Northern Lights #5 IBL

These Northern Lights #5 seeds were received directly from Seattle Greg, who is the same gentleman that sent the Northern Lights seed collection to Nevil and The Holland Seed Bank in 1984, by Todd McCormick of Authentic Genetics.

These seeds are an IBL reproduction from Greg’s old 1980’s NL#5 seeds.

The plants were all amazing, any of them could have been considered “keepers”. Resin production is high, the scent is absolutely old-school and brings me back to the 80’s when I first started growing.

About Northern Lights

Northern Lights cannabis varietal, also known as NL, is a very well-known varietal ever since the early 1980’s. Its unique flavor along with its unrivaled smoking experience and high helped Northern Lights gain popularity around the globe, and for going on four decades.

Other than G-13, no other indica dominant plant has become as notorious as NL.

Bred in the Pacific Northwest on an island near Seattle, WA by a man known as The Indian, the early cultivars of Northern Lights were pure created from pure indicas from Afghanistan. Subsequent hybrid variations of this iconic plant included genetics from Thai Sativa, a well known sativa dominant landrace from Thailand. It is from these genetics that NL blossomed its flavor profile to be a bit more fruity, and also accounts for its borderline psychedelic high that the plant is known for these days.

Once in a while a Thai leaning phenotype pops up, giving us the gentle reminder of the underlying lineage that produced the world’s most famous cannabis variety.

As the story goes, there were 11 plants grown that were tagged as Northern Lights. They were numbered #1 through #11, naturally. The plant labelled as #5 was by far the best performer, with #1 close behind as the secondary favorite.

Around 1985, the plants were being grown by Nevil Schoenmaker of the Holland based The Seed Bank. How Nevil acquired these genetics is allegedly a mystery, though it is rumored that he received the NL female plants as clones. Though this is directly refuted by Seattle Greg and Todd McCormick, as they state Greg sent seeds to Nevil in ’84.

Shortly after this time, new cultivars began to appear under the NL namesake. It is believed that he began crossing breeding NL with some Afghani male pollen he had, but this section of the history is hazy, as the males were allegedly not labeled as to their origins, so it is unclear if they were actual NL male plants or Afghani male plants that made it to production.

NL #1 was later described as the genetic variation that no longer contained the Thai Sativa genetics, and was a true indica inbred lineage. NL #2 is believed to be the beginning of the inclusion of the sativa genetics. Today, NL #2 is a cross between NL#1 and Hindu Kush, and is called Oasis, currently bred by Dutch Passion.

Northern Lights #5 has been a seminal varietal that has been used in many hybridization projects. It has been crossed with Skunk #1 and called Shiva Skunk. It was used in the creation of Jack Herrer’s namesake genetics by crossing NL, Skunk, and Haze. Jack was used to create the ever popular Cinderalla 99.

Through all this confusion, it is good to know that this limited drop of Northern Lights #5 seeds have come from old seed stock directly from Nevil, and will be the closest to the original #5 genetics of any source out there.

These seeds are sold as souvenirs, and we do urge you to keep in mind your local laws and regulations when it comes to cannabis cultivation. These seeds contain less than 0.3% THC, and are considered a hemp product under the 2018 Farm Bill. They will come in a sealed mylar pouch. For long term storage, it is advised to store with a desiccant in a cool, dark place with lower humidity.