Very bent apple tree

[mark1983]

Hi folks, I am a pretty inexperienced gardener who has inherited a well-established garden. I have a very bent apple tree which I would like to straighten; please see the photo below. I am happy to lose a few seasons of fruit if it resolves the issue - would a very hard prune in the winter be an option? I had thought of using a ground anchor and rachet strap to pull it straight gradually. Any thoughts or advice gratefully received! Thanks

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Looks as though it grew toward the light, and that it is a bit too established to get the trunk upright. A good prune could help keep it balanced, but I don't think it is going to straighten it up. Pruning can also make it flower better and produce more fruit, not lose it.
Do you know what the variety is? Is it something you actually want? You could replace it with a new, young tree, it wouldn't be too long before you got fruit, and you could stake it properly. They sell trees with more than one apple grafted on, so you get variety and an extended season. The more you pay the more mature the tree, but if you don't mind a minimal return for 'a few seasons' it could be well worthwhile to have something well grown and with enjoyable fruit.

 

[Anniekay]

I agree with Oliver. I also would not worry about it leaning, all the easier to pick the fruit. Also, even if they are not having to lean towards sunlight, fruit trees have a tendency to lean. All our crabapples leaned this way or that for no apparent reason, they just did. My peach tree is leaning North, towards my house. The limbs will grow faster and thicker on one side just because they do, and that causes the lean.

It's not really advisable to cut off future fruit producing branches for asthetic purposes; kind of like shooting yourself in the foot, IMHO.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

fruit trees have a tendency to lean.

Having seen a few orchards grubbed up they seem to have a much shallower root system than most trees.

 

[cpp gardener]

A big part of the issue is that it is too close to the fence/hedgerow to grow more upright. It is leaning away from the competition.
You could remove the big branch growing to the right and use the rest of the branches for the scaffolds of the tree. Then it would bend to the right, then to left and up. Kinda funky-looking but still productive.