I don't mean to ask a silly question, but.... here goes:
    I have cuttings that I rooted earlier in the year and they are now young, healthy plants.  What will happen to the new growth once they enter dormancy?  I know the leaves will wither and drop, but will the new green growth harden off and darken?   If so, is it safe to take cuttings from that, and if so, what is an appropriate time of year to do this?? 

Thanks! Sara

Yes they will harden off and darken. I would say around NOV and yes you can, but I would wait a year or so to establish a bit more.

I fully agree with what Dom has said

hopefully most of the new growth will harden off before the plants go dormant. Reducing amount of water, and pinching the terminal tips will help them harden off. I think you are far enough south, relative to me, that you have lots of time for them to harden off.
Grant
z5b

Thanks for the answers, just what I wanted to know (and to be honest those were the answers I had in my head, I just did not know if I was right).
I am learning, and you all contribute so much.  It is so appreciated!  

I have several plants that have already hardened new growth as hbtla mentions.

They harden off about 2-3 months after green growth begins.

Sara,

No question is a silly question.
Never beat yourself.

Gald you got the answers your were looking for but I have a couple rare ones that I might just take inside the house and let them stay awake for the first Winter.

It is a 50/50 risk but I rather place my chips inside the house rather than going dormant. At least for now.

Goodluck

Sara, there are no silly questions, only people who ask questions when they have no intention to learn. If you need info, however basic, and intend to profit from it and use it, it is a good question. If you aren't asking questions, you either know it all (which is no one), or you have stopped learning.

Taking cuttings would depend on how much growth you had. I want my trees to be more like bushes, so I prune them to about 18", and let them branch low. In that case, anything above 18" is a cutting for propagating with.

If there is a chance the potential cutting(s) my be ruined may be damaged by cold, then take them in the Fall before first frost or freeze. Here in San Diego, they are seldom dormant much before the end of January. If you are not ready to use the cuttings, better to store them on the tree (uncut) than in a frig.

hi jon,

Sometimes if a fig has gotten a lot of fertilizer and still has a lot of green wood at the end of the season, I use a product that Al on the FF recommended, Dyna Gro Pro-Tekt http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/dyna-gro-pro-tekt-0-0-3  .  It works like a charm to harden off green wood. 

fignut ,
I remember seeing some info on the GW fig forum last Dec. about adding a little vinegar to the water you mix the Pro-Tekt in. The Pro -tekt is apparently very alkaline. I didn't do this last year when i used it, have you ?
Thanks for telling me about this last year, I think it really helped get my one year old fig plants thru Winter storage with no damage.
Best,
Kerry

Sara,

The only sillly question is the question that is never asked......for whatever reason. 

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

drivewayfarmer, I didn't see that post, and a search for "vinegar" didn't bring it up. 
But my gut feeling is that mixing an acid and a base isn't a good idea - it might trigger a chemical reaction.  I didn't use the Pro-Tekt full strength after the first application anyway, so that would probably lessen any effects.  I noticed from observation that some figs pulled it into the leaves more than the stems, and different varieties hardened up at different rates.

fignut , just found the thread on Pro-Tekt ph on the GW container gardening forum.
I was using Pro-tekt last year at half the recommended strength. Think I started using it occasionally around mid August last year.

Sarah,

Good reading today.  Thanks again for the feedback. It was nice to know from Jon's standpoint about the 18" pruning point should I decide to go bush like with the plants.  Hmm...

The Man 7676

There isn't anything magic about 18". The point is to force branching at as low a point as possible (while keeping it off of the ground, more or less). The lower branching begins, the lower the entire canopy of the "tree" is, and the easier it is to pick the fruit. I started doing it because I didn't want to be on a ladder on my hill.

Some varieties naturally branch. Others really want to grow like sticks, so you have to persist.

See Japanese Figs by Ken Love for the most extreme form.

You don't want to be on a ladder on Jons hill. It's Suicide.

This year, I intend to let everything grow like mad, then cut everything down to 24" and share cuttings with friends.

I will have some pruning to do this fall. I've allowed the figs I've had for a few years to grow as they've wanted, and a few of them are taller than I am.
  May need some hand-holding and guidance when the time comes to make the cuts. Having cuttings to share will make me feel like a real fig grower, too!

Well, I am only 66" tall, so bushlike figs will be the best for me.  Right now, everyone is in containers, but eventually some will go in ground, but I don't see that happening for another 2 seasons-at least.  
   I look forward to the day I can provide cuttings to others, as so many on ths forum have done.  

AnnieBee,

Cecil,

Very good advise that you gave. Whenever that I am sending cuttings to someone I mark the bottom side of the scion with either black marker or a orange colored tape so, the other party know which side is which.

Great question Sara, I've been wondering the same thing! Thanks everyone for your answers.