On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 21:38:37 +0100 (GMT+01:00), thescullster
wrote:

Hi all

I am trying to encourage an apple tree in a certain direction by
gradually pulling it over.
There is a copper beach tree nearby to act as the anchor for the
rope tie.

What I need is a knot that can take up slack as I pull hard to
bend the tree.
Anyone understand what I am trying to achieve and suggest the
appropriate knot please?

I would have thought you just want to tie into a loop of some sort and
then do a half hitch to lock it off?

So imagine you put a bowline in the end of your rope and passed it
round the apple tree. Then took the free end round the base of the
beach and back to your bowline. Pass the free end though your loop,
pull it back towards you and then lock it off with said half hitch on
the part going back to the beech.

Better might be to put some sort of strop / cambian saver round each
tree and do similar with that. If you can't get sufficient purchase,
you can either pass it round more times (between the strops, assuming
a reasonably open 'D' on the ends of the strops) or you can work the
inter tree part sideways and then take up the slack as you allow it to
straighten again.

If you need more power still you can get rope / pulley engine hoists
pretty cheap (use that to generate the tension and then lock it off
with another rope and take the hoist away).

Cheers, T i m