1 Viewed from Centre of Eternity 615.552.5747 -+- The Merry Pranksters from Menlo Park -+- 10.1990.01.01.32 Marijuana Grower's Handbook - part 32 of 33 by pH Imbalance "Cloning" from Marijuana Grower's Handbook [Indoor/Greenhouse Edition] Ed Rosenthal Clones are a fancy name for cuttings. Almost everyone has taken a piece of a plant and placed it in water until it grew roots. As it developed, the leaves, flowers, fruit and other characteristics of the plant were exactly the same as the donor plant from which it was taken. That cutting was an exact genetic reproduction of a donor plant. Many growers prefer to start their garden from clones. There are several reasons for this. Growers must start only a few more plants than needed because all the clones, being the same genetic make-up, are the same sex as the donor, presumably, female. Clone gardens are usually derived from donors which were exceptional plants. The new plants are every bit as exceptional as the donor. The plants have the same growth and flowering patterns, maturation time, nutrient requirements, taste and high. The garden has a uniformity that allows the grower to use the space most efficiently. Unique plants with rare genetic characteristics can be saved genetically intact. For example, a grower had an infertile female. Even though the plant was in the midst of a mixed field, it produced no seed. At the end of the season the plant was harvested and that rate quality died with the plant. Had the grower made cuttings, that plant's traits would have been preserved. Clone gardens have disadpantages, too. If a disease attacks a garden, all of the plants have the same susceptibility because they all have the same qualities of resistance. The home gardener may get tired of smoking the same stuff all of the time. In terms of genetics, the garden is stagnant; there is no sexual reproduction taking place. Cuttings root easiest when they are made while the plant is still in its vegetative growth stage. However, they can be taken even as the plant is being harvested. Some growers think that cuttings from the bottom of the plant, which gets less light, are better clone material, but cuttings from all parts of the plant can root. Cuttings are likely to have a high dropoff rate if they are not given a moist, warm environment. They often succumb to stem rot or dehydration. Stem rot is usually caused by a lack of oxygen. Dehydration results from improper irrigation techniques, letting the medium dry, or from overtaxing the new plants. Cuttings do not have the root system required to transpire large amounts of water needed under bright light conditions. Instead, they are placed in a moderately lit area where their resources are not stressed to the limit. Growers who are making only 1 or 2 cuttings usually take the new growth at the ends of the branches. These starts are 4-6 inches long. All of the large leaves are removed and vegetative growth is removed except for an inch of leaves and shoots at the end tip. If large numbers of cuttings are being taken, a system using less donor-plant material is preferred. Starts can be made from many of the internodes along the branch which have vegetative growth. These starts are at least an inch long and each one has some leaf material. If the cuttings are not started immediately, air may get trapped at the cut end, preventing the cutting from obtaining water. To prevent this, 1/8 inch is sliced off the end of the stem immediately before planting or setting to root. All cuts should be made with a sterile knife, scissors, or razor blade. Utensils can be sterilized using bleach, fire, or alcohol. Some horticulturists claim that scissors squeeze and injure remaining tissue, but this does not seem to affect surpival rates. It usually takes between 10 and 20 days for cuttings to root. They root fastest and with least dropoff when the medium us kept at about 65 degrees. Small cuttings can be rooted in water by floating them. The "Klone Kit", which is no longer ap ilable, used small styrofoam chips, which are sold as packing material, to hold the cuttings. Holes were placed in the chips with a pencil or other sharp instrument, and then the stem slipped through. The unit easily floats in the water. The kit also included rooting solution, 100 milliliter plastic cups (3 ounces), and coarse permiculite. The cups were hal filled with vermiculite and then the water-rooting solution was poured to the top of the cups. As the water lepel lowered, the cuttin's rooted in the permiculite. Styrofoam chips can be floated in the water without solid medium. When the cuttings begin to root, they are moved to permiculite. One grower adapted this t buds, packed them in food sealers, and then microwaved them to kill the mold. A bud should be left undisturbed until it is to be smoked. Every time it is moved, unpacked, or handled, some of the resin glands fall off. The glands can be seen cascading through the air whenever a is handled roughly. Sun leaves are unsuitable for smoking except through a waterpipe. The leaves can be prepared for smoking by soaking them in water for several hours and then rinsing the leaves. The water dissolves many of the pigments and resins including much of the chlorophyll, but the THC remains on the leaves. The water is dumped and then the leaves are dried. They smoke much smoother than they did originally. They can also be used in cooking, in brewing or the THC they hold canbe removed and concentrated. The smaller leaves which were trimmed from the buds, including single finger leaves and trimming, are quite potent but they do not smoke that smoothly. Trim can also be smoked in a waterpipe or soaked in water. The buds are usually saved for smoking. The quality of the bud improves for several weeks after it has dried. The THC acid loses its water molecule and becomes psychoactive. Once the bud is fairly dry, the evaporation can be speeded up by keeping the bud in a warm place for a few hours or by using a microwave oven. (818-752-2572) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XX XX Altered States XX XX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX | XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | XXX