How to Grow Cheese

Cheese is an indica-dominant feminized strain (60% indica), a classic cross of Skunk #1 and Afghani. A multiple award winner, with cups from Cannabis Cup 2008 through Spannabis and the Emerald Cup 2022, it carries a 14 to 18% THC level, a pungent cheese, skunk and spicy flavor, and a deeply soothing, munchie-inducing and deeply relaxing effect. As a feminized strain it grows nothing but flowering females, so every seed goes toward your harvest. This guide walks you through the whole grow, from germinating the seeds to the final cure.

It is a tall, vigorous plant that can reach 3 m, flowers in 8 to 10 weeks, and finishes outdoors in October. Legendary, forgiving and unmistakable on the nose, it is a rewarding grow as long as you give it the room its height demands.

Recommended Strains

Cheese

	THC	14% - 18% (Medium)
	Type	Feminized
	Yield	Medium
	Phenotype	60% Indica / 40% Sativa

1 Seed - $17.503 Seeds - $426 Seeds - $659 Seeds - $8025 Seeds - $19550 Seeds - $320100 Seeds - $580 Add to cart

Badazz Cheese

	THC	15% - 20% (Medium)
	Type	Feminized
	Yield	High
	Phenotype	80% Indica / 20% Sativa

1 Seed - $17.503 Seeds - $426 Seeds - $659 Seeds - $8025 Seeds - $19550 Seeds - $320100 Seeds - $580 Add to cart

Cheese at a Glance

Before you plant anything, it helps to see the full picture in one place. Here is the quick profile for this tall, award-winning cheese indica, taken straight from the strain’s grow data.

These are feminized seeds, so you skip the guesswork of males and grow a full room of flowering females. Its 60% indica lean places it among the indica seeds, and its long trophy cabinet puts it firmly among the award-winning seeds. Forgiving genetics also make it a solid pick from the best seeds for beginners.

How to Germinate Cheese Seeds

A healthy harvest starts at germination. The paper towel method is hard to beat: fold the Cheese seeds inside two damp sheets, slide them between two plates, and keep them somewhere dark at 70 to 79°F. A taproot usually appears in two to five days.

Once the taproot is a few millimeters long, move each seed root-down about 1 cm deep into a small pot of light, airy medium. Keep it lightly moist rather than soaked, hold humidity around 65 to 70%, and give soft light while the first true leaves open. Its vigorous, Skunk-and-Afghani genetics make for a strong, dependable seedling, which is part of why it suits first-time growers.

Starter tips

• Use plain, lightly pH-balanced water (pH 5.5 to 6.5) for the first week.
• Keep seedlings warm and humid, but never waterlogged.
• Hold off on nutrients until the second set of serrated leaves appears.

Growing Cheese in the Vegetative Stage

As a photoperiod plant, you control the veg stage with the light schedule. Keep Cheese on 18 hours of light a day for as long as you want it to grow, aim for day temperatures of 68 to 79°F, and hold humidity around 50 to 60%. It suits a temperate climate, so steady, moderate conditions work in its favor. Be ready for its size: with its Skunk heritage it is a tall plant that can push to 3 m, so plan the space before it stretches.

This is the stage to get the height under control. Topping the plant early and using low-stress training to bend the branches outward keeps it shorter and wider, which is far easier to manage indoors and spreads light across the whole canopy. Even as a beginner-friendly strain, that early training is what turns its tall frame into an even, productive plant rather than one leggy cola.

Flowering and Buds of Cheese

Indoors, flip Cheese to a 12/12 light cycle to trigger flowering, which runs 8 to 10 weeks. Outdoors it ripens in October. As an indica-dominant plant it fills out with dense, chunky colas, though its Skunk side keeps plenty of stretch after the flip, so keep training it early.

Through bloom, drop humidity to 40 to 45% and keep air moving so the thick buds stay dry and mold-free. The flowers build the unmistakable Cheese aroma: a pungent, tangy cheese funk over a skunky base with a spicy edge, the profile that made it famous.

At 14 to 18% THC it runs from the low range into the medium range, giving a deeply soothing, munchie-inducing and deeply relaxing effect, a heavy, mellow, evening kind of feel.

Common Problems and Pro Tips

Cheese is a forgiving grow, but its height, dense buds and famously loud aroma point to a few things worth watching.

• Manage the height: at up to 3 m it needs space and early training, so top it and tie down the branches to keep it indoor-friendly.
• Protect the dense buds: its chunky indica colas can trap moisture, so keep humidity down and air moving in late flower to avoid mold.
• Control the smell: its pungent cheese-skunk nose is one of the loudest around, so a carbon filter is essential indoors.

Expert tip: that famous cheese funk rewards a clean, slow finish. Train for an even canopy early, then dry and cure patiently so the tangy cheese and skunk hold their signature punch.

Aroma, Flavor and Effects

The nose is loud and unmistakable: a pungent, tangy cheese funk over a skunky base, with a spicy edge. It is the bold, savory profile that made Cheese a legend, nothing sweet or fruity about it.

The flavor follows the nose, tangy cheese and skunk with a spicy finish on the exhale. On the effect side it is deeply soothing, munchie-inducing and deeply relaxing, a heavy, mellow feel that suits winding down. Because THC runs a gentle 14 to 18%, it stays approachable rather than overwhelming.

Dominant terpenes

Cheese carries a pungent, savory terpene profile. Caryophyllene drives the warm, peppery spice, Humulene adds a hoppy, cheesy funk, and Myrcene lays down a soft, skunky base. Borneol brings an earthy, camphor-like note, Eucalyptol a cool freshness, and Phellandrene a peppery-herbal lift. A supporting cast of Pinene, Phytol and Valencene rounds out its cheese, skunk, spicy character.

Nutrient Schedule

Treat the figures below as a starting map, not a rulebook. As a vigorous indica Cheese is a steady feeder, so read the plant first: tip burn means back off, while pale, slow growth means it wants a little more. All values use EC.

Keep the pH around 6.0 to 6.5 in soil and 5.5 to 6.0 in hydro so the roots can actually take up what you feed.

What to Do With Your Trim: Extracts and Hash

Cheese builds a good coat of resin, so its trim is worth keeping rather than tossing. The sugar leaves you take off while manicuring hold trichomes and suit Ice Water Hash, where cold water and agitation separate the resin heads into a clean, solventless concentrate. Pressing that hash into rosin keeps the tangy cheese flavor intact, or you can run a solvent extraction if that is your setup. The bare stems will not extract, but chopped and composted they feed organic matter back into the soil for your next grow.

Harvesting, Drying and Curing Cheese

Timing the harvest comes down to the trichomes. Grab a loupe and watch the heads turn from clear to milky white; a scattering of amber signals peak ripeness. Indoors this lands 8 to 10 weeks after the flip, and outdoors the plants are ready in October.

After the cut, hang the branches in a dark room at 59 to 68°F with humidity near 50% and gentle air movement. Slow beats fast: drying over 10 to 14 days protects the cheese, skunk and spicy aromas that define this strain. When the small stems snap instead of bending, move the buds into jars.

Cure in sealed glass, opening the jars daily for the first week to let moisture escape, then easing off as the aroma deepens. Two to four weeks of patience here is where that signature tangy cheese really comes together, and it is the step most growers rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

What awards has Cheese won?

Cheese has a long trophy cabinet, including a Cannabis Cup win in 2008, multiple Spannabis cups in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and an Emerald Cup in 2022. That run of awards across more than a decade is a strong sign of its consistent quality and its enduring, unmistakable cheese character.

How tall does Cheese grow?

Cheese is a tall strain that can reach 3 m, thanks to its Skunk heritage, so it needs real vertical space. Top it early and use low-stress training to bend the branches outward, which keeps it shorter and wider and far easier to manage in an indoor tent.

How long does Cheese take to flower?

Cheese flowers in 8 to 10 weeks once you switch it to a 12/12 light cycle indoors. Grown outdoors, it is ready in October. As an indica-dominant plant it fills out with dense colas, though its Skunk side keeps some stretch after the flip, so train it early.

Is Cheese good for beginners?

Yes, Cheese is a beginner-friendly feminized strain with vigorous, forgiving genetics. The one thing new growers should plan for is its height, up to 3 m, so start topping and training early, plus a carbon filter for its loud aroma. Beyond that, it is a resilient, low-fuss plant.

How strong is Cheese?

Cheese has a THC level of 14 to 18%, which runs from the low range into the medium range. The effect is deeply soothing, munchie-inducing and deeply relaxing, a heavy, mellow, evening kind of feel. Because it is gentle on potency, it stays approachable for newer growers and smokers.

What does Cheese taste like?

Cheese leads with a pungent, tangy cheese funk over a skunky base, finished with a spicy edge, the bold savory profile that made it a legend. It is not sweet or fruity. Both the aroma and flavor deepen noticeably as the buds cure slowly after harvest.