My guess is that the top will turn upward but you’ll still have the pronounced bend lower down. Is there a tree nearby that you could tie it off to? You’d have to have an awfully long stake, driven a few feet in the ground to try and correct that way. You could play with the bend a bit to create a tree with a wonky trunk.

If that split rail fence is the property line, you may want the tree to tip inward towards your property, so it doesn't immediately branch out over the fence.

In full sun the tree will adjust and fill out nicely. After all, trees don't all need to look like 'lollipops'. Some curve to the trunk gives the tree some character.

agree with bill.. let nature do what nature does ... very well.. without your interference ...

that said.. could we have a better pic.. perhaps in sunshine... so i can actually see the tree .. here it just mixing in with all the lumber of the same color.....

trying to turn it into a bow.. as in bow and arrow.. really isnt going to work .... imo...

ken

I will take a sun pic someday when sun comes out.

There are large trees in neighbor’s yard to right to tie off from, at least to play with a posture and hold it in place while properly tying down with stuff anchored in my yard.

Just looking at the tree by zooming the picture in a secondary image viewer, it is my guess that the tree has been pruned to much and the trunk has not had a chance to keep up with the height of the tree. This produces a long slender trunk that can not support the top of the tree. The only way to correct this is to leave the tree alone and let it grow.

Well it hasn’t ever been pruned. It’s slender and spindly because it’s always been in full shade.

The only problem I've ever seen with releasing a tall slender tree, growing in the shade to full sun, depending on the type of tree, it will produce so much lush new growth, it can become 'Top heavy' causing the tree to need some support, so it doesn't bend over under the weight.

Hickory may be strong enough, so it won't be a problem.

You might compromise and pull it back some, but not totally as you might be considering. The trunk itself is actually straight out of the ground.

Nice tree!

ime: I've never had much luck straightening an established tree. Once the heartwood hardens off you would have to stake it for a few to several years before it would stay put.

But maybe that's just me.

;-)

Here's an update, tying the tree back to a tree to the right. Tightened the rope twice, so the tree has moved from 22 degrees to 19 to 14. Plan is to do this again in the spring, maybe all the way to upright or close to it.

Thanks for the update!

Good job. It usually doesn't hurt and is certainly a learning experience to try things.

And here we are today!

Any idea how long (2 years?) I need to leave the support rope in place to maintain the tree's posture?

The wind removed the strap on my Gleditsia triacanthos in October, having been in place since the spring before. I left it off thinking it was okay now but over winter, it returned, at least partially, back to a hefty lean.

The straps back on again so I'm thinking 2 seasons before removing the rope on yours.

Wow, what a difference a year makes. The leafed out hickory looks tall and proud!

Thanks for the update. Sometimes you just need to be patient.