Hi guys, I live just north of Toronto in Zone 5. I have a hardy Chicago Fig tree but its not that hardy. I planted it last year but during last winter, it died down and grew again from the ground (I tied it up and put on layers of burlap and bags of mulch at the base). I just find all the wasted energy and resources...frustrating (I also dont like the idea of annuals and stuff). So this winter I want to take cuttings and grow it in pot/s so I can store them in the basement during winters.

Before I ask my question, some details on the situation. Currently, day time highs are in the single to double digits and lows are 3c to -1c. The tree is almost 2 m tall and the upper leaves have fallen off. The top 8" are green trunks while the lower are thick brown trunks/branches. In addition, Im leaving for vacation, for 3 weeks, on Nov. 4th. So my question is, if I leave for vacation before taking cuttings, is it possible for lets say, -15c weather to kill all the branches making propagation useless by the time I get back? Or should I cut off and keep all the brown branches and leave it in my cool basement till I come back to propagate and root? Ive read people refrigerate the roots in the fridge for months before taking them out. Since I cant check regularly, should I do this? Im thinking of cutting the stems to 2 or 3" size (each cutting will have one bump where the leaf grows from). Wash the cuttings with dish soap, moist the paper towel and throw them in a ziplock bag. I have a fridge in my basement so can throw them in the fruit section of the fridge.

Also, since our growing season are so short, my tree spent too much time growing and hardly any time fruiting. This year I only got 2 fruits to ripen and 4 that are in the process but the freezing weather is already here. Im wondering, since all the potted plants in stores have fruits, is there a way to try the bonsai way? Keep them in small pots so the plant stay small but fruits a lot?

If all is lost, my last hope is to buy branches of varieties from ebay that ripen during mid to late summer, at least I will get something.