noelle, transplanting a fig tree five feet tall at this time can be tuff. the roots are shallow and spread quickly which will make difficult to dig up in one piece. you can almost gurantee that when you transplant it, it will go into shock and all the leaves will fall off. this is pretty much prime time for figs to start producing which means most of the energy is used in the upper parts and excising it and the roots puts it under great stress.
if you must dig it up now, i'd prune the entire tree heavly until only the main trunk is left then top that part down to about two feet. what that may do is force the energy back down to the roots after you replant it. new growth coming back at this time in your area makes it very vulnerable going into winter with young green growth starting out now. in the mean time take as many cutting you can and try propogating some now. i've never done any summer cuttings and i may try some soon so i can't help you there. if they take, you can protect your young trees in pots with shelter or covering from the winter. in the mean time take the other cuttings about six to nine inches long and remove the leaves. rinse them off in a mild solution of about 30% clorox and 70% water. that will kill any fungus or mold spores. dry them off and place them in a plastic bag in your fridge and leave them there until early spring then try your hand at propagating them. (DON'T LET THEM FREEZE IN THE FRIDGE) fig cutting are fairly easy to propagate and if your transplant doesn't make it at least you have a few tries to create your own tree from a cutting. you can find many aritcles in the forum on transplanting and propagation. once you get into planting fig trees, one tree just won't do. good luck to you and you transplant!

Hello Noell,

Can you ask him to allow the tree to stay there over the summer and then dig it up to move it when it goes dormant in the Fall before the ground freezes?

noss