Durban Poison

Environment

Tends to thrive in a warm, well-ventilated space — temperatures in the mid-70s°F (low-to-mid 20s°C) during the day with a modest night-time dip often suit it well. As a landrace sativa, it generally prefers lower humidity, especially through mid-to-late flower (aim for roughly 40–50% RH in veg, stepping down toward 40–45% in flower). Strong, consistent airflow is important given its dense, resinous bud structure for a sativa. VPD targets in the moderate range are a sensible starting point, but watch your individual plants and adjust accordingly.

Training & canopy

Durban Poison tends to grow tall and columnar with strong apical dominance, making topping and LST (low-stress training) highly recommended to manage height and encourage lateral branching. Topping early (once 4–5 nodes are established) and bending the main shoots outward helps open the canopy. A SCROG net suits it well once lateral growth is established, helping fill horizontal space and keep an even canopy under the light. Without training, indoor growers can face ceiling problems quickly.

Flowering

Expect a pronounced stretch at the flip to 12/12 — often 1.5× to 2× the pre-flower height, sometimes more with pure sativa phenos. Plan your flip timing well before plants reach half your available canopy height. Flowering typically runs on the longer side for a sativa — often in the 9–11 week range, though this varies by pheno and environment. Bud development tends to follow a gradual arc: early weeks bring stretch and pistil development, with resin and density building noticeably in the final 3–4 weeks. Trichome observation (milky to amber transition) is your most reliable harvest indicator given the uncertain flowering window in the catalog.

Difficulty

A pure sativa landrace with vigorous, tall growth and a long flowering window — height and stretch management demand experience beyond beginner level.