Leaning Tree

Question

I have a tree, think it is a choke cherry, and most of the branches on one side are thin and the other side three times as many. The tree every year is leaning more and more. I tried to trim the branches to even it up, but I would have had to remove too many to even up the tree. Can I install a guy wire and pull it back straight and would it stay without cutting more branches off the heavy side?

Answer 1

If it is a well established tree, this will not work. It will be too firmly rooted. If it is younger, it may work though.

What I would suggest trying is tip pruning (just taking a few inches off the tip) the weak side. This will encourage more branching of the branches that are there and will help give a more full experience.