Help propagating fig tree with sentimental value

My grandparent’s old house had a huge fig tree that grew along one side, no clue as to what variety. I fondly remember spending many a summer afternoon on my grandfather’s shoulders stripping it down, then just as many days in a steamy kitchen with my grandma transfiguring them all into jams. Unfortunately my granddaddy passed away from cancer five years ago, and my grandma just recently passed from Covid. Their house has been sold and I would very much like to reach out to the new owner to request I come prune some branches from that beloved fig tree so I can propagate a few. I’d tried rooting some cuttings a couple times in the past to no avail, but there was no rhyme or reason to it, just snipped and stuck it in a water jug. Since I probably only have one shot at this and it carries so much meaning to me, what would be the best plan of action to get a successful rooting to grow out. I’m in zone 7b/8a around Charlotte NC, so what dates would be best, size of branches to prune, substrate to use, the whole nine... Many thanks!  

Sadi, so sorry to hear of your grandparents' passing. Trees are a great way to remember them. Figs are very easy to air layer if the new owner is okay with you doing so. in the spring when the tree is putting on new growth you can air layer and get viable roots in about a month.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gz1eAT67VQ

Alternatively you can take a half dozen cuttings from the tree when it goes dormant and use rooting hormone and potting soil to try to root them. I've had much better luck with air layering though.

Good luck!

I don't do anything very scientific but in my experience figs have been fairly easy to propagate.  I have had success by taking  8 to 12 inch cuttings of 1 year old wood with 3 or 4 leaves and a nice bud on the end .  I generally strip a little of the bark away on the rooting end and then coat with rooting hormone and stick into a container of potting soil. Sometimes I've stripped the leaves and sometimes I've left them.  They fall off anyway, so stripping them is probably fine.  I'll stick three cuttings in a gallon pot to save on materials and space.  If more than one roots, they don't seem to mind being moved around later, but my success rate has been around 30% so the math is on my side at three per pot.  I have only tried rooting at the end of the season, so September/October, but you might not be too late in Charlotte if you go for it now.  I have never tried to root any that were fully dormant.  Although I just leave them outside and keep them well watered, the varieties I have experience with, Celeste and Brown Turkey, are susceptible to the cold when young, so if it looks like it might get below 20F you'd probably want to get them somewhere they'd stay warmer.

Good luck! I have quite a few plants from places that have memories for me and I always wish I'd made the effort to get more.

Daniel, I’m not certain they’d be game for me coming by multiple times for the air layering. No clue how private they are or not, so trying to make this a one and done thing. If the cuttings fail I’ll try and reach out again in the spring to explain they didn’t take and try air layering.
Mark, how moist do you keep the soil? Don’t want to rot them but I’d assume they need to stay pretty damp for the tiny roots to absorb enough. I’m getting a bunch of coconut coir to put in a dozen blueberry bushes, would that be a good substrate to use for rooting, or should it have compost mixed in for nutrients? I’ll be keeping them in the garage to stay a little warmer over the winter, then pop them out in the (hopefully built by then) greenhouse come spring.