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Re-righting a tilted/hung-up tree

_MH__MH_ Posts: 16
in Problem solving
Hi everyone,

We have a lovely old laburnum tree (~25ft) that I discovered had become slightly uprooted and tilted itself perhaps 40 degrees in some high winds.  It still seems be alive so I wondered is there anyway to save/re-right it.  Perhaps if I were to cut back harshly to the branches at the top of the main trunk (not easy in itself given it might be hung up in another tree) then might be able to push the trunk vertical again?  Or am I being stupid and I need to accept its a goner?  It's been here many, many years and would be a shame to lose it if there's a way to save it.

Thanks loads
Mike


Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I don't think you will be able to right it, but it may well survive as it is.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    If its moving in the soil that suggests that there is a root problem. If it had a good root system then it would not move. But if you love it then you have nothing to lose trying to save it.
    I have a Cornus controversa slowly slipping sideways but it is so beautiful that I will keep it as long as possible.  When I finally have to lose it I will probably try to save a lower branch and grow it up again.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited August 2022
    I wonder if your hedging/shrubs at the back  is undermining the site @_MH_?
    If you've had the difficult climactic conditions many have had in the south, it may have been gradually getting loosened, especially if you have clay soil that's moving and cracking with the changing weather. Sometimes these things happen over a long period, without there being an obvious problem, then something like a strong wind or storm can just be that straw breaking the camel's back. They aren't terribly deep rooted, which can be part of the problem in that sort of situation.
    I don't know if you can correct that though. Perhaps if you get enough moisture back in the soil soon, it would be possible to straighten it, and possibly re stake it. It may need a bit of effort and also some clearing of the other hedging etc, so that you can see what the roots are like. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    You could certainly give it a support to prop it up on the leaning side to stop further leaning.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2022
    If there are cracks in the soil around the roots I would trickle in some good topsoil … and prop the tree as @Obelixx suggests. A sturdy forked chestnut or oak branch as a prop would look good. 

    A leaning tree draped in blooms can be a very attractive thing. It’s a look that a lot of bonsai specialists and some gardeners try to develop … I would do my best to save it … if it survives I would also clear a lot of plants away from around it and make a feature of it. I’m a bit jealous of the opportunity you have there to make something really special. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I straightened a leaning apple tree by putting a Y shaped prop between the underside of the trunk and the ground, hammering it into position with someone pushing the tree upright. Put a pad of cloth in the V to cushion the trunk and avoid rubbing the bark from the tree. My son in law has done the same with one of his apple trees which is still in place several years later.
    As far as the root system is concerned, you could try adding some fresh JI3 around the base and treading it in firmly, even possibly laying some slabs or stones to give extra weight.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Our neighbours have a laburnum that is basically dead and lifeless now. It has slowly been deteriorating over the last decade and it's well past its time to come down but it was planted by their parent so has sentimental value. It's over 60 years old now which is apparently very old for a laburnum. The little research I did suggests anything from 25-40 years suggested as the average life on one so if it were mine I'd try and save it but not do anything to drastic, if it wants to lean, let it lean (but prop it) because you might damage it trying to straighten it. 
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