Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto Takes 2nd Place at the American Autoflower Cup 2025

Sweet Power, Purple Fire - 2nd best Auto Hybrid by Fast Buds

When the smoke cleared at Be True LA, and the lights hit those glistening jars one last time, there was one name that echoed through the crowd - Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto™ by Fast Buds, grown to perfection by John Huckins. 

Taking 2nd Place at the 2025 American Autoflower Cup, this entry wasn’t just another win for Fast Buds; it was proof that autoflowers can combine high art, high potency, and high yield in one stunning plant. Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto was their latest flex - a genetic symphony, sensory overload, and visual seduction.

A Modern Classic in Motion

If there was ever a strain that captured the evolution of autos - this is it. Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto is 70% Indica, 30% Sativa, and it behaves like a masterclass in balance. She finishes in just 8 weeks from seed, hitting up to 550g/m² indoors, and standing proud at about 1.2 meters. Yet, it’s her aesthetic and aroma that draw growers in like gravity.

Her buds? The stuff of legend. Rock-solid, heavy, and sugar-coated like the universe’s stickiest confection. As Fast Buds’ ambassador Sebastian Good describes it:

“All those trichomes look like sparkling stars on a purple night sky. Everything about Lemon Cherry Cookies is outstanding. She’s potent, beautiful, and smells like citrus and cherry crashed into a cookie dough factory.” The terpene mix is a full sensory trip - candied cherry jam meets fresh-squeezed lemon and baked dough with a gentle funk beneath."

The Grow: Skill Meets Passion

For John Huckins, this win was a statement of experience and patience - the result of years perfecting his approach with autos. His Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto bloomed into a visual spectacle of deep purple hues, fiery orange pistils, and resin thick enough to paint with.

For those who crave balance, Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto delivers the full-spectrum experience. Expect a happy, limonene-driven head rush up front, melting into a deep, relaxing Indica body stone that settles tension without dulling creativity. The high feels clean, euphoric, and heavy in just the right way - a strain designed for those who know what they’re smoking.

“When I hung it to dry, my scissors were red with resin,” he shared with a grin. “It’s one of those plants that’s so pretty, you almost don’t want to trim it. Like walking through a candy shop - dense, sticky, and just unbelievable in the bag.”

His pheno ran 55 to 60 days, finishing faster than expected, yet yielding over 65 grams per plant with quality that made jaws drop. The oily texture of the buds - that mix of stickiness and sheen - became his personal mark of success. “It grows quick, it grows strong, it looks insane, and it stinks in the best way possible. You touch it, and your fingers are slippery but tacky. That’s when you know it’s right.”

Sebastian adds from his side of the tent:

“She handles stress like a champ. Even if you harvest her late, she just keeps packing on weight. Open up her canopy with a bit of low-stress training and she’ll reward you with golf ball-sized buds all the way down.”
The grow is intuitive - short internodes, thick stems, and plenty of airflow if you defoliate lightly. Drop the temps in late flower, and she responds with those blackberry-purple tones that made her one of the visual icons of this year’s Cup.

The High: Citrus and Velvet

Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto hits like a paradox - bright and euphoric up front, deep and grounding as it unfolds. The limonene dominance brings an initial rush, a smile-before-you-realize-it lift that clears your head and sharpens the senses. But then comes the Indica wave, heavy yet peaceful, like a velvet blanket settling across your shoulders.

Sebastian put it simply:

“I love indicas with a good amount of limonene because that terpene gives you that first spark before the calm takes over. She’s got that exact rhythm - the boost, the float, the melt.”
It’s the kind of strain you can share with anyone - a friend after work, a medical user looking for tension relief, or a grower admiring their own craft. The effect is confidence in plant form: sweet, strong, satisfying.

Fast Buds: The Community’s Champion

The American Autoflower Cup is where legends are tested. With their genetics, Fast Buds took home multiple trophies across flower and hash categories, and earning the community’s vote as Best Autoflower Breeder 2025. This showed what’s possible when innovation meets authenticity.

Their philosophy has always been simple: autos that perform, inspire, and connect growers worldwide. From Banana Purple Punch to Ztrawberriez Auto, and now Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto, every strain tells the same story - dedication to evolution, precision, and passion.

With seedbanks like Fast Buds pushing limits, and growers like John Huckins, James Ziegler, Sebastian or Dereck San Miguel - proving that mastery comes from love as much as skill, the future of cannabis cultivation looks brighter - and stickier - than ever.

Be sure that you will witness the most important autoflowers competition in the US on January 31st! 

Book your spot on Eventbrite and spread the word! The tickets are flying!