would love some advice on grafting zelkova serrata thoughts i have below

[tigerscott79]

so recently ordered and recived a 1ft zelkova serrata bareroot dormant sapling , was wondering since i am goign to use it as rootstock and graft variegated zelkova serrata cultivar goshiki to it ive read alot online but alot i wonder on and hopefuly askign here will recive some insight on these things if possible. 1 read that you idealy want the rootsock breaking bud and awake before grafting the scions on top and scions can be dormant still and work with the grafting. i guess would it be ok to bring the potted rootstock indoors under good grow lights and once starts to show buds swelling take the cuttings of my "goshiki" cultivar zelkova serrata outside thats winter dormant and graft indoors and then let it take or is that way wreckless or wrong and should only do outdoors and hope the rootsock wakes befoe the scion wood mother tree . seen so many different grafting methods but never grafted before , tbh id liked the rootstock to have been lots bigger this ones is only maybe 1 yr old and very thin and about 1 ft tall had hoped to have larger base and girthed rootstock to try a few types grafting methods and work on learning to graft as well as graft scions and grow out to later air layer and not chance failing an airlayer as i did last year on two branches one dried up immediately ( read i might have cut too deeply on the bark to illicit rooting and the other i went way to shallow and it rehealed no roots) so hoping to learn grafting and also make more mother material to work with later down road . (also if anyone has zelkova serrata that would happen be 1/2 to 1 inch diamter trunk not using for bonsai as much as rootstock to learn to graft on so it wouldnt need great nebari roots just typical healthy ones )

 

[leatherback]

so recently ordered and recived a 1ft zelkova serrata bareroot dormant sapling , was wondering since i am goign to use it as rootstock and graft variegated zelkova serrata cultivar goshiki to it ive read alot online but alot i wonder on and hopefuly askign here will recive some insight on these things if possible. 1 read that you idealy want the rootsock breaking bud and awake before grafting the scions on top and scions can be dormant still and work with the grafting. i guess would it be ok to bring the potted rootstock indoors under good grow lights and once starts to show buds swelling take the cuttings of my "goshiki" cultivar zelkova serrata outside thats winter dormant and graft indoors and then let it take or is that way wreckless or wrong and should only do outdoors and hope the rootsock wakes befoe the scion wood mother tree . seen so many different grafting methods but never grafted before , tbh id liked the rootstock to have been lots bigger this ones is only maybe 1 yr old and very thin and about 1 ft tall had hoped to have larger base and girthed rootstock to try a few types grafting methods and work on learning to graft as well as graft scions and grow out to later air layer and not chance failing an airlayer as i did last year on two branches one dried up immediately ( read i might have cut too deeply on the bark to illicit rooting and the other i went way to shallow and it rehealed no roots) so hoping to learn grafting and also make more mother material to work with later down road . (also if anyone has zelkova serrata that would happen be 1/2 to 1 inch diamter trunk not using for bonsai as much as rootstock to learn to graft on so it wouldnt need great nebari roots just typical healthy ones )

As you want it thicker.. Why do you intent to graft now, and not plop this one in a bigger flat container, and let it grow thicker before you try grafting ?
Might in the process take a few tip-cuttings in spring, and create a few stock plants so you can try multiple times to practice.

 

[Shibui]

The window for grafting is way wider than 'stock breaking buds and scion dormant'. That would be the absolute ideal timing but in reality the dormant scions do not dry out quick so there's around a month or 2 of opportunity before bud burst. I start grafting soon after the middle of our winter here but we're a few zones warmer than Indiana so that may alter your timing.
Zelkova propagates quite easily from cuttings and also root cuttings so that should give you a couple of other options to get more root stock and may also work with the variegated one.
1/2 to 1 inch diameter seems pretty thick for grafting. Stock that thick will probably limit you to side grafts of some sort. 1/2 inch is still Ok for cleft graft but if aiming for bonsai, larger cleft grafts don't heal up as neat as whip and tongue or cleft graft on smaller stock.
In my experience, smaller stock is definitely easier to graft.

 

[tigerscott79]

@leatherback @shithank you both , i didn't realize. I'm glad I asked here to understand better. I guess my thoughts were more narrowing and limiting but I see what you're both referring and I'll try that also. I was merely thinking thicker because being 6 ft have larger hands and it seemed lil scary/daunting to graft what seemed bit thin of scion and trunk but if is more the norm and more options I'll try this then. Also I like idea being able propagate more rootstock plants to work with later too. Just nervous since I learn alot easier with seeing and doing then reading at tines but been studying lots grafting and reading posts here and other places. I thank you both a lot.