Tree staking fail

[spookstaz]

I live in a townhouse/condo and I noticed that the honeylocust tree in front of my neighbor's place is leaning strongly towards the east. The tree seems susceptible to wind and has been leaning more and more over time. Perhaps it will eventually block the sidewalk when the tree gets larger. That tree is approximately 2 years old. It was staked but recently we had strong wind that snapped the cords.

Should I re-stake the tree? I wonder if the wind will damage the tree where I tie it off. Should a different staking technique be used?

[johnthetreeguy]

Spookstaz, I'm glad the little guy survived the wind! I would definitely re-stake this tree for multiple reason. 1) Judging by the trunk, it looks like the tree was planted at an angle to begin with, or maybe it just settled at an angle after being planted, either way it will need support to grow straight. 2) with it being so small in diameter and "top heavy" it will have a natural bend, and if you would prefer it to grow straight it will need some support for the time being. It's pretty amazing how much wind those tiny little leaves will pick up! 3) looks like you are next to a sidewalk and possibly a street. It would probably ease your mind knowing that you won't be liable for any limbs breaking off in the future and falling on a car or someone walking by, although the canopy on that tree shouldn't really get too big.

I only see two stakes in the ground in your picture, but I'm guessing you probably have 3. If not, I would recommend using 3 stakes with lines, going to different areas of the tree. One around the trunk directly below the first branch, one about 6 inches higher, and then another about 6 inches higher. Make sure you have them all pulled tight! I would start with the lowest one, and pull the tree as close to straight up and down as possible, and then go up from there on the other two stakes. It may take two straps from the 1'st stake to really straighten the tree, so one strap near the base of the trunk under the first branch and then another strap up higher on the tree to pull it straight. Also it looks like the stakes are leaning towards the tree, it might help re-staking them with an angle slightly away from the tree before strapping it.

One side note, try putting some rubber or something around the rope you use for the straps. This will help to reduce the friction and damage to the bark of the tree.

I hope this helps!

Johnthetreeguy
http://www.totaltreeserviceomaha.com

[spookstaz]

Perfect! Thanks Johnthetreeguy for the great reply. So now I'm thinking of trying to pull out those two stakes and place them evenly apart on the upwind side. I wonder if I really need a third stake on the downwind side. It's very rare to get westward wind going the other way here. Good point about branches falling. I am not really sure who whose property the tree is on (city, condo or homeowner) but it has been neglected for over a year now so someone has to step up

What kind of rope would you suggest using?