Sapling growth question

[curtisdozier]

Novice tree-grower here. I transplanted some Maple saplings from my friends' yard to mine and they did sprout leaves this year. But now I'm wondering: will a sapling that looks like this ever grow into a "straight" upright tree or does the split "trunk" mean it will grow out like a "Y" and eventually just fall over? I am wondering if it is worth continuing to nurture it or if I should rip it out and find a straighter sapling and try again.

 

[esean]

You could cut off the smaller side shoot. The remaining trunk will have a bit of a bend, but its small enough you could probably strap a board to it for a growing season to straighten it.

 

[Raintree]

Start over, avoid the invasive Norway maple, look for a nice straight native maple.

 

[ATH]

it would be easy to stake that straight. However, some trees have genetic tendency to do that... if that is the case here, it will be a constant fight.

I do agree with @Raintree that Norway maple isn't something we recommend. Besides the invasivenes, they are failure-prone trees (weak wood and lots of diseases in the longterm)