I put 3 cuttings (abt 3 ft tall each) directly to ground in January this year (cold in Vancouver, B.C) but up to now, none of them have new leaves looks like no root at all. Do you think they are all dead or I should let them sit in the ground for another few months ?
Tks for comments if possible.

Pacifica

If they haven't rooted in 6 months, it's likely they are dead.  With no roots, they can't uptake water or nutrients so they are likely dried out.  If they don't seem dried out, it's possible they have rooted so you can try scratching the cutting and see if it seems green/fresh.  If there were any roots, I would have expected it to put out some leaves by now.

hi pacifica,
3' total with 2' in the dirt ?
I normally use 1' max 2' long cuttings for this.
have you kept the area watered ?
I did the same with 4 cuttings (long story short, a tree was trimmed , and the stems thrown to the public walk way) and they just opened the leaves last week . I've been watering them the same as my fig trees. One has a breba that I'll let grow . I'm curious to know what she can do.
For yours, what length is outside of the dirt ?
For that batch, keep them watered (one (or 2) watering can per week ) and let's see what happens in the next months . Don't shake them or pull them out of the dirt - leave them alone - except for the watering of course.
Mine were acting like dead as well - except for one that had 4 leaves already- , and the remaining have pushed buds just recently. I would use patience, water and fertilizer.

How do you know they have not rooted? How deep did you plant them? I have one rooted cutting I potted 04.2014 and one I potted 05.2015. Both have rooted well and are solidly in the containers. I can lift either container by the original stick. Neither one, however, has any top growth... not even a swollen bud. Unless you need the ground space, leave them.

For next year I would keep them in fridge until it's closer to breaking dormancy period. Wrap the part of cutting exposed to air with buddy tape (or parafilm). This will help prevent desiccation. I have been doing this and it works for me directly in ground. Our air is very dry so the buddy tape helps, maybe in a humid climate it wouldn't be necessary. 

Hi All,

As you can see from below images of my 4 cuttings from sizes 35" - 46" that I put direct to the ground in January with no leaves even I did water them at least 3 to 4 times a week since April till now. I put at least 2" in the ground. They all from the same variety given by my friend. I tried this method before, but never work out for me, I do not know if I did anything wrong, However I have success by using water and dirt (put dirt in a small transparent cup) propagation before using 6 - 8" small cuttings. What should I do with those long cuttings ? I thought if over 6 months with no buds or leaves, they might be died already.
 

Unless you are burying most of the stick (like all but a couple of inches), I have found longer cuttings to be more of a liability rather than an asset.  Even if you get the long cutting rooted, the extra length really doesn't buy you much. In the future, you will have much better odds with 6X6" cuttings rather than 1X36" cutting.

Cut it down to a node or two. You will find out if it's dead or not that way too. By cutting it shorter you will be able to save the rest

Hi James : Got you and tks.

Hi Americanfiglover : I will cut them a little as suggested to see if they can root or not.

Scratch through the bark and see if there is any green. If nothing, even down at the ground level, they are dead. If there is even a little green, keep them watered and see what happens in the fall. You might also try putting a plastic bag over them to keep humidity in. That will help if they are still alive.

Bit I must say, I've had "dead" cuttings suddenly sprout new growth so all is not lost yet.

Hi DeneDaniels, Tks for the information, I will try them to-morrow and keep you advised

I did cut about 1" from top and scratched the bark, it looks like the bark of each one is green, so I will keep them till next spring to see if they can be rooted for not.

Great to hear they still have some life in them. Also, I agree with Jarrett, I would cut them down to 8-10 in above ground. That way you can put a plastic bag over them to help retain humidity which is crucial in the rooting process. Just place a bamboo stick on each side of the cutting to hold the bag off it and weight the bag to the ground with some dirt. Water well first.