Not sure what kind of dogwood you have, but cutting as usually easier.
I have indoor an indoor cactus collection with some supplemental light. Just use a GE grow bulb in each window. I know local big box stores sell LED grow lights in those 4ft strips.
Not sure about persimmons, but do they grow fruit if the seed is not fertilized? Some fruit trees can do that. I know mulberry does.
You using the crabapples for rootstock, or growing mature trees from seedlings? If you want an annual roostock source, buy some rootstock let it grow a year or two, then tip it into the grow, it starts growing shoots you can use as rootstock.
Not sure about all winter, but I would start growing these in January to give them a 2 month head start.
IF you want nice sized trees quickly, you can make a small nursery at home. You can watch tme and water them before sending them into the corners of your hunting camp.
I use 3 gallon root maker pots with my roostock I buy. By end of summer I have 4ft tall grafted apple trees. You can put them in your permanent home anytime of the year. Ive done from june to december. Probably about 50 for me, and gave out 30-40 to friends / coworkers. Once the graft is successfull and i have a viable roostock, I have had 100% success with those 50 or so.
Far as seedlings go, there are places you can just buy seedlings for 3-7 bucks each. Yellow river has red splendor for a little under 5 bucks each. IF you look at the crabapple timeline thread andbur has, several of his good findings have been dolgo seedlings. I never asked him if it was he grew or rootstock bought. Although dolgo is called rootstock, often they're seedlings from seed. Saint LAwrence nursery near the canadian border has siberian crabapple seedlings. They're grown around zone 3/4 hardy trees. They might be a great source of some surprise seedlings when grown to maturity.
I grow those 4ft trees with beautiful root systems for about $6 each. I use a blend of potting soil, ammendments, and the soil its going to live in. I put 1 scoop of lime in sandy soil, and 2 scoops of pelletized lime in clay soil, a scoop of osmocote. I used to put agriform tablets in the pot, but now save them for the planting site.
