i bought a fig tree at a local greenhouse and it is really root bound it has a lot of branching for such a small pot. so , my question is can i prune it after i transfer it to a larger pot ? it has a lot of leafless top growth. maybe to jumpstart new root growth?

I'm of the opinion that you can prune a fig tree at any point. You probably won't induce much growth this late in the season unless you are in the tropics or growing in a controlled environment.

If your season isn't over yet, you could do some air layers on those extra branches before you chop them off unless they are dead. You could always do cuttings too.

i live in zone 7a so my season is coming to an end. i am keeping them in my house where i have some old lights i had from my reef aquariums. i bought two plants one is a celeste and the other is marseilles fig. the celeste is doing great but the marseilles is the one i wish to prune.