The Girl Scout Cookies strain (now most commonly known as GSC) is a staple strain across the United States. Euphoric and full of flavor, there’s a reason Girl Scout Cookies won 6 awards between 2013 and 2016.
These include 4th place for the Sativa award at the Karma Cup 2015, 2nd place for the Hybrid award at the High Times Cannabis Cup 2013, and 1st place for the Most THC award at the Santa Cruz Cup 2013.
Most recommended for use in the evenings, the strain’s quality is regarded by many as the best on the market, with a taste most similar to the Thin Mints variety of actual girl scout cookies.
Strains with which Girl Scout Cookies have the most in common include GG4 (also known as Gorilla Glue, or Gorilla Glue #4), Sour Diesel (also known as Sour D, or Sour Deez), Amnesia Haze, and Lemon OG (also known as Lemon OG Kush).
The following is all you need to know about the Girl Scout Cookies strain, including its genetics and origin, its appearance, flavor and aroma, its cannabinoids and terpenes, its side effects and medical benefits, as well as its cultivation process.
Strain History
The following is all that’s publicly known about GSC’s genetics and origins.
Genetics
Historically there have been many myths surrounding the genetics of Girl Scout Cookies.
Some believe that the strain is a hybrid of the Cherry Pie strain, but there is far more evidence to suggest that Girl Scout Cookies was created via the breeding of the world famous Florida OG Kush strain (which is reportedly itself a cross between Chemdawg and Hindu Kush) and the F1 Durban Poison strain (of Afghan landrace descent). It’s an indica heavy strain; 60% indica, and 40% sativa.
Thanks to its worldwide renown, there are now many variations of Girl Scout Cookies on the market.
These include Thin Mint (also known as Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, or Thin Mint GSC), and Platinum GSC (also known as, you guessed it, Platinum Girl Scout Cookies, or PGSC), the latter of which is considered the next evolution of Girl Scout Cookies.
Direct children of Girl Scout Cookies include GMO Cookies (also known as GMO Garlic Cookies), and Sherbert (also known as Sherbert OG and Sunset Sherbert).
Origin
Girl Scout Cookies is known by some as Berner’s Cookies, or Berner Cookies, after rapper turned cannabis mogul Berner (real name Gilbert MIllam Jr).
Berner owns an increasingly mainstream weed collective known as Cookie Fam (or Cookie Family). Cookie Fam, based out of the West Coast, also created Sherbert (a child of Girl Scout Cookies), Gelato, and Cherry Pie.
Berner managed to shoot Girl Scout Cookies to stardom after getting the product into the hands of popular rapper Wiz Khalifa.
Strain Appearance
In terms of its appearance, Girl Scout Cookies tends to be a mix of purple, gray and green colors, with bright orange hairs.
Due to its thick layer of trichomes, the strain appears particularly frosty, often seeming almost silver once fully flowered. The flowers are very dense, but small, and very lacking in leaves compared to other strains.
It’s worth noting that GSC’s appearance can sometimes vary.
Strain Flavor
If you somehow hadn’t guessed already, the Girl Scout Cookies strain does indeed have flavors reminiscent of girl scout cookies, particularly a favorite among Americans, the Thin Mints.
Although this means it’s got both chocolate and mint tones, calling it a sweet strain would be a stretch. There’s certainly some undertones of sweet hiding in there, but its flavor profile is mostly dark and somewhat skunky, bringing to mind one of its parents, OG Kush.
In fact, most people who enjoy OG Kush (or other strains similar to OG Kush, such as Bubba Kush) tend to enjoy Girl Scout Cookies.
Other reported flavors include lemon, earthy, and sweet cherry.
Strain Aroma
In terms of the strain’s aroma, the primary smell is particularly skunky, but there’s hints of mint, as well as some earthy undertones, in there as well.
Strain Cannabinoids
The cannabinoids of a strain are the naturally occurring compounds found within cannabis. The most abundant of these is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the primary psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis.
The Girl Scout Cookies strain packs a fair punch, with an average THC level sitting in the mid 20’s. Its highest tested THC level is a whopping 28%! As with many other strains with a high THC count, its CBD (cannabidiol) levels and CBN (cannabinol) levels tend to be 1% or lower.
Strain Terpenes
A strain’s terpenes are the aromatic compounds found within many plants. These are most commonly associated with cannabis plants, because they contain such high concentrations of terpenes. It’s the terpenes that provide the strain with its aromas.
In the case of Girl Scout Cookies, the primary terpene is caryophyllene, which brings out peppery aromas, followed by myrcene (which brings out herbal aromas, and is the most common terpene found in cannabis), and limonene (which brings out citrus scents).
Strain Side Effects
When planning to use a strain as strong as this one, it’s important to be aware of just how hard the high might hit you. And in this case, it’s… pretty hard!
Thanks to its considerable levels of THC, even a small dose of Girl Scout Cookies will result in a strong wave of euphoria. Paired with a substantial couch lock (which is exactly as it sounds), this is a high best suited to either an evening or a lazy day off. Expect giggles, introspection, and increased appetite.
It’s also likely you’ll be hit by a surge of creativity- but good luck getting off that couch and actually doing something with it!
As with the positives of a strain, it’s also important to be aware of the potential negative side effects. Nothing drastic with Girl Scout Cookies; just dry mouth and dry eyes (which can be easily remedied by drinking some water), and in some instances, mild dizziness.
Medical Benefits
As with many strains that are high in THC, Girl Scout Cookies also has its medical benefits. It’s a great way to treat all kinds of physical pain, be it temporary or permanent.
GSC has been reported as helping with inflammation, muscle tension, and cramps. Its powerful sedative effects are also very efficient when it comes to dealing with stress.
You’re also likely to get the best sleep you’ve had in years, so it’s certainly worth a shout in regards to tackling insomnia.
Strain Review
There’s a reason Girl Scout Cookies is so beloved amongst the cannabis community. Its flavor profile and aroma will have you craving the real thing (craving most foods, probably), and its high will have you simultaneously sinking through the couch and flying to the moon.
Strain Grow Info
Girl Scout Cookies is not the easiest strain to cultivate, but with the right amount of knowledge and care, it’s also not the trickiest. It ranks somewhere in the middle, in terms of difficulty.
Luckily, we’ve got all the knowledge you’ll need right here (the ‘care’ part’s in your hands, though- we’re just writing here!).
Strain Seeds
The Girl Scout Cookies strain is available as seeds.
Strain Flowering Time
The strain can be cultivated both indoors (with a flowering time of 67 days) and outdoors. If growing outdoors, though, the environment must be plenty warm- in a Mediterranean climate, Girl Scout Cookies will flourish.
Indoors, it’s recommended that Girl Scout Cookies is grown via hydroponic methods. Hydroponic weed is essentially weed that’s grown not in soil, but in highly oxygenated water which has been enriched with the required nutrients.
Until not too long ago it was believed that growing weed via these methods was inherently expensive and complicated; exclusive to commercial cultivation.
For a basic hydroponic setup, though, there’s really not that much to it. As long as you’re providing the plants with enough water, and are giving it the attention that all weed strains require, there should be no big issues.
Compared to other strains with high THC levels, Girl Scout Cookies is surprisingly resistant to pests and mildew, but you should be keeping an eye out for these things anyway.
It also has a relatively low need for fertilizer, so once everything is set up, there’s not a whole lot of maintenance required. Grown indoors or outdoors, its full height is average, though sometimes it’s a good deal smaller than most cannabis strains.
On average, the Girl Scout Cookies strain takes between 9 and 10 weeks to flower, which is considered the average length amongst other strains. Harvest should be expected around mid-October.
Strain Yield
All the work will have been well worth it, as each Girl Scout Cookies plant tends to yield up to 60 grams during harvest, or between half an ounce to 1 ounce per square foot.
This website will serve as the ultimate guide and record for various different cannabis strains that are available, from melon gum and golden goat, to wookie and hog strains. There is so much to learn about each strain, and each has its own benefits and medicinal properties.
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