Do bent garden stakes, for LST, hurt root development?

Anything that takes space down there will have an influence. If it's too much of an influence depends on the thickness of the stakes and how many you use. I don't use stakes no more. I rather use ties and have something to attach them to like a grid below the pot or something.

The short answer to this is "no." The long answer to this is "no." No worries... good luck!

With a mature plant it won't affect the plant much. If you damage the roots its like pruning them. When ever you stake your branches in the medium make sure the stakes are sterile so the roots don't get affected by bad bacteria. Cheers!

As @ganjareaper, said. If you had started training earlier you could have got a more even canopy.

Hi GlassFanatic, Well when you put them in your soil you kind of hurt them indeed but they will heal or make new roots. Just don't put them close to your stem and don't change spots alot. Overal you will be fine :) Good luck growing :)