Grow Tips: Hydro Cloning

Grow Tip- Hydro Cloning

Ben Horner

Cloning with root cubes and rooting compound is the most common technique, but not particularly efficient. Hydroponic cloning can produce starter plants easier, faster and larger. Hydro cloners vary in number of sites; each site is for an individual clone. A twenty-four-site cloner can produce twenty clones at a time.

There are many such products on the market or you can make your own. Most units all use similar plug stem holder the fits into the top of the container. Then container is filled with water and cloning solution. Where they vary is in the way the moisture is propelled to the plant. Some us foggers, others use a drip system. For this article we will be looking at a manifold and sprayer system, which is powered by a submersible water pump.

As with all hydroponics the purity and PH balance of the water is paramount. Proper PH is between 5-6 on the PH scale. PH testing and balancing chemicals can be found at all indoor gardening stores.  Use filtered water when ever possible. The quality of the water makes all the difference, especially when cloning.

Step 1. Always make sure to your cloner is working well by completely assembling the device, filling it with water and letting it run for a few hours. Confirm that all the sprayers are functioning.  Once you are certain that the entire interior surface is receiving a good spray. add the directed amount of cloning solution.

Step 2. Take cuttings from a healthy female plant use sterile, sharp shears or a razor; make sure you leave at least 15cm of stem on each cutting.

Step 3. Using your cutting tool, clean any lower leaves and stems so that the cutting fits into the foam plugs and the stem is at least 8cm exposed. Repeat this until your sites are full. Make sure water is spraying on all the stems that are below the surface.

Step 4. Place the cloners that are in the cloner under a good quality grow light. Recommended light is in the blue spectrum, preferable a metal halide bulb or comparable floresant.  In three to ten day’s roots will form on stems below.

Step 5. Transfer the rooted clones into its new home. Any growing media should take the new plants. Be very careful not break the roots with the dirt or other growing substrates. 

 

Check out our website.

Compassion, War, and The Truth

Compassion, War, and The Truth

By Charmie Gholson
I’ve been writing for a long time and ordinarily, in December I would publish a guide for folks who want to take action and embody the “Spirit of the Holidays”. You know, so they can “make a difference” in their area.

But I don’t need to instruct you on how to make a difference in your neighborhood, in fact, to do so would be insulting because our community is defined by its compassion. You turn compassion into action, and do so year round. Every day, for four years, I’ve seen remarkable acts of generosity and selfless acts of compassion.

The most common example is open-handed generosity from people who have little to give. Those who have a little bit more than others happily share what they’re got, and I’ve been privileged to witness those with plenty act on their awareness of those less fortunate, and do so in extraordinary ways.

Kevin Spitler and Trena Martin at the Med Joint Compassion Club in Oshtemo, near Kalamazoo donated more than 10,000 pounds of food in the last year to community organizations and tons more to other charities.

And in this open letter to the Michigan NORML Membership, “Uncle Pete” from CannabisCamp.org recently broke down the sheer number of chronically and terminally ill folks his camp sees and works to help:

We deal with a heavy patient load of terminal patients and patients with cancer/tumors. Some of the current cases we are dealing with are suffering from things like:

-Stage 4 bone cancer. Patient is 100% terminal as far as we know. It was too late for this one without a miracle. Stranger things have happened. He went on hospice 3 days ago and started treatment last night.

-Prostate cancer: This is one of the easiest to beat for some reason.

-Brain tumors and multiple seizures: This patient will start treatment next week and we are confident we can make him well in a matter of a few months. The doctors say he will die. With a high school diploma, a YouTube video, and some desire.... we will save him. We have experience beating terminal cancer that is incurable according to the docs.

-Bladder cancer patient that is a couple weeks into her treatment and doing very well. Symptoms surrounding her paralysis have been relieved greatly and we are confident the tumors will be disappearing soon.

We have seen people in wheel chairs get up and walk, we have seen people on their deathbeds get up and live.

These are just the cases I have worked with in the last 24 hours. I am overloaded and pulling my hair out trying to find any doctors willing to listen much less help. So while I am excited about some classes going on next year, I would beg somebody to get involved with what we are doing now to start documenting this stuff on a professional level. We have over 90% success rate with our oils.

The members of this community are attacked simultaneously by the system and by our own bodies. We fight law enforcement and chronic pain. Legislators and cancer.  And yet, we are winning the battle of public opinion.

I’m sure our Attorney General and a few others were dumbfounded and furious November 7th, after two states completely legalized marijuana and five Michigan cities overwhelmingly passed marijuana regulations and reforms. It must really stink to have so much money and power, and still lose.

It’s pretty pathetic if you think about it.  Those with money, power and control of the media who want to see this war continued and work to silence us are getting their asses kicked by the sick, the have-nots and disenfranchised.

They’re probably wondering how we keep gaining ground, no matter how many times they knock us down, but it’s not that hard to understand. You good people possess the one thing they work to hide-- The Truth. And truth crushed to the ground rises again.

Happy Holidays Everyone. I pray you can see yourselves through the eyes of those you are helping. It’s remarkable to behold.

Charmie Gholson is co-owner of The American Cultivator and founder of Michigan Moms United to End the War on Drugs. You can email her at mimomsunited@yahoo.com

Charmie Gholson
Politics. Promotions. Peace.

 Check out our website.

I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

By Erikush Growski

Christmas time means a time to be joyous. In our culture, joy includes food, decorations, gifts, and good will. Those of us in the cannabis community would like to incorporate more of that natural ingredient into our holidays to promote that extra bit of “cheer.” We can all give a gift to Mother Nature by truly going green this year and using the natural ingredients and supplies we have around the house. If you are a grower, don’t buy a plastic tree or a cut tree; just choose one of your trees that you grew yourself. Marijuana plants are beautiful and green, and I dare say, smell better than pine anyways. You can use traditional decorations or things you have around the house such as popcorn, glitter, pine cones, buttons and beads. Place a tree skirt around the bottom of the bucket to complete the festive presentation. When you are done with the tree, smoke it!

If you save and mold the stems when you are trimming plants, they can be formed into a wreath. Use the long stems and shortly after cutting them, soak in water. Once they are pliable, you can form them into a circle and use twine to secure the shape. Place in a dry warm place for several days to set. Once this wreath is dry, you then can add the decorations such as pine cones, bows, bells, and glitter. This is a wonderful way to repurpose unused fibers. What better gift to give to yourself, Mother Nature, the planet, and future generations than repurposing and being less wasteful?

Making your own Yule log out of stems and trimming is a most rewarding task. Filling your home with the wonderful scent of fresh herb on the holiday makes a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Cut stems into strip and lay those strips and precut sections of natural twine. Once a complete layer is formed, add about a one inch tall section of partially dried clippings. You can add mesquite, scented wood chips, or even potpourri to the center for diversification of scent. Wrap using the twine in a log-like shape. Let dry completely for a minimum of three days then enjoy the wondrous scent you created.  

Last but not least – food! You can add kief to just about anything that has spices without upsetting the recipe. When cooking with marijuana you can really unleash your creative juices. My new favorite holiday treat is warm eggnog with tincture. The rich nog is the perfect counterbalance to the strong taste of tincture. A little splash of spiced rum is a good addition as well.

A little creativity goes a long way. Look around your home and see what you have to work with. Make a point to try and use things around your home as opposed to buying them. Congratulate yourself on every package, box, container, or product that you didn’t buy, as you are giving the gift of Green. 

 

 Check out out website.

Legalize It: Notes From the Film Screening in Denver and the Power of Proposed Amendment 64

By Ben Horner (From the November 2012 Edition of the MMM Report) 

Denver, Colorado-

Upon arriving at the Denver, one quickly realizes that this city is one of America’s strongest and most progressive. Magnificent snow capped mountains loom in the background of the impressive skyline. Modern skyscrapers and historical architecture stand tall against nature’s majestic backdrop. This is a cosmopolitan Mecca. More importantly, Colorado is one state that is leading the way in progressive marijuana law reform. Amendment 64, if passed by the voters, will fully legalize marijuana for personal use and cultivation on private property. In this proposed constitutional amendment there is framework of a regulatory system for retail locations, as well as guidelines for an excise tax of up to 15%. The first 40 million dollars of revenue received will be reserved for the general education fund. Polling data currently indicates the voters are strongly in favor of passing the amendment – 51% in favor, 42% against, and 7 yet undecided (According to the October 5th University of Denver poll.)

At the United Presbyterian Church located at 1400 Layfette Street, Christian ministers hosted an advanced screening of Legalize It, a film by Award-winning filmmaker Dan Katzir, which

was produced by Ravit Markus and Lati Grobma. Following the documentary was a cordial debate with respect to Colorado’s Amendment 64. Although the movie documents California’s failed Prop 19 (Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol), the story really shows an inside picture of the internal struggle passing the people’s enacted initiatives and the toll it plays on the progressive leaders that spearhead these campaigns. Legalize It focuses on the people directly behind Prop 19. The movie outlines the raw courage and personal sacrifice made, as well as the tremendous sacrifices and efforts made by the many others who volunteered for the campaign. Richard Lee spent all of the money he had generated from Oaksterdam University.

Unfortunately, the opposition was the very people that should have been their allies. An opposition group formed against Prop 19, which is based around some African-American Christian ministers, California’s cannabis growers, and the Mexican drug cartels. The growers and thug drug dealers resist due to fear of a shift of their share of the marijuana production market going to large corporate enterprises. Signs urging voters of Cali to

“Vote NO on Prop 19” were placed at dispensaries around the state. The opposition dismayed the leaders of the campaign for Prop 19. They truly underestimated the greed factor and internal corruption within the movement. Did they not realize that the biggest victims in the drug war are cannabis consumers, children, and minorities? Inevitably, as most know, Prop 19 failed. This was due primarily to a lack in funding and unified grassroots support in addition to the misguided opposition.

To their credit, Richard Lee and all that fought to legalize marijuana pioneered the cause with new ideas and political strategies. The people involved changed public perception

regarding marijuana and the drug war. They brought national spotlight to the issue. Although the advanced screening still had some preproduction work yet to be done, I would highly

recommend the film.

Following the screening, representatives for and against Colorado’s Amendment 64 discussed the issue. Ben Cort, who a drug rehab counselor and represented the opposition

against Prop 64, expressed his concerns. He opined and suggested that a constitutional amendment was not the right vehicle, as the particular language proposed in the amendment

creates a federal supremacy issue. He expressed that his greatest concern is for the youth. He cited a Rand study which projects an increase in youths who use marijuana

if legalized. Betty Aldworth, of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, argued that there are approximately 10,000 pot-related offenses in the state last year, and not all of those were problematic. She pointed out that disparity of race and income ratios of those crimes are indicative of social injustice and inequality. Amsterdam has had huge growth of black market after barring coffee shops from sell marijuana to tourists. Ms. Aldworth countered that Colorado people should be able to make their own choices;

the language of Amendment is flexible regarding regulation.

On November 6th, the citizens of Colorado will decide which point of view is to become policy. The contrast of professionalism in Colorado and Washington’s legalization of retail

marijuana is sure to set the standard moving forward.

 

Check out out website.

Renee Wolfe Tribute by Ed Gorski

GOOD BYE BEAUTIFUL

The marijuana movement suffered a severe blow on Sept 11^th at 4:20pm as Renee Wolfe passed onto the other side. Renee was not only a great activist herself, but she inspired others to become activists. I first met Renee at the first MMM Report conference in Ann Arbor a couple years ago. She treated me as if I were her best friend and had been for years. This was Renee Wolfe. She greeted everyone with a “Hello Beautiful” and made everyone she talked with feel special. I had the privilege of interviewing Renee and really got an insight into her amazing mind. She suffered much heartache throughout her life including being diagnosed with MS, losing custody of her son, and being arrested for smoking a joint in front of a police officer but always came out stronger. “You do what you have to do” she told me.

Renee used marijuana for over thirty years and sometimes referred to herself as “Grandma Marijuana”. Over this time she made many friends and overwhelming sadness was felt as word of her death spread throughout our community. A heartfelt movement was shared at the Unity Rally in Lansing as some of Renee’s closest friends took the Capitol steps and mourned for our fallen hero. Renee was no stranger at the Capitol, as she spent countless hours talking to lawmakers trying to convince them of the medicinal benefits of marijuana. She played a key role in the passing of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act and was first in line to receive her card.

A memorial was held at the Clarion Hotel in Ann Arbor and Renee’s influence was apparent as the conference room was packed to capacity with people whose life Renee had touched. The standing room only crowed mourned as Renee’s friends and family told stories and shared fond memories. Although Renee has passed, her spirit carries on in each and everyone she has touched.

RENEE EMRY WOLFE May 3, 1960 – September 11, 2012

Check out out website.

Cannabis, Cancer and Domestic Violence by Charmie Gholson

October is both National Breast Cancer and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and guess what? Medical marijuana is “the answer” to both of these issues—just like love.

The medical marijuana movement, operating as informed health consumers in control of our own healing, has generated plenty of informal, no budget, not FDA-approved research, to provide proof that that Cannabis kills cancer without killing healthy cells. That research and the results haven’t been reviewed or approved by our government; it’s just made the cancer go away.

In fact, in the three short years since we’ve enacted the Medical Marihuana Act, we’ve developed a cadre of our Michigan activists who have pioneered informal cannabis cancer research; every day people just like you and me, who have cured their own cancer with Cannabis. Steven Sharpe, Gersh Avery and Michael McShane are a few of these miracle warriors, walking in a surreal, dual existence of both criminal and healer in the midst of marijuana prohibition.

But even with the ever lurking fear of criminal aggression from law enforcement or the medical society, these dedicated folks now work to educate others. They present their research and findings to any one who’ll listen: hospitals, doctors , media, health organizations.

 It’s a beautiful thing. Healing for the people, by the people.  Fight the power, so others may live.

Mainstream medicine isn’t completely ignoring the Cannabis/ Cancer connection either. A research team at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute is studying the endocannabinoid system with the goal of developing interventions for aggressive cancers. They report that a non-toxic, non-psychoactive compound in marijuana (CBD) may block the progress of metastatic breast cancer.

CBD works by blocking the activity of a gene called Id-1, which is believed to be responsible for the aggressive spread of cancer cells away from the original tumor site.

Senior researcher Pierre-Yves Desprez likened this process to "an orchestra conductor. In this case, you shoot the conductor, and the whole orchestra is going to stop. If you shoot the violinist, the orchestra just continues to play."

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence defines battering as a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person. Usually, it’s an intimate relationship and includes fear and intimidation behavior, often including the threat or use of violence. Battering happens when one person believes that they are entitled to control another, not because they were drunk, or you didn’t do something correctly. It’s just a control issue.

Alcohol abuse has been identified as one of the leading risk factors for domestic violence; the statistics connecting alcohol abuse and domestic violence are overwhelming.  It’s clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship.

Research also shows that alcohol use contributes to aggressive behavior and acts of violence, while marijuana use reduces the likelihood of violent behavior.

In the most basic terms, Cannabis is safer than alcohol, especially if you’re a woman. 


Rick Simpsons Phoenix Tears
www.phoenixtears.ca

National Domestic Violence Hotline
www.thehotline.org

Run From The Cure, full version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psJhQHk_GI&feature=related



Charmie Gholson
Politics. Promotions. Peace.

 Check out out website.

FREE THE WEED 19 by John Sinclair

Highest greetings from New Orleans, the place I like to call the Cradle of American Civilization As We Know It. I’m sharing my 71^st birthday with daughter Celia, seeing many of my hundreds of friends from my 12 years as a resident here, participating in the Cutting Edge music conference, playing some gigs with Carlo Ditta and Tom Worrell, and recovering from my trip to the Pacific Northwest and Los Angeles earlier this month.

I flew from Detroit to Portland, Oregon right after Labor Day for the annual Hempstalk Festival, where the great American poet John Trudell and his band called Bad Dog were featured on stage for an audience of about 10,000 marijuana patients and recreational smokers who danced, celebrated, cavorted, shopped for cannabis-related products and heard a wide range of speakers urging the passage of the marijuana legalization initiative that’s up for the vote in November.

My host was the organizer of Hempstalk, Paul Stanford, who also hosts a regular television talk show called Cannabis Common Sense from the community TV studios in Portland and directs the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation and its THCF Medical Clinics, with offices in 9 states helping patients obtain their state's permit for legally possessing, using and growing medical marijuana.

THCF has produced over 500 episodes of its live weekly TV show for cable television in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and Michigan, and may be viewed on demand on the THCF websites. If you look you’ll find rhe show with John Trudell and myself from early September. I also made an appearance on Paul’s TV show when I was in Oregon in March for the ill-fated What The Fuck Festival.

But speaking twice now of the legenday John Trudell, I should treat you to a new poem of his sent to me by our mutual friend Michael Donnelly, who put me up and drove me everywhere during my week in Oregon:

 

A Hollow Noise

·

the billionaires are robbing the millionaires

the millionaires are robbing the middle class

while together, they are all robbing the poor

all the while implying god vouches for them                             

in god we trust, as taking gods name in vain

introducing demons and evils into the realm

humanity herded into invisible caste systems

shooting up religious programmed behavior

narcotic-ing with guilts and fears and blame

then if those narcotics wear off or don’t take

there are the laws of the authoritarians state

to keep everyone in place or make them pay

the rules of patriotism are effective weapons

when used politically against the disagreers

manipulating emotions into distorted chaos

corporate jihadist’s frenzied economic terror

turning citizen believers into the new infidels

cannibalizing, as a way of maximizing profits

using elections as links in their chains of debt

with good cop bad cop political party blinders

and promises of honor and other lies that bind

deeper and deeper into the abyss of desperate

until the thing called freedom is a hollow noise

trying to remember what it feels like to be free

trying to forget that feeling free can’t feel free

—John Trudell

September 18, 2012

After Portland I took the train up to Seattle to sit in on the first Seattle Medical Cannabis Cup and play some gigs with a funky little trio called The Damn Shame and the great Seattle guitarist Simon Henneman, sitting in with his fine quartet at a place called Lucid and assembling a splendid ensemble for the Sunday night showcase at the Racers Club.

Relaxing in the High Times Medication Area at the Seattle Cannabis Cup I encountered a couple of brothers from the True West Compassion Club in Holland MI, fresh from attending the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Cup in Oakland CA and dropping in on Seattle before heading back to the West Coast of Michigan. Another homie in attendance was the legendary cannabis chef from Ypsilanti known as Captain Kirk, whose confectionary entry won first place honors in the medibles Cup competition at Seattle. Congratulations, Captain!

The state of Washington is also about to vote in November on a legalization measure, and additionally the state of Colorado is considered almost certain to free the weed when its citizens cast their votes this fall. There’s a lot of excitement building in these states and also here in Michigan, where four different municipalities are trying to straighten things out for their citizens in the face of the criminal opposition to the medical marijuana laws by the Tough Nerd administration and its acting General, William Schuette.

I’ll be back in Detroit on Election Day to submit my ballot in favor of full legalization within the city limits and, of course, to cast my vote for the reelection of my president, even though I couldn’t disagree with him more on his stance behind the endless War On Drugs. While I know he knows better from being a serious toker while in college, and despite the disappearance of a political advantage for proponents of this idiotic crusade ever since over half of the voting public has now endorsed full legalization in the United States, reports like the following from NORML may shed some light on the president’s recalcitrance:

Former DEA Heads Urge Justice Department To Oppose Statewide Marijuana Initiatives

(Washington, DC)—Nine former directors of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder urging his office to actively oppose several statewide ballot measures that seek to depenalize the personal use and possession of cannabis by adults.

"We urge you to oppose publicly Amendment 64 in Colorado, Initiative 502 in Washington, and Measure 80 in Oregon," the letter states. "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public ... a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives." Signatories include every former director of the DEA since the agency's inception.

Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, Initiative 502, and Measure 80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, all seek to amend state law to allow for the limited possession and distribution of cannabis to adults. Both Amendment 64 in Colorado and Initiative 502 in Washington hold solid leads among likely voters. A recent Survey USA poll of Washington voters showed I-502 ahead by a margin of 57 percent to 34 percent.

The DEA letter did not specifically address separate state initiatives in Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Montana that seek to regulate the physician-recommended use and distribution of cannabis.

Holder's office previously spoke out in 2010 against Proposition 19 in California after receiving a similar letter from past chiefs of the DEA. That measure sought to allow for the limited possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults. The measure was defeated at the polls by a vote of 46.5 percent to 53.5 percent.

I’d tack on my usual screed about the contemporary police state built up on the framework of the War On Drugs and how the only people who have a real interest in continuing  this ugly assault on the dope-smoking citizenry are the components of the vast so-called law-enforcement

Community, but I’m out of space for this issue so I’ll just sat goodbye and urge you once more not to forget to vote on November 6, wherever you are. That’s where democracy begins—with your vote.

—New Orleans

September 25, 2012

© 2012 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

 

Check out out website.