It looks like there are three groups of trunks. You could separate the three groups and plant the other two, or separate them into single trunk trees. Ideally you would want to maintain 5-7 trunks to prevent crowding, crossing limbs, rubbing, etc.

~james

My 2c.

Assumption ... these are recent photos.

1. Don't do anything until the tree wakes up from the winter. At this point you do not know how many of these shoots were damaged by the winter. Pruning now, you could select dead branches to keep and prune out viable ones.
2. Make a decision ... do you want to manage it as a bush ... or ... single trunk tree?
3. If you want to manage it as a bush, select the 3-5 strongest branches and prune out the rest. Each year, prune out one of these branches and allow a new shoot to take it's place. Prune out all but one new shoot each year. Cover the remaining branches for the winter.
4. If you want a single trunk tree, select 3 good branches and prune out the rest. Next fall, after leaf drop, prune out all but the best of the 3, leaving a single trunk. Wrap this last one and protect it for the winter. Prune out any new shoots that come from the roots.

See attached pics of a Texas Everbearing that I maintain as a bush in Maryland just a bit north of DC.

-Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Everbearing managed as a bush

Thanks for your suggestions!

James, there do seem to be three groups. I don't currently have a place to put the additional trees if I separate them. Would it be better to leave them together and just choose 5 total trunks, or should I select one group and remove the other two groups anyway.

Steve, the photos were taken this morning. I will wait a while before doing any pruning, though it looks like there's currently life in all the branches. Still a little more winter to go, though. I do want to prune it to more of a shrub form.

I don't know what kind of fig it is, it originally came from a cutting in the original neighbor's grandmother's yard in Hampton. The leaves are not as deeply lobed as the Texas Everbearing in your pics, Steve, and the fig is similar, though a bit smaller.

Steve, do you think I'll need to wrap the tree (I'm in Gloucester County, right on the 7b line just east of Richmond?

Thanks again!
JP

JP,

Yes, I would wrap it. Richmond & the area, while buffered by rivers and the bay, can still be hit with a cold snap. All it takes is one. I would take the precaution of covering the tree with leaves until your tree us well established.

-Steve

It is difficult to tell from a picture, but my guess is that all of these do not share the same trunk. My original thought was each of the clusters could be removed with enough of a root system to sustain it. They could either be potted up and held to plant at a later time (when you have space) or given to family/friends. Heck, there are usually several people amongst these pages looking for a tree or two.

If it were me, I'd leave a single cluster and remove the other two. I have no other reason to suggest this other than I think it will look nicer.

~james

my approach to a tree like this is to prune out enough verticals to give each one at least 1' between it and any other one. This will mean there is enough light entering the tree. I would keep it as a low many-stem bush, low trees are easier to cover if you ever decide to, and easier to reach the fruit on. In successive seasons you will want to increase the distance between the verticals as the tree starts branching out. I also take out the ones in the center to make it more of a cup shape. The whole goal is to get good light in to get good fruiting.

Scott

Both james and Scott have practical and desirable suggestions. Choose between the two sugestions depending on your space situation.

i have a bush that looks like that.i got it from an old italian fella. im in buffalo,ny. and it gets quite cold here in the winter however the old man said every year he cuts the bush off right to the ground and new shoots come back every year producings a large amount of med size fruit.when i got it from him it was in the fall, the falowing season i got about 8 figs. i did not cut it back but wrapped the bush and the second season i had it was last year and i got at least 100 figs or more. now i decided that avery year i will trim only the very tall branches off and leave the shorter ones .

Thanks for all the great advice. I will thin it out in a few weeks when we're past our final freeze dates, and I'll start wrapping it in the winters. Though I can't remember it ever suffering freeze damage in my neighbor's yard, I also can't remember a year in which it produced a serious quantity of figs, so obviously they weren't doing something right. I'll remove the two extra clusters and pot them up for the time being. This fall I will start working on an area to transplant them. Thanks again!

JP