Hi all -- need your advice.

I have two similar, strong healthy plants (one HC, left, and MvsB, right) both about 40" tall.  They both have branched out into a near perfect great shape, but the branching is about 18" higher than I want them to be. Ideally I would love that first scaffold at about about 12-18". 

To preserve the top, I could either

• Airlayer the top: which I assume means the section below the layer would not branch until next year..a year lost? If I girdle the bark, would the lower section branch out like if I were to chop the top off?
• Cut-n-root:  cut the top off maybe 8" below the branching and attempt to root the entire top section like a cutting (I have never tried to root that much wood at once). 

If I had to do it, I will air-layer just 6" to 8" below the bottom branching points. It should not take more than 6 weeks for air-layering to complete & cut the air-layered plant. You will have a good part of the summer for the mother plant to branch out. Get a cutting or two from the mother tree trunk and just leave about 4 nodes above the soil. It is just my opinion.

I would definitely air layer in a gallon milk container or larger.  If you cut you risk losing the whole top.  If you girdle the stem you still risk losing the whole top.  I'd score the bark to just barely expose the green, put clonex on the green then stabilize the container to the stem.  I'd do it now.  Then you'll probably have enough roots to take the tops off by the end of March, depending on your weather.

Thanks, folks, appreciate it.  I'll try the airlayer.

I can move them into a semi-heated shed so they'll be protected from frost until April while roots set.  What medium do you prefer for airlayers (I've sort of moved away from sphag and gravitated toward coir and mini-nuggets for most rooting tasks)?

Hi recomer20,
There is a third option.
You lay them pots to the side to lay the whole trunk on dirt. You mound some dirt around the trunk. Choose a position where most branches point up.
This will induce rooting on the whole trunk. The tree will root where it wants.
You could then cut the trunk in 3 or 4 (or even more) to have 3 or 4 trees. The branches that are ready to make brebas, will produce them as they are still fed by the original roots.
For medium I use potting mix. You are creating a tree, and it is better to teach its roots what they must grow in. Especially since those roots will have to support the stems that they are attached to. If the roots are pumping in perlite ... They'll provide no food to the new tree ...
I wouldn't girdle. If the tree doesn't want to root, you want it intact .
I would feed the trees more to induce root-suckering and more stem growth. This will help the new roots to come out too.
Then you can separate the root-shoots and shape them asap. That is cut them at 12'' like you want.
It is easier for me to cut the top of a young root-shoot, then to cut the top of a yearling. The reason is I'm always hoping for brebas to pop out ... By the time I realize that no fruits will pop, I no longer want to cut because the tree put that so nice growth ... Well I have to be more cruel when shaping my trees.
I have two that branch at 1/1,20 meter  (3'/4') of height. So 4' of trunk height + 3' of branch growth = 7' ... They are reaching my height limit ...
Back to my young potted trees: where are those bloody pruning sheers ... I have at least ten tops to cut ... (But, if I wait, I may get ... )

Thanks, JDS. My summer project is to build up one side of my yard (currently a steep hill that is eroding badly) so I can make it my fig spot. Hopefully once in ground I can play more with burying limbs to propagate. 

By the way, I was in the Midi-Pyrenees (Rocamadour & Conques) back in late October. Absolutely stunning region. I saw some fig trees at Rocamadour I wanted to take cuttings as a souvenir,  but decided it would be bad form. The last fruits had already been taken by frost -- what I saw were  small and dark similar to Ronde de Bordeaux. Couldn't have asked for a better trip, though. Weather was beautiful and the people very generous.