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Let me begin by saying that I really appreciate your thoroughness. The concern I have about the sealed bag method is mold and rot. Also, it's important to remember that roots need oxygen -- it's not uncommon for gardeners to literally drown their plants in water. I've been growing figs for about 7 years now and I have had varying degrees of luck with several methods. I suppose I am biased, because I learned everything I know about fig trees from old school, off-the-boat Italian immigrants who have been growing figs in the Northeast for over forty years. Simply put: I think the best way to root a general (not unusual/difficult variety) cutting, is simply to score the base of the cutting lightly (until you see green), put in in a peat moss/garden soil/sand mixture, keep moist and out of direct sunlight, and wait. If you want you can dust on some root tone before sticking them in pots. Old-school propagation takes time. I do this outside, in an unheated greenhouse that warms up in the day but cools back down at night, the cuttings sit under the bench where I grow my tomatoes from seeds. Temperature fluctuates dramatically, but the young plants come in strong. Letting things go naturally has been close to 90% successful for me. Of 90 cuttings I attempted to root last year over 80 took and are now growing in one gallon pots. Getting the cuttings to root can take about 6 weeks, and as hard as it is, it's best to just keep them watered and otherwise forget about them. All the temperature control, moisture control, etc. methods are fascinating to me, and I love the passion that people show for their cuttings, but I prefer the simpler, old-fashioned way. I don't grow many especially rare varieties, but I think I have a great selection of about a dozen varieties.
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