Mine still looks pretty sad and despondent after a couple of years. I hope it's beautiful someday, but for now it's pretty dull next to its glamorous Japanese maple neighbor.
OK, here's a pretty thorough guide to the hackberry: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/special-care-hackberry-tree-56...
Sounds like you should keep crap off the trunk so it doesn't rot, it needs to be pruned to grow right, and if the soil gets dry it will start dropping leaves about it.