Power Plant aka P.P.

One of the most ubiquitous sativas of the European commercial pot scene is the Power Plant from Dutch Passion.

One of the most ubiquitous sativas of the European commercial pot scene is the Power Plant from Dutch Passion.

Strain Name: Power Plant
Breeder: Dutch Passion Seed Company
Genetics: 80% sativa / 20% indica
Origins: South Africa
Flowering: 56 to 63 days
Outdoor Harvest: 49 to 56 days or mid- to late-October

Power Plant (PP) from Dutch Passion provides stable, true-bred sativa genetics with a heavy, reliable yield. Presenting an extremely strong high that is complemented by an earthy, musky scent and a spicy, peppery flavour with a sweet after-taste, PP has achieved legend status due to its classic South African sativa genetics.

Perhaps the most widely-cultivated strain in the Dutch commercial scene, Power Plant has steadily crept into other growing regions in the international Cannabis industry since its release in 1997, representing the rare class of stabilized varieties that will flourish in indoor, outdoor and greenhouse settings. Outdoor growers across a wide range of climates have all successfully grown PP. Although these days most commonly available in clone form in the Netherlands, feminized seeds are available from Dutch Passion.

History of the Origins of Power Plant

A product of South African genetics, Power Plant is a descendant of Dagga, the sativa-dominant strain(s) commonly found there. In spite of the recent surge in the cultivation of high-CBD strains, the Power Plant is a remainder from the era when THC reigned, when smokers around the world chased the elusive, clear-headed high obtained from landrace sativas. Although the cerebral, uplifting high was for many decades considered the ultimate effect achievable from consuming weed, the cultivation of such strains – especially those originating in the tropics – proved problematic for those living in regions with a colder or more limited outdoor growth cycle, such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the northern parts of the United States.

South African varieties are considered sacred by many breeders, due to the unique combination of an almost trippy sativa gene pool with a short, manageable flowering period. Unlike the tropical sativas, South African strains finish flowering in a reasonable amount of time, often before the first frost sets in. This allows even the shortest growth cycles to produce highly desirable sativa crops in areas where achieving this was previously impossible.

Power Plant Cultivation, Phenotypes and Effect

Power Plant offers the combined benefits of fast growth with a high sativa content and relative ease-of-cultivation. In addition, this non-hybridized pure-bred gives growers all the best of the sativa family genetics without the hassle that usually accompanies the cultivation of pure sativas and haze strains. However, PP results in an impressively high yield, so staking, bending/training and other means of artificial support may be necessary. Power Plant has become famous for its forgiving response to certain types of plant stress and it responds well to LST (low-stress training), topping, super-cropping and bonsai trimming techniques. 

Large crops will be consistent and uniform; development and yield for each grow are predictable. Light green buds are covered with loads of orange-red pistils and the leaf-to-calyx ratio is low; the PP does not require a heavy hand regarding nutrients.

Pre-flowers become visible as early as one week after reducing the light to twelve hours; outdoors, flowering has a slow start that is quickly made up for in rapid bud development. If left to flourish in its natural state, the PP will sprout between one and four huge, fat central colas up to twenty to thirty centimetres long that are flanked by many golf ball-sized buds. This result surprises many sativa growers who may be used to only getting a few long, thin buds from this family of pot plants. If sea-of-green or screen-of-green approaches are taken, the plant’s energy is swiftly diverted into producing multiple thick, fat colas spread evenly across the top of the canopy.

A final advantage to growing the Power Plant over other similar genetics is that plant height can be easily controlled and relatively limited, if necessary. This will work for both indoor and outdoor growers, whether height restrictions or discretion is the key concern. 

One downside to growing Power Plant is its exceedingly pungent smell. Filters should be regularly checked, maintained and replaced, as necessary. For outdoor or guerrilla growers, there is almost no possible way to control the smell, which is, of course, the easiest way to get caught.

Regarding its extremely potent effect, it is no accident that the plant has the name that it does; even experienced smokers report that this strain produces a high that is so strong as to be mentally incapacitating for some – perhaps best for daytime smoke sessions after which nothing important has to be accomplished. However, users will certainly not be sedentary or sleepy, as the cannabinoids prevalent in South African sativas tend to induce movement and activity; after a strong Power Plant spliff, some smokers may end up cleaning the entire house or creating a lengthy, rambling screenplay in their head.

Hybrids Related to Power Plant

Since PP is a true-bred strain, it can be combined with others to create powerful F1 hybrids, where every characteristic of the offspring can be carefully controlled and selected. Two Dutch Passion hybrids have experienced great success in past years, including Dolce Vita, which is an F1 result of the combination of two great sativas, a female Isis that was pollinated with feminized Power Plant pollen. The other is Sacra Frasca or ‘Holy Joint’, a cross between feminized Skunk Passion pollen and a female Power Plant.