Gary Numan wrote:
Can this be busted into multiple trees? Or, should I stick with just a single tree and start hacking away at all the smaller wood, leaving the large branches? Or, is there a Plan C?
Yes, but I wouldn't divide it at this time of the year as the tree is likely sending
energy into each of the suckers.
The tree is likely suckering as a response to some kind of stressor. Perhaps it has been fighting with surrounding grasses for nutrients and moisture, for instance. Or perhaps it is in compacted soil which doesn't drain well.
My recommendations:
A)
Prune dead branches.
Self explanatory and always a good procedure.
B)
Give it the "parable of the barren fig" (Luke 13:8) treatment. (Aka try nurturing the tree for an increased yield next season.)
Remove competing grasses.Check for local soil compaction, proper moisture, and drainage. Loosen it up a little with a fork if this is the case.Add a significant amount of mulch and organic matter as fertilizer.Check for increased fruit this year and next.
C)
Go the divide-and-conquer propagation route.
Add a significant amount of moisture-rich mulch, even over the tree collar**.Ensure adequate moisture and breathability during the growing season.In fall or winter, check for rooting development at the base of each of those 20 pencil suckers. -Some suckers with
amazing root development can literally be pulled right off of the mother plant, and then immediately planted wherever you'd like. Boom, instant tree.
-Other suckers can be divided from the "crown" via a shovel, and then immediately planted.
-If there is no root development, consider just lopping the suckers as low as possible, then stick them deep into loose, moist, mulch covered soil, or into a well draining
bucket of mulch and
compost.
Water occasionally.
D)
Consider chopping the weakest suckers now to send most of the trees energy into the central leader.
This should develop a taller and better branching pattern and balanced growth.Shove the discarded cut suckers deep into the ground somewhere rich...might get lucky even with neglect.
E)
Combination of the above, plus other propagation techniques: tip layering and air layering.
**Edit: WARNING: I wouldn't recommend this technique for other trees. It's easy to kill trees by planting them with dirt above the root collar or over mulching "volcano style". I think figs are different though.