How to Grow Sunset Sherbet
Sunset Sherbet is a colourful, award-winning indica hybrid that crosses Girl Scout Cookies with Pink Panties. A Cannabis Cup 2017 winner, it carries a smooth 15–19% THC, a sweet berry-and-citrus flavour and vivid sunset-purple buds, finishing in 8–10 weeks. It leans a heavy 80% indica, with a happy, chatty but settled character.
Its Cannabis Cup 2017 win is a mark of pedigree: Sunset Sherbet took the Girl Scout Cookies backbone and Pink Panties sweetness and turned them into one of the most recognisable modern hybrids, with a loud fruity aroma and striking colour. That award-winning quality is what makes it such a rewarding plant to grow.
Recommended Strains
Sunset Sherbet
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THC | 15% - 19% (Medium) |
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Type | Feminized |
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Yield | Low |
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Phenotype | 80% Indica / 20% Sativa |
Biscotti
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THC | 25% - 30% (High) |
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Type | Feminized |
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Yield | High |
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Phenotype | 80% Indica / 20% Sativa |
Because it is feminized, compact and forgiving, Sunset Sherbet is beginner-friendly despite its show-stopping genetics. You can see the full lineage and buy Sunset Sherbet seeds, or browse more of our award-winning cannabis seeds.
Strain Profile at a Glance
| THC | 15–19% (medium) |
|---|---|
| Lineage | Girl Scout Cookies x Pink Panties |
| Type | Feminized |
| Award | Cannabis Cup 2017 winner |
| Genetics | 80% Indica / 20% Sativa |
| Climate | Temperate |
| Flowering time | 8–10 weeks |
| Harvest | October (outdoors) |
| Height | 3.94 ft / 1.2 m |
| Yield | Low |
| Yield indoor | 0.66–0.82 oz/ft² (200–250 g/m²) |
| Yield outdoor | 19.4 oz/plant (550 g/plant) |
| Grow difficulty | Beginner-friendly |
| Flavors | Berry, Fruity, Lemon, Orange, Sweet |
| Effects | Happy, Relaxed, Talkative |
Promos & Deals
Climate and Where to Grow It
Sunset Sherbet suits a temperate climate with warm, mild days and a reliable season. Grown outdoors it finishes around October, so pick a region that stays warm and dry into autumn to let its resinous, colourful buds ripen fully before the damp arrives.
Its indica lean keeps the plant compact and bushy at just 1.2 m, which makes it easy to tuck into a small space, but the dense buds can trap moisture, so keep humidity moderate and the airflow steady through flowering. One of this strain’s signatures is its colour: cooler night-time temperatures in late flower bring out the vivid sunset-purple tones that give it its name.
Indoors it is happy at daytime temperatures around 68–80°F (20–27°C), with slightly cooler lights-off temperatures late in bloom to deepen the colour. A little space around the plant keeps light reaching the lower buds.
Growing Basics
As a feminized photoperiod strain, Sunset Sherbet gives you virtually all female plants, so there is no need to sex seedlings or remove males. That makes it simpler to run than regular seeds and a genuine fit for newer growers, even with such a decorated pedigree.
Run a vegetative stage under long days, usually 18 hours of light, then switch to a 12/12 light schedule to trigger flowering. Its compact, indica-leaning structure takes well to a little topping and low-stress training during veg, which spreads the canopy and helps this feminized plant make the most of its resinous colas.
Feeding Schedule (EC Guide)
Feed to the stage rather than the calendar, starting low and building up as the plant asks for more. The EC values below climb from a gentle seedling feed to a stronger bloom feed, then drop back for the flush.
| Stage | EC (mS/cm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seedling | 0.4–0.6 | Very light feed, focus on healthy root growth |
| Vegetative growth | 0.8–1.2 | Raise nitrogen gently under 18-hour days |
| Early flower | 1.2–1.4 | After the 12/12 flip, shift toward P and K |
| Full flower | 1.4–1.6 | Peak bloom feed while the colas fatten |
| Flush | 0.0–0.4 | Plain water for the final 1–2 weeks |
Flowering Time and Harvest
After the flip to 12/12, Sunset Sherbet flowers in 8–10 weeks. It is a lower-yielding plant indoors, returning 0.66–0.82 oz/ft² (200–250 g/m²), so it rewards quality, colour and flavour over sheer bulk, while a single outdoor plant can still bring in a solid 19.4 oz (550 g).
The strong indica lean builds dense, resinous, purple-tinged flowers. Harvest when most trichomes have turned cloudy with a few amber for the fullest, most relaxed expression, and give the plant a 1–2 week plain-water flush beforehand to clean up the final flavour. For the deepest sunset colour, let the late-flower nights run a little cool before you cut.
Drying and Curing
Dry whole plants or branches in a dark room at around 60°F (15–18°C) and 55–60% humidity for 7–14 days, until the thin stems snap rather than bend. A slow, even dry preserves both the resin and the purple colour, which matters a lot with a strain prized for its looks.
Then cure the trimmed buds in sealed jars, burping them daily for the first week and letting them settle for three to four weeks. A proper cure sharpens the berry-citrus top notes, brings out the sweetness and smooths the smoke, which is exactly what this Cannabis Cup winner deserves.
What to Do With Your Trim
Don’t bin the sugar leaves you remove while manicuring. Sunset Sherbet is a frosty, resin-coated plant, so the trim is great for dry sift, bubble hash or rosin, giving you a bonus run of concentrate from material most growers throw away.
Flavor and Terpenes
Sunset Sherbet tastes of sweet berry and fruit with bright lemon and orange notes on top, the vivid dessert-citrus profile that made it famous. It is a loud, mouth-watering aroma, fruity and sweet rather than earthy, which is a big part of its appeal.
Of its many terpenes, six lead the character: myrcene (a fruity, berry-like base), terpinolene (fresh, fruity-citrus lift), carene (a bright citrus-pine note), geranyl acetate (sweet, fruity-floral), linalool (soft floral sweetness) and caryophyllene (a peppery warmth underneath). Behind them sit humulene, phellandrene, pinene, eucalyptol and nerolidol, which round out the sweet, fruity, citrus profile; note that the lemon-orange brightness here comes from this terpene blend rather than from limonene.
Effects and Best Use
With its heavy 80% indica genetics, Sunset Sherbet is reported as happy, relaxed and talkative, a mellow, sociable character that lifts the mood while easing the body. It is a settled, body-forward experience rather than a racy one.
With its medium 15–19% THC it stays approachable rather than overwhelming, so it is easy to enjoy. Paired with its eye-catching sunset colour and loud berry-citrus flavour, this Cannabis Cup winner is as satisfying to grow and show off as it is to smoke. If you want more of its family, it sits among our kush-leaning Cookies crosses.
Common Problems and Pro Tips
Sunset Sherbet is an award-winning, forgiving grow, but it is a dense cookie indica chosen for quality over indoor bulk, so plan around that.
- Watch the humidity: as an 80% indica its cookie-style buds are dense and trap moisture, so keep flowering humidity down and run a fan to prevent bud rot.
- Use cool nights for colour: cooler late-flower nights bring out its sunset-purple tones, so a slight temperature drop deepens that colour if you want the look.
- Grow for quality indoors: its indoor yield is light, so give each plant good light and space, and it rewards you with sweet, fruity, resin-rich flower.
Expert tip: this Cannabis Cup winner lives on its sweet berry with bright lemon and orange. Dry slowly and cure in jars so those citrus-fruit terpenes hold up rather than fading after harvest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Sunset Sherbet won any awards?
Yes. Sunset Sherbet is a Cannabis Cup 2017 winner, a mark of its quality and one of the reasons it has become such a popular modern hybrid. That pedigree reflects how consistent and flavourful the plant is, and it is part of why its cookie-family genetics are so sought after.
Is Sunset Sherbet indica or sativa?
It is strongly indica-dominant, at 80% indica and 20% sativa, so the effect is relaxed and body-forward with a happy, chatty lift. That indica build also means dense, cookie-style buds that trap moisture, so keep humidity down and run a fan through the canopy as the plant fills out.
How long does Sunset Sherbet take to flower?
About 8 to 10 weeks after the flip to 12/12. Grown outdoors in a temperate climate it finishes around October. Its dense buds benefit from good airflow through that window, so keep a fan moving air across the canopy, and cooler late-flower nights help bring out its purple colour.
Why do the buds turn purple?
Cooler night-time temperatures in late flower bring out the sunset-purple tones that give the strain its name. A cool finish deepens the colour. The colour is cosmetic rather than a sign of potency, so chase cooler nights only if you want the look, and judge ripeness by the trichomes instead.
What does Sunset Sherbet taste like?
Expect sweet berry and fruit with bright lemon and orange notes, driven by its myrcene, terpinolene, carene and geranyl acetate terpenes. Those citrus-fruit notes fade with heat, so dry slowly in a cool, dark space and cure in jars to keep that fresh, sweet character after harvest.
How much does Sunset Sherbet yield?
It is a lower producer indoors, at 0.66 to 0.82 oz/ft² (200 to 250 g/m²), but a single outdoor plant can still reach a solid 19.4 oz (550 g) in a good season. That gap means it rewards a sunny outdoor spot, while indoors it is grown more for quality than for bulk.
