Cannabis Strain Review: Power Plant

Dutch Passion first released Power Plant in 1997, and she was soon highly sought-after for easy grows, fast finishes and big, fat buds - along with one of the strongest head highs you could find. Once Power Plant landed on the American West Coast, pain patients snapped this strain up at the local dispensaries because a reliable, functional daytime smoke that also helps with pain can be hard to find. Is she really as good as she sounds? Let's find out!

THE GROWING TRAITS OF POWER PLANT

It's not every day you come across a nearly pure South African Sativa, especially one that claims a very satisfying yield and better than average bud structure in as little as 7 weeks of bloom. To us, that sounded very optimistic, so we couldn't wait to see if we could match what the breeder claimed their testers could do.

For this Power Plant grow, we went with our standard soil mix and soon had 10 sturdy, medium to dark green seedlings under the lights and starting to veg. They recovered fast after a single topping, and we switched them to a 12/12 lighting schedule to force bloom at about six weeks. At this point, they were about 60cm tall.

The flowering period went smoothly. Our Power Plants started to throw pistils just a day or two after the first week, even before they stopped stretching. Power Plant doesn't have the classic Christmas tree shape; it's more of a bush with lots of tops, and the more training you do, the more colas you'll have. But, with more tops comes a decrease in bud size. We only topped once to try to get bigger flowers and an easier trim.

The bud development was, in a word, explosive. By the third week, you could see noticeable swelling every day with increasingly thick resin. Looking at the flowers under a scope was like entering another world filled with wall-to-wall trichomes with fat heads so heavy with resin that their tallish stalks were bending under the weight - very nice!

The bud growth stalled near the end of the sixth week, and we started to see some fade around the middle of the seventh, so we gave our Power Plants a good flush, then cut right at 8 weeks. Since Power Plant is nearly all Sativa, we went by pistil color and overall looks rather than trying to wait for a lot of amber in the crystals.

Our harvest netted between 65-84g per plant once cured, mostly from the colas. The popcorn went straight to the bin for making concentrates, so we didn't count the smaller, fluffier buds. Although we were more than satisfied with our final yields, more advanced training methods and a little more attention would probably have pushed those numbers a little higher.

THE FLAVOUR AND AROMA OF POWER PLANT

After a slow dry and a decent cure, Power Plant has a smooth, strong flavour with a full-bodied taste that lingers long enough for you to enjoy it, but not so long that it becomes annoying. First, you'll taste the dominant earthy and pungent tones, followed closely by a peppery bite of spice. There's also a few delicate notes of fresh herbs in there, but you'll have to pay close attention to notice that subtle flavour.

When grown, Power Plant has a peppery, slightly pungent aroma from the start, especially when you're handling the plants. The smell intensifies as the plants grow, eventually turning very strong and pungent as the buds develop. If you're growing inside and stealth is a concern, refresh your filters or pick up some new ones before starting the flowering period.

Once cured and ready to smoke, Power Plant develops more of a woody/earthy fragrance, but they never quite lose all their pungency. The smoke is heavy and pervasive, with a smell that travels. No one would ever mistake this herb for anything other than what it is - fine, grade-A weed.

THE EFFECTS OF POWER PLANT

Power Plant got her name from her devastating potency, but according to Dutch Passion, this strain only has 15% THC on average. That was considered very strong in 1997 when she was first released, but it's midrange at best today. However, THC doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to psychoactivity, so we went into our smoke test with open minds.

We gathered a few of our friends, all frequent or daily smokers, including a few who smoke for medicinal purposes. On the positive side, most of us thought it gave us a strong-enough head high with a nice amount of euphoria that pleasantly lifts the mood without overdoing it. Power Plant has a little bit of energy, but not too much, and there was no paranoia or nervousness for anyone in our group. Our medical smokers liked that it left them clear-headed and quickly reduced their pain by a noticeable level.

The downsides? Extreme talkativeness and dry mouth, a little loss of mental focus, and some minor munchies. All in all, everyone agreed they'd smoke Power Plant again if they had buds on hand and were in the mood for a mostly Sativa high. However, if you're looking to trip balls, Power Plant is probably not going to do it for you.

POWER PLANT: A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

Power Plant is an inbred South African strain created by Dutch Passion that's almost all Sativa with just a touch of Indica in the mix for speed, bud size, and mental calmness. If you're a beginner grower who wants to try a Sativa, this is a perfect choice, but even long-time cultivators will appreciate her generous yield and functional buzz. We were pleasantly surprised by both the easy grow and the expansive cerebral high. This one's a keeper in our book!

Luke Sholl

Luke Sholl has been writing about cannabis, the wellness potential of cannabinoids, and the positive influence of nature for over a decade. Working with several cannabinoid-centric publications, he publishes a variety of digital content, supported by strong technical knowledge and thorough research.

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