No problem. It will straighten.

when they are 50 feet tall .. you wont care .. whether or not they are or were straight at this age ...

water properly to grow the root mass.. to get the trees established.. and in 3 years.. they should be rather free range ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I planted a 14' Nuttal oak in my front yard about 11 years ago. Every year for the first several year, I would look out the bed room window and see the top leader bent significantly. After a few years of watching it I realized that was the pattern in which the tree grew. The new grow would start at an angle, and over the season it would straighten up. Each year the cycle would repeat itself.

Today the tree is over 30's tall, and as straight as you could want a tree to be. It is providing shade to the front yard and actually change the micro climate. I am now able to plant grasses and plant in the front yard that the sun would have caused a problem 11 years ago.

Thanks, everyone! Glad that it is okay. I really didn't want a huge hassle with this tree. I am considering adding a stake to try to train it to go a little straighter. That one is leaning over a bit, anyway, and seems like it needs something besides the stakes the gardener installed. It's very windy, today, and that one seems to be moving more than the other two.

krnuttle, was your tree as bent as mine is? Glad it worked out well for you.

Yes, it was bent as bad as yours.

As for the stakes, I personally don't think they are needed. Like a arm if you immobliize the trunk it will not develop the strenght to support the tree. These trees are young and must develop at their own pace, so don't trim them for several years. Part of the lean may be caused by over trimming, increasing the top to the point where the truck is too thin to support it. I did that to a tree many years ago. Several years later when we moved the trunk was just catching up to the top.

One last comment on the trees in your picture. While the basin created by the mulch is guarantees that the tree gets the water, while it is developing. it can cause root problem.

I was negligent and did not remove mine soon enough. instead of the roots growing along under the natural surface, they grew into the mulch. I am still having some problems with roots on the natural surface.

It looks like you have a good plan for your yard, with the trees and I assume the flowers you plan to plant.

krnuttle, thank you for your input! I really appreciate it. I went out and took a longer look at the tree and it does look like there are smaller branches starting to go in the other direction, so I think you are right... it just needs time. How long should I leave the mulch?

I am really trying to make our yard look nice, but I am running into issues with our HOA. I didn't realize we needed to request permission for our back yard until it was too late. I have submitted the request, but they are being very difficult. I really hope this doesn't end badly. I can't believe they have this much say over my backyard. I am reading that they cannot make me remove trees that are native to our state, though, so I will be looking more into that. As well as the fact that most people in our neighborhood don't even bother asking... they just plant their trees and never had an issue. Asking has caused me the issue.

I have had some bad experience with HOA's. However in our current home where there is no HOA, I could see the advantage of some HOA oversight.

Like any governing organization, it you don't like what they are doing start attending the meetings and get involved with the leadership.

Ours seems to crack down on things they shouldn't and ignore the things they should not ignore. I just wish I hadn't asked because no one else did and the HOA never said anything about it to them.

When you recommend that I remove the mulch?