You are trying to make a single trunk tree? Drive a tall, pointed stake in the ground near to where you can attach the strongest trunk to it. Tie the trunk to the stake at several locations so as to straighten it out some. (Does not need to be perfect, though it should be vertical.) Allow the non-dominant other trunk to remain on the tree until it goes dormant (it can be an energy source to feed the roots throughout the rest of the season and then cut it off anytime before the start of next year's growth. At the same time you could reduce the trunk stub from the old tree, to an inch above where the dominant trunk joins it.) Next year, retie the trunk to the stake, unless it remains vertical on its own, at which point, you can dispense with the stake and just treat the tree as you would any new tree (except for doing to it what you did to it in the past!)

Thank you for your response.

In a nutshell, since these are baby sprouts, don't even think about cutting them for several years. Then come back here w/a pic for advice.

It looks like there were babies but that some have been cut and now only two remain. There would be no point in continuing beyond next winter/spring with other than the main trunk, if a single trunk tree is desired. But there would be a detriment in letting growth energy go to the wrong place, as it would be split away from the primary trunk. Then, when the secondary trunk is removed much later ("several years") the wound is much larger.

The most recent pictures really don't capture all of what's happening. There are more than two new branches forming. It's just the two tallest is what you mostly see in the photo because it's from afar. I will post a better picture showing all the new branches a bit later. Also I haven't cut any of the new growth but some did die off. I believe that was from animal interference. There's a neighborhood cat that loves using the bathroom around that tree for some reason lol. The birds and squirrels love it as well. The squirrels have been digging around it which more than likely damaged some of the new growth, because they were very delicate. I don't mind a multi leader tree as long as it looks natural. I am just concerned that with the original dead leader still being attached it will encourage a deformed growth pattern on the new sprouts.

Yardvaark, you're giving bad advice. The tiny tree's small-amount of growth at this point isn't "wasting energy", it's using those leaves (there are VERY few at this point & for the next years) to built roots.

what i want to know.. is if it was a grafted tree .. and if so.. this is probably a rootstock tree coming up ... and its just going to be a plain old green rudbud ...

i like redbuds ... but maybe you want your purple one back ... and if so ... may as well just go buy a new one ... and get rid of this one.. if space is at a premium ...

ken

No it isn't Grafted

If I remember correctly the leaves didn't turn red until later in the Summer

Good point, Ken.

"Yardvaark, you're giving bad advice. The tiny tree's small-amount of growth ... [is] using those leaves ... for the next years) to built roots. Well, no I'm not. This is a balancing act. At the end of the season (I said not to cut before that time) those leaves will have contributed all they're going to contribute to the roots and drop off. When the new growth starts next spring, there's no point in putting the stored root energy in the wrong place (a part of the tree that is not part of the permanent structure.) It's better to redirect that stored energy into the permanent trunk and whatever branches it will maintain. Why let it continue to put energy into 'building' a structure that will for sure be removed, as this saps that same energy from going into the prime, permanent trunk? But this answer is predicated on the goal of a single trunk, which is a question the OP never confirmed. If it's going to be a multi-trunk then one would retain all of them because they will be part of the permanent trunk structure (aside from any that have "bad habits" and are intentionally removed.) But I doubt it's going to be a multi-trunk since there are only two of any size now. Any little sprigs, since they are small enough to be invisible in the pictures, will have a harder time catching up. (But that is not to say it's impossible.)

The energy stored in a tree's roots is capable of quickly regrowing the tree's top -- not to 100% of what it was before cutting -- but to 50% (this number is hypothetical for the example since there are no less than a gazillion variables in real life and no charts in which to look any of them up.) A tree's growth is more or less exponential, meaning that the earlier one can orient it in the correct direction, the faster it will achieve its size according to the prescribed goal (form and structure.) Cut off the unwanted secondary branch, as seen in the picture, this fall, and it might equal 1 lb. If during the spring growth, the roots that were feeding it gave back 1/2 lb. (50%) of quick growth to the permanent trunk, then we would have lost 1/2 lb. (as compared to what was removed in the fall.) But from this point the 1/2 lb salvaged will grow exponentially. If we were to wait some years and then cut off the unwanted growth, we would not get back 50% of a vastly larger portion of tree. Since that portion began as almost half of the total tree, the part not returned may be nearly 25% of then total mass ... which is a radically smaller proportional return than 1/2 lb we'd lose if cutting during the next dormant period. (One could substitute a different percentage of returned growth, if they prefer, so long as it remained consistent in the equation.)

Yardvaark, are you saying that it's possible for the old leader (the stump in the photos) to grow back and produce branches and leaves?

Ken,
I bought this tree from Lowe's so I really don't know its origin or whether or not it was grafted before I bought it. I also have an Eastern Redbud that I planted at the exact same time and they were very different from each other. Like I said in my original post there was no species listed on the tag when I purchased it.

Ken,
My mistake, the other redbud that I planted was a Rising Sun Redbud

i was asking the 'sperts' if the foo foo redbuds are all grafted ... and i suspect they are .. and if so.. they are grafted onto green ones.. which might be all you have left ...

and those are rather cheap ... so if after playing with this one for the year.. you might just decide to divest .. and buy a nice one ... or another foo foo one ...

i when i moved.. i took about 1650 plants with me.. none of which were my beloved trees .. in hindsight.. you probably should have left it ...

ken

Oh I see. Yes you're right I probably should have left it

"Yardvaark, are you saying that it's possible for the old leader (the stump in the photos) to grow back and produce branches and leaves?" Heck NO! There are only two branches seen in the photos to consider.

Ok I didn't think so. So just to be clear if I want a single leader tree, you think I should wait until the end of the season to determine which one of the two prominent sprouts are the strongest, then cut the others off. Stake the one but leave it attached to the dead lead?

More pictures taken today

No. I didn't say wait until the end of the season to start training the main branch straight. Do that now. Ignore the secondary branch and any smaller ones, which will be dispensed with later, when dormant.

Ok