I know I sounded corny, but is it likely that life will win in this case?

I regularly propagate figs using dormant cuttings taken in the winter. They start very dependably, have never tried what you are doing. Al

I live in South Carolina in zone 7, so my info may not help, but our tree is well over 100 years old, been on our family farm for generations. All I do is take a green cutting in the spring, make a diagonal cut right below where I've removed a leaf, dip it in a rooting powder, this stick this in wet potting soil in a clear plastic cup (so I can see when the roots are forming) which I've poked about 5 or 6 holes in the bottom, place all this into a gallon zip lock storage baggie, mist inside the bag 3 or 4 times, seal it up and put it in a place where it will get indirect sunlight. I usually get about 75 percent rootage on my cuttings. You just have to be sure and acclimate them before you take them outta the bags, you know, after they form roots, open the bag a little, wait about a week, open it a little more, wait another week, etc., until its opened all the way. Now I do get some hard headed cuttings that after they form roots, they don't wanna be taken outt the bags (wilt everytime I take them out), so then, I just place them under a 1/2 - 1 gallon pickle jar and wait until they perk back up and then see how they do on their own. I have read that some figs will only root on dormant cuttings like Al above stated, so I'm planning on trying that this winter. Hope this helps and good luck, Joel. Oh yeah, I remove all the leaves from the cuttings except the top 2 and the process can take around 2-3 weeks or longer.