I have never grown figs before, so i added them to my list of things to try and get as hardwood cuttings, i arranged a trade and i should be getting some cuttings in the mail today... only problem is i didn't do my homework. With most dormant hardwood cuttings i would dip them in rooting hormone and bury them in damp perlite in my rootcellar over the winter to callus and maybe root a little, then come early spring i would either bring them into the house or set them up outdoors. It seems like this might not be a great plan with figs? Should i try and root them right away? Or store them in the damp perlite and try and root them at warm temps in February? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

first.. fig cuttings don't need rooting hormone. it will definitely root faster with one, but there are some reports that hormone might not help in long run. didn't follow the full story, but test shows that top growth is slow with hormone than ones without.

you can store the cuttings, or you can start rooting them. i don't store the cuttings, for me fresh cuttings root better than old cuttings. there are many methods initiating the roots. once root is there, you move to cup or small pot. once night temp is above 50, you leave them outside.

infiniteohms, I would first introduce yourself since you are new to the forum. Where you live, hobbies and anything else you would like to share. Click
on control panel at the top right and enter your USDA Zone.

I store cuttings and this is how I do it. I dip them in 10% bleach/water solution for 30-45 seconds. Do NOT rinse them. Let them air dry on
a paper towel. Then wrap them tightly in Saran Wrap. Put them in the refrigerator not the freezer.I try to check them every week or so to
see if there is to much moisture.

I always put mine right in sphagnum in a plastic bag. I don't like to store cuttings, much prefer to get them growing right away

As an experiment a couple years back I've stuck fig cuttings in a pot of damp potting soil/perlite in a cold cellar and just brought them out in the spring.  I had good success with the ones rooted that way (probably > 50% take).  Like Barry I like to get them started early (January->February) under grow lights in my basement.  I can get quite a lot of growth out of them in a year this way.

Will probably start taking cuttings pretty soon here.  We're dipping down into the low 20s by the end of the weekend so it's time to cut the wood from the trees.

Tim

Thanks for the feedback everyone, i got my box of cuttings, 5 different types and some of the types have as many as 10 cuttings. So i will be able to try out a few different methods!

I like to start cuttings asap like pete said. But I do like using a rooting agent as well. I haven't noticed slower growth or anything advers from using it. I have gotten some cuttings in the last week or so. Guess its cooler in othere areas than here as some of my trees are not asleep yet. But should be in the next week I would imagine. So ill take cuttings then. The cuttings I have got go in the bottem of the fridge until I get my harmone in due tomorow with larvacide product as well. Then its game on. I like to score the treat with rooting agent. Get about 95% to 98% root rate.

What kind/concentration of rooting hormone do you use? I usually use IBA, i have 0.8%, 0.3% & 0.1% i was thinking of using some of the 0.1% on some the cuttings, what concentration would you recommend? I am planning on starting some cuttings now in plastic bags with damp paper towels and storing some cuttings for a couple months and then starting them.