Durban Dew is a tough sativa-dominant outdoor cannabis seed variety. In this grow review two substantial Durban Dew plants were grown outdoors by Mrs_Larimar in central/northern Europe in the garden. The plants produced the trademark long, heavy blooms in generous quantities receiving a 9/10 strain rating.
The original Grow Diaries review is here.
| Cannabis strain | Durban Dew |
| Type of seeds | Feminised cannabis seeds |
| Harvested plant(s) | 2 |
| Light cycle | Outdoor north/central European climate, around 50º North |
| Grow techniques | Plants were topped regularly to keep their height shorter, producing a bushier/compact structure. |
| Grow medium | Garden soil, improved before the grow with fertilisers and well-rotted manure. |
| Nutrients | Humic Acid Plus, Living Organics (beneficial fungi), Gen 1:11 Outdoor Grow feed, Lurpe Natural Nutrients, Green Buzz nutrients. |
| Containers | 4 litre containers during indoor veg growth. Outdoors the two Durban Dew plants were rooted directly in the ground. |
Durban Dew is a best-selling outdoor cannabis seed variety thanks to her well-earned reputation among outdoor and greenhouse growers for the resilient outdoor performance. Even in cool & cloudy northern European summers. The bullet-proof genetics come from Cannabis Cup winning outdoor champ Frisian Dew crossed with the legendary Durban Poison.
Mrs Larimar germinated the Durban Dew feminised seeds on April 20th 2023 and grew them indoors before planting them outdoors on May 21st when the conditions had warmed up sufficiently. However, the preparation wisely began a few months earlier, in Autumn/Fall of the previous year the outdoor garden plot was enriched with fertilisers, cow manure and old indoor soil. Over winter the manure rotted down sufficiently to provide a rich compost for the seedlings.
The experienced Mrs Larimar grew the plants outdoors using a small open wooden shelter with a transparent plastic roof to keep the worst of the wind/rain off the plants. Some bamboo fencing was positioned on the north-facing side.
Both Durban Dew cannabis seeds germinated and were initially placed in 1 litre containers. Indoor temperatures were around 20-25ºC (68 – 77F). Both seedlings were healthy and developed steadily.
The small seedlings were grown indoors for a month until outdoor conditions around latitude 50º North began to warm up. Growth was rapid, with the grower commenting that “She doubled in size from last week after transplanting her into 4 litre pots – that was a good Idea.”
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The cannabis seedling stage
The Durban Dew plants were placed outdoors on May 21st when they were a month old. The ground had been expertly prepared, now it was time to hope for a long warm summer. Durban Dew plants can reach 3+m tall if left to grow naturally. In order to control the height, the two Durban Dew plants were repeatedly “topped”.
Topping means that the growing tip was cut off carefully with scissors. This in turn forces the plant to adopt a more squat, bushy structure as the main cola is replaced with side blooms. For outdoor/guerrilla growers, this can make your outdoor plants easier to hide.
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The cannabis vegetative growth phase
At the end of August, the Durban Dew plants started to bloom. Harvest would happen around October 20th. During bloom the plants filled out with numerous long heavy blooms, typical of Durban Dew.
From now on everything’s going fast. Buds are exploding. Weather is just lovely, nice warm in the daytime.
Despite the repeated topping, the taller Durban Dew was still around 2.5m tall (8 feet) showing the huge growth potential in the genetics. Growth was impressive throughout bloom and the buds grew in size and resin coverage as flowering continued. The grower commented:
We are having a lovely warm September. Plants are developing sweet buds and looking awesome. We got some netting to stabilise them before wind and rain comes.
Some of the final blooms looked to be around 40-50cm in length (15 inches+). October weather wasn’t so kind, with cooler/wetter conditions.
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The cannabis flowering phase
The grower commented “The plants are well acclimatised and had no issues at all”. Final dry yield wasn’t given but would have been several hundred grams from both plants. A solid result from a back-garden grow, especially with these quality levels.
The grower awarded Durban Dew a 9/10 rating. Easy and uncomplicated to grow with great outdoor toughness. Smoke quality was excellent. The only factor preventing a perfect 10/10 rating was the fact that harvest was a week or two later than would have been preferred.
If you have a private corner of a garden or greenhouse and fancy producing a few hundred grams of quality weed from it, then Durban Dew is a solid and reliable choice.
Guerrilla growers also find Durban Dew has the resilient, maintenance-free qualities needed for a top-performing outdoor grow in the wild. Many repeat growers claim the quality/potency is on a par with their indoor strains, and the huge yields are a great bonus for outdoor growers.
