Check out the PDF at the bottom - it is more detailed then my original post.

This solution works well, I have doubled the chromosomes of several different plants. Some of the plants include Morning Glory, Wild Lettuce, Canary Reed Grass, as well as a few others.

I tried to do an LD50 with the plants and seedlings. I figure if half of them die, the other half got a high enough dose of colchicine to become polyploidy. I can't give any real data on it though, I think you will just have to do trial and error until you get what you want.

i don't have any data on it, sorry. I would think if you were to keep the pH's not to acidic or basic, avoided heat and light and worked fast it could be extracted. I remember reading that once the solution is made it only lasts a few months. That could be a false memory though.

Yeah, this was by no means of making it pure, just to be used to induce polyploidism, I found several methods stating water works well. I figured EtOH would probably kill most plants/seeds.

Is cholchicine unavailable now? I recall using it many years ago in a biology class. It came from a chemical supplier.

Giberellic acid was another interesting compound we used. Correctly applied It causes plants or parts of plants to grow to an unusually large size. IIRC we used it to make huge tomatoes.

PP

I admit, I'm more guessing than knowing here, but I can easily imagine that such potent poisons like colchicine are not sold to everyone.

- Murphy

From The Merck Index:

Monograph Number:  2496
Title:  Colchicine
CAS Registry Number:  64-86-8
CAS Name:  N-[(7S)-5,6,7,9-Tetrahydro-1,2,3,10-tetramethoxy-9-oxobenzo[a]heptalen-7-yl]acetamide
Molecular Formula:  C22H25NO6
Molecular Weight:  399.44. 
Percent Composition:  C 66.15%, H 6.31%, N 3.51%, O 24.03%
Literature References:  A major alkaloid of Colchicum autumnale L., Liliaceae.  Extraction procedure:  Chemnitius, J. Prakt. Chem. [II] 118, 29 (1928); F. E. Hamerslag, Technology and Chemistry of Alkaloids (New York, 1950) pp 66-80.  Structure:  Dewar, Nature 155, 141 (1945); King et al., Acta Cryst. 5, 437 (1952); Horowitz, Ullyot, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 74, 487 (1952).  Crystal structure:  L. Lessinger, T. N. Margulis, Acta Crystallogr. B34, 578 (1978).  Total synthesis:  Schreiber et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 44, 540 (1961); Van Tamelen et al., Tetrahedron 14, 8 (1961); Nakamura, Chem. Pharm. Bull. 8, 843 (1960); Sunagawa et al., ibid. 9, 81 (1961); 10, 281 (1962); Scott et al., Tetrahedron 21, 3605 (1965); Woodward, Harvey Lectures, Ser. 59 (Academic Press, New York, 1965) p 31; Kotani et al., Chem. Commun. 1974, 300; D. A. Evans et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103, 5813 (1981).  Biosynthesis:  Leete, Tetrahedron Letters 1965, 333; Battersby et al., J. Chem. Soc. 1964, 4257; Hill, Unrau, Can. J. Chem. 43, 709 (1965).  Tubulin-binding activity:  J. M. Andreu, S. N. Timasheff, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 6753 (1982).  Toxicity:  S. J. Rosenbloom, F. C. Ferguson, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 13, 50 (1968); R. P. Beliles, ibid. 23, 537 (1972).  Clinical evaluations in cirrhosis of the liver:  M. M. Kaplan et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 315, 1448 (1986); D. Kershenobich et al., ibid. 318, 1709 (1988).  Bibliography of early literature:  Eigsti, Lloydia 10, 65 (1947).  Monograph:  O. J. Eigsti, P. Dustin, Jr., Colchicine in Agriculture, Medicine, Biology and Chemistry (Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa, 1955).  Reviews:  Fleming, Selected Organic Syntheses (John Wiley, London, 1973) pp 183-207; G. Lagrue et al., Ann. Med. Interne 132, 496-500 (1981); F. D. Malkinson, Arch. Dermatol. 118, 453-457 (1982).  Comprehensive description:  D. K. Wyatt et al., Anal. Profiles Drug Subs. 10, 139-182 (1981).
Properties:  Pale yellow scales or powder, mp 142-150°.  Darkens on exposure to light.  Has been crystallized from ethyl acetate, pale yellow needles, mp 157°.  [a]D17 -429° (c = 1.72).  [a]D17 -121° (c = 0.9 in chloroform).  pK at 20°:  12.35; pH of 0.5% soln:  5.9.  uv max (95% ethanol):  350.5, 243 nm (log e 4.22; 4.47).  One gram dissolves in 22 ml water, 220 ml ether, 100 ml benzene; freely sol in alcohol or chloroform.  Practically insol in petr ether.  Forms two cryst compds with chloroform, B.CHCl3 or B.2CHCl3, which do not give up their chloroform unless heated between 60 and 70° for considerable time.  LD50 in rats (mg/kg):  1.6 i.v. (Rosenbloom, Ferguson); in mice (mg/kg):  4.13 i.v. (Beliles).
Melting point:  mp 142-150°; mp 157°
pKa:  pK at 20°:  12.35; pH of 0.5% soln:  5.9
Optical Rotation:  [a]D17 -429° (c = 1.72); [a]D17 -121° (c = 0.9 in chloroform)
Absorption maximum:  uv max (95% ethanol):  350.5, 243 nm (log e 4.22; 4.47)
Toxicity data:  LD50 in rats (mg/kg):  1.6 i.v. (Rosenbloom, Ferguson); in mice (mg/kg):  4.13 i.v. (Beliles)
Use:  In research in plant genetics (for doubling chromosomes).
Therap-Cat:  Gout suppressant.  Treatment of Familial Mediterranean Fever.
Therap-Cat-Vet:  Has been used as an antineoplastic.

CC

Well, I honestly cannot say because, like with almost all plants the alkaloid content varies from type of soil, time of year, time of day, and many other factors... but yes that will work. As do the ones in walmart - certainly worth a try. I promise you will notice reduced growth rate for a while compared to a control. This to me says it certainly happens, but it may not be 100% effective - and thus you might not get second generation from seed polyploids.

Could this be used to boost the output of a standard hybrid strain cannabis plant such as white widow?

From what I've read... yes.