"Dead" sapling growing at base - help

[whitenack]

I received a 3' Tulip Poplar sapling in the mail last fall from the Arbor Day Foundation. It was actually a replacement for a dead yoshino cherry they sent me the year before.

I planted it right away and cared for it during the winter. I actually lucked out and we had a reasonably wet winter.

However, spring came and the buds didn't grow. "Crap, another dead sapling", I thought. I did the bark-scratch test to see if I could find any green. It didn't have a nice green color, but it wasn't a dead brown either. I thought maybe the little guys was just going to be a late bloomer, but the buds never fattened.

I hadn't gotten around to pulling up the thing, because I hadn't had time. It's a good thing I didn't, though, because I was mowing yesterday and I noticed the little guy had two groups of leaves growing out of the base of the stem.

What should I do to help the little guy get going again? Should I prune back all the dead part to give it room to grow? Should I do nothing as to prevent a shock to the system? Should feed it something to help it along?

Thanks,

 

[ATS/TexasTree]

Maintain a single leader.
Cut the grass away from the tree to a radius of at least 2 feet ( more would be better.)

Keep it mulched and well watered - don't rely on rain or irrigation systems alone.

An organic fertilizer applied to the soil around the base is a good idea - spring and fall.

Arbor Day Foundation often sends out inferior plants or inappropriate plants for an area.