I was wondering when was the earliest you can air layer a fig tree?   I have several rooted cutting varieties that I only had one that survived my gnat attack this winter and I really wanted a second plant as a back up.  I lost so many that I am so nervous about only having one (at least until they are bigger and more established...not so temperamental!).  I lost all my Kathleen Black, Smith, Red Sicilian and several others that made me cringe.
Thanks for your help!

I would say when leaves start to wake up from winter. No point on starting during winter when tree is sleep. 

right now is a good time to start. when the temps are high enough and the tree is actively growing. also, wait till the trees are big enough that it will support the weight of the air layer. you can support the air layer also, but if the tree is very young and hasn't hardened, strong wind can cause the air layer to whip around and possibly cause damage to the tree.

last yr, i had two or 3 air layer going on my Kathleen's Black. after a good thunderstorm, i had to arrange all the branches. the wind knocked off all the support for the air layers and the tree was almost bent on itself. amazing how it survived without any issue.

I successfully air layered two limbs about this time last year.  It took about 4 weeks to get a nice pack of roots.  6 weeks should be more than enough time if doing it now.

For air layering the limb (branch) should be lignifed not green and the tree should be actively growing with a green canopy.

For small multibranched cutting or plants, soil layering can be performed. One or more branching point can be buried below soil line and the rooted branch seperated after dormancy. I've done several this way.

Good Luck.

Thankyou for all your help everyone!  I see that I need to wait until my little figlets are a little older and hardened to support an air layer.  Thank you again.