Instead of doing the indoor plastic box, heating mat, etc method... Can I just root the cuttings and bring them outside when it's warm enough? Will this cut down on the chances of me messing it up, which I'm afraid of. I would obviously wait a while since it's still cold here in CT. Any suggestions?

2. How to I store cuttings and how long will they stay alive?

2. Store them in the frig, in a plastic bag with some lightly damp paper. They could last as long as a year, but I wouldn't count on that. A couple months should not be a problem. Fresher is always better.

1. There are many ways to do it. It is a matter of moisture, air and temperature balance. Any method that satisfies those criteria should have a good chance of success.

Getting the cutting to root before they rot is the trick IMHO
Once you get roots and leaves in good amounts chances are the cutting will make it thru transplant and adulthood baring bad weather or watering issues

I've got cutting in a fridge at 35 f that grow after being in there since October '13

if you read what some of the members have done so far, just sticking the cutting into a soil when it's warm outside is one of the method. some say it works great. it always failed for me. 

most members will root the cuttings first... you will have to find out what works for you best. for me, it's moist paper towel in the ziploc bag. some use long fiber s. moss and a shoebox. others pure perlite.. and more options than i can care to remember. 

once the cuttings have rooted, you have choice between going straight to 1 gal, or cup stage. lot of the members, including i, do the cup stage to monitor further growth of the root and possible, more like definte, top/leaf growth. at this stage, the top usually need some moisture. others say otherwise. 

then it goes outside when night temp is more stable and above 40-50 degrees. 

i don't store cuttings, so can't answer the last one. 

Figfan203,

"Instead of doing the indoor plastic box, heating mat, etc method... Can I just root the cuttings and bring them outside when it's warm enough? Will this cut down on the chances of me messing it up, which I'm afraid of."

How do you know you will mess it up unless you try?  I tried directly rooting cuttings outside in 1 gallon nursery pots here in hot, humid Houston and it was an absolute failure.  I'm sticking with the plastic box, heating mat method. : )

Figfan203, 

If you root them in the house and keep them misted or humidified and then put them outside, they could go into shock and dry up.  If they root on their own outside, and they sprout, they live just fine.  They need to be in partial shade with a sprinkler to get them used to the dryness outside, and gradually acclimated to full sun.

Suzi

Figfan203,
Yes you could just wait to bring them outside when its warm enough, but it may not increase your rooting success. And it may increase your time to harvest more than 1 year due to our short outdoor growing season.

Pre-rooting in a temperature controlled environment 72 to 78 deg F with a humidity of 85% to 90% RH at the cuttings will increase the rooting rate. Planting in a damp porous mix and initially growing in a controlled environment (70 to 78 deg F and 65% to 80% RH ambient) will maintain an increased success rate. These temperatures should be used with any of the documented rooting methods.

Its no different than starting tomato and pepper seed indoors in winter or early spring to increase the chances of a harvest before fall weather.

I store cuttings in one gallon ziplock freezer bags with 2 - 3 tablespoons of dry shredded long fibered sphagnum moss in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, also they have not been washed. The cut ends can also be sealed with wax for longer term storage. Cuttings that I have personally cut from fig trees have remained viable for over a year.

Good Luck

While anecdotes aren't always the best information to go by, here is my experience.

I take cuttings in the fall and put them in my refrigerator. I also take some fresh cuttings in the spring.

I live in the Boston area. Around here I usually start my fig cuttings in mid to late March in my unheated greenhouse. It can still be quite cold around that time (sometimes we have a heavy frost). Last year I set up about 60 cuttings inside. The cuttings got plenty of light and heat. I had about a 60-75% success rate. I had some cuttings left over and I put them in a pot and set them out in my greenhouse. Every cutting that I had in the greenhouse rooted successfully and produced thicker new shoots.

It is possible to root cuttings by simply letting nature run its course. I'm not sure of all the confounding factors that may affect the success rate, but my experience has been good.

Sealed with what kind of wax?

Cuttings in fridge wrapped in plastic wrap and ziplock. (Cuttings taken from November till bud break in spring.)
Root in bins in early-mid March with sphagnum
Wait until roots are about 1/2" but not much more. I pot up directly from there but keep them in a small hoop house for 1-2 months with a heater on a thermostat so they are not too cold at night. You could use an unheated sun porch or use 2 clear Tupperware bins (one right side up, topped by another upside down to create a mini greenhouse). If it got too cold at night I would bring them inside at night. Watch they do not overheat during the day. Keep them in shade or part shade.
Any way you go, you must control temperature and humidity at every step for about 2-3 months.

Figfan203,
For storage I use melted tea candle wax and for rooting I use toilet bowl seal wax on all the exposed cut ends, it help to prevent dessication of the top node, both waxes are readily available and inexpensive.