Durban Poison is a fruity and delightful strain with a turbulent history.

This strain has come a long way from home. Durban Poison has parent strains that were imported from South Africa and North America. Those parent strains were then later cultivated, bred and produced in Holland. Among those strains, a grower by the name of Sam the Skunkman had crossed a South African Landrace with a Skunk strain he had in his collection. Durban Poison then emerged with other strains from those crops and quickly gained popularity among patients.

After Sam had all the qualities he wanted in a single strain, he needed to give it a name. He knew he needed to pay homage to where it came from. So it was decided to name it after the South African port city of Durban. The “Poison” part of the name came from its Skunk parent strain, it does have a bit of a pestilent taste to its flavor. Despite its smelly parents, the strain that came through has a more flavorful profile to it.

For looks, it has chunky buds that are frosty with thick white trichomes. The coloration is bright green in its long leaves with bright orange hairs almost hidden in the bud. The aroma is nothing to sneeze at either because users have reported this strain to have an earthy and pine scent that likes to turn sweet and sour during the aftertaste. Some phenotypes even have a fruitier aroma than others.

Patients and new growers love this strain.

This beautiful strain is an easy plant to cultivate, even when just starting out. It also rewards growers with a nice amount of product. It has a high yield count at about 13 ounces per meters squared indoors. Outdoors, it gets to about 16 ounces per plant. It finishes pretty tall outdoors, so more often than not people have opted to grow Durban Poison in the open.

Once the decision is made, time to set the place or room to the right temperature. This strain does not thrive in warm weather, which is bad news for those growing near or at the equator. Instead, this is a strain that grows best in Northern climates. Yield won’t be as great indoors but it performs just fine and can even handle SCROG growing when the conditions are fair.

The flower time for Durban Poison is 7-9 weeks, or 49-63 days when growing indoors. Growers can expect flowering near the end of September when cultivating outdoors. Both methods produce similar yields at the end.

These buds are the perfect replacement for that cup of coffee.

Durban Poison is a pure sativa strain with a THC count of 20% on average. The level of THC is said to vary depending on each yield one cultivates. No matter the version, this strain is able to treat ailments such as stress, fatigue and depression along with easing away any chronic pain and calms down nausea. A potent strain, and that’s just the modern version.

Earlier renditions of this strain were even more intense and almost intensely psychedelic. But modern versions are a bit more subdued in their effects, especially the ones circulating the US and Europe. The strain’s effect on patients includes an energetic and uplifting high. Users experience a happy, euphoric and focused high with a clear head.

Many can agree that this strain is perfect for daytime consumption. Durban Poison’s almost boundless energy is a great companion to help get things done. Though the user should still err on the side of caution when indulging. Side effects include dry eyes, cottonmouth, headaches and even paranoia. So make sure to keep a glass of water, some eye drops and some munchies nearby and all should be good.

Adam Rhodes

An adventure seeking nerd, nothing too serious but people seem to like him, Adam is also the creator and writer for The Strain Domain