About the writer:

Kyle is a leading voice in the cannabis industry with over 30 years of experience as a cultivator, breeder, writer, and educator. His collaborations have earned him 13 Cannabis Cups, including 3 for Best Flower. He has pioneered super cropping techniques that maximize yields and revolutionized the way people tend to their plants. Kyle is a leading voice in the fight for cannabis legalization and education and continues to contribute significantly to the movement. He remains a key figure in the cannabis community and is dedicated to helping people become better home growers through his teachings.

Hey everyone, it’s Kyle Kushman here. My name is pretty much synonymous with the Strawberry Cough cultivar. Many people think that I invented it. Well, guess what? They’re wrong.

Sure, I’m the one who made it famous as I drove from New York to California, but the credit for actually creating it goes to someone else.

I’m going to give you the whole story now. Then I’ll tell you how the humble clone became a feminized seed.

Then when I’ve got you all excited about getting your hands on your own Strawberry Cough seeds, I’ll tell you how to grow them effectively.

Ok, are you ready? We have lots to talk about. Let me introduce you to the Queen of the Sativas.

Around the year 2000, I was starting to make a name for myself in the 420 community, and it was common for people to want to meet me and show me their growing areas.

A friend of mine had an acquaintance in Bridgeport, Connecticut, who he said was dying to meet me. We were a bit baked at the time but made the trek there from New York City.

The guy was super excited; he couldn’t wait to show me around and led us down to his basement. I have to tell you, it was the saddest-looking garden I’d seen in my life (to that point).

He offered us a cultivar called Strawberry Cough to try. I couldn’t tell you if I got any unique buzz from it at the time — remember, I was already half-baked. But I never say no when I’m offered a smoke.

We chatted for a while, and I cheered him on. As we were leaving, he handed me a dixie cup with a tiny clone in it. He said it was the one we’d just smoked. I wanted to be courteous, so I put it in a brown paper bag, placed it on the floor of my car, and drove it home.

My plan, as soon as I got home, was to toss it away. So I took it out of the bag, and suddenly I went, “no way!” No lie, the bag smelled like a sack full of strawberries. I knew at that moment that I was going to grow more of this.

Two years later, Strawberry Cough was the #1 delivered cultivar in the NYC area.

Now, most of you know that in 2004, I relocated from New York to California, where cannabis was legal, and I didn’t have to quake with fear every time I harvested a crop. I loaded up a rented Buick Park Avenue Ultra with a trunk full of clones and drove across the country.

Along the way, I handed out clones of Strawberry Cough, and a legend was made! That’s why everyone associates me with it.

It came from a basement in Connecticut, and now it’s ranked in the top 40 strongest strains of all time and won ‘Best Flower in the State’ at the 2013 cannabis Cup.

As the name suggests, the most well-known of the Strawberry Cough effects is the onset of a coughing fit.

It even featured in the movie Children of Men. Michael Cain’s character tells Clive Owen’s character to take a toke and then “cough.” He does and looks at him with a “so, what” expression. Michael Caine then says, “You taste strawberries, right?” And points to a plant behind him, “That’s Strawberry Cough.”

A few years ago, the guy from Bridgeport, who turned out to be one of the several who claims to have made it, got back in touch with me, and he told me that he knew, on that day, that great things would come from handing me that clone. He was right!

For years Strawberry Cough could only be grown if you had a clone of the plant. Over the years, every time it would get cloned, it’d lose a bit of its pep.

Homegrown Cannabis Co. decided to cross the clone with itself and create a seed. The Strawberry Cough Feminized seed is as close to the original as you can get. And it gets my stamp of approval.

Now you know how easy it is to get your hands on some seeds; it’s time to get growing!

Growing Strawberry Cough seeds requires a few key steps to ensure a successful and healthy growth. Look, anybody can have a go at it, but it’s better left to those with a bit of experience. You’ll find out why shortly.

Here’s a general guide to help you get started:

Place the Strawberry Cough seeds in a damp paper towel or seedling starter mix in a warm, dark location. Check on them daily and keep the medium moist until you see the seeds sprout.

You can expect them to pop in at little as 24 hours. If nothing happens after seven days, you might have a dud seed, so try with another.

Once your seeds have sprouted, it’s time to plant them in a suitable growing medium. Use high-quality potting soil or coco coir with perlite for good drainage. You can also add some organic compost or worm castings to provide nutrients.

Strawberry Cough plants require plenty of light to grow and thrive. Provide at least 18 hours of light per day using a high-quality LED grow lamp or natural sunlight. Keep the temperature between 65-80°F during the day and slightly cooler at night.

Water your Strawberry Cough plants when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot.

Strawberry Cough is a heavy feeder. Be sure to give her plenty of nutrients, especially a nitrogen-based fertilizer from vegetation right up to the 4th week of flowering. Watch out, though; she’s been known to double in size once flowering starts.

The Strawberry Cough grow time in vegetation is around 8-10 weeks. After that, it’s time to flip the lights so your plants can begin to flower. Reduce the light cycle to 12 hours per day to promote bud development.

These techniques are where novices may struggle a little. Strawberry Cough plants tend to grow tall and bushy, so pruning and training can help maximize yields and prevent overcrowding.

Remove any dead or yellowing leaves and use techniques like topping, trimming, or low-stress training (LST) to control the height and shape of your plants.

To avoid shocking the plants, don’t perform all the LSTs in one go. Do them gradually throughout the flowering phase.

Harvest your plants when the trichomes turn cloudy or amber in color; the average flowering time is around 10–11 weeks.

Here’s something fun to do, rub the stem with your fingers, then raise them to your nose. Can you smell strawberries?

Once the plants have matured, cut them at the bottom. Drying should take no longer than two weeks. And the best way to achieve this is to hang the plants whole upside down until the branches snap at the bud sites.

Don’t forget to cure the Strawberry Cough buds after drying. Place them into airtight jars and burp them daily for around the first two weeks. If you’d like a bit more potency, it won’t hurt to leave them for an extra week.

There it is! The true story of Strawberry Cough. What started in a sad little basement in Connecticut is now a 420 classic.

No, I didn’t invent it. But, if I hadn’t passed the clones out to all my friends en route to California, I doubt it’d be as famous as it is today.

Now, thanks to Homegrown Cannabis Co. turning my little clones into top-shelf feminized seeds, you too can grow Strawberry Cough.

Follow my instructions above, be generous with the nutrients, and be sure to prune and trim where appropriate.

If you don’t already, I’m convinced that in no time, you’ll love Strawberry Cough as much as I do.

Get Strawberry Cough Seeds Here!