size of pot.

i would never buy that sized tree.. mostly because i dont know how i would get it home.. and i sure as heck wouldnt pay them to bring it ...

these things grow like weeds.. once established ... and a 4 to 6 foot tree will get established faster.. and probably outgrow this HUGE tree in a small pot inside 5 years ...

what you seller said was probably true .. so if you want this one.. knock yourself out ...

with trees we talk n tree time.. usually counted in decades ... you are trying for instant gratification ... and it doesnt work in some sense.. because of the attendant stresses of this size plant ...

ken

Delivery and planting are paid for. The tree is 8-10 ft tall. Pic might be misleading. Question was about the bent growth at the top and if it will straighten.

The only bent I can detect is on the far right trunk just below where it crosses back over the other right side trunk about 2/3rds the way up. The picture is not good enough to even know if that is a bit of an illusion or an actual kink in the stem. Otherwise I see four birch trunks curving around each other a bit for positioning which they will continue to do when planted in a clump like that.

So what exactly is bent to you?

I guess it depends on what you want. No guarantee the branches will straighten over time.

If you’re set on River Birch, there may be others that aren’t curved at the top. Or maybe there’s another tree you would consider. Otherwise, I would take a chance and go for it.

debra

I hope that you do not plant this in a restricted space. When we live in Indianapolis, an neighbor had on that was about 12" in diameter, and taller than his two story house.

It’s fine. In a year you won’t kno that there was anything amiss.

It's fine.

Just make sure the roots are untangled and the root flares exposed (I don’t see them now) when planting. Otherwise they may not live long enough to straighten out.

tj

I think it looks great. Don’t worry about the bend.

The only thing of concern is the small pot - the tree will definitely need root correction at planting time.

Speaking of leaning there are several separate stems in the pot, as the specimen develops these will all lean away from one another quite markedly. Unless you plant it in the middle of a grove where side shading by other trees will keep it vertical.

And river birch is a tree of some size when conditions suit it, growing significantly bigger than dimensions stated in above warning - be sure to place this one where it will not become a problem later.