conifer drama - advice on severely leaning tree please!

[legless]

we have a large (10' ish) conifer, with branches that all seem to come from the base rather than a central trunk. today it has fallen mostly over. the rootball doesn't appear lifted out of the ground and its alive and healthy.

does this happen in wet weather? can we just attempt to hoist it back up and stake it? does anyone know about staking trees? is there a recommended size/ depth scale?

its so weird it doesn't look lifted at the base at all...

[legless]

[Rosa_Mundi]

At that size you can try staking it, although there's no guarantee that it will -re-take. Stake to keep it as secure as possible for the next few months, possibly with more than one support (or ropes). I'm curious as to why it's fallen in the first place. Have you had heavy rain, followed by strong winds?

[legless]

we can't work it out, no strong winds but lots of rain. it doesn't even seem to have lifted at the base, which is weird, its just gone over about 3 feet into the pond, some of it is still uprightish.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Was it underwater during a thunderstorm or anything like that? My soil liquifies during floods, and one year I had lilies virtually capsizing; one day they were upright, then next they were over on their sides. This could be similar.

I remember seeing pics of some houses in Japan which had been built on sand; during an earthquake, they turned over, and there they were with their foundations sticking up in the air. I don't suppose you've had an unnoticed quake though.

[legless]

i don't think it was underwater but it may have been. i'm getting in the pond tomorrow to push while husband pulls from one side to see if it moves back!