This sounds like a type of ficus that does not bear figs. I don't know if you'd be able to braid it more than it is already, its possible it was shaped by the nursery to grow the way it is.

The nursery that produced the plant used special techniques to produce long plaitable whips. They let the trees go very dry to increase their pliability, then plaited them. In order for you to keep the plants pliable enough to plait, you'd need to take a risk and remove all foliage except that which is very close to the apices of the stems you wish to continue plaiting, keep the plants very warm and in a humid environment, and provide N at luxury levels to promote rapid and thin elongation.

Bottom line is, it would be a tough row to hoe in NY.

If all the whips survive, they will approach graft to each other. As they thicken, you'll be left with an interesting and gnarly-looking trunk. Keep in mind there is more to maintaining a tree in a container than simply moving it to a larger container occasionally & watching it grow. If you want it to be around long enough to reach the gnarly trunk stage, learning how to maintain the root system and keep it happy isn't optional. ;-)

Al

Al