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Described as a “state of the art indoor indica”, Northern Lights became a house hold name after making its way from the Pacific North West to the Netherlands, where it arrived in the possession of Nevil Schoenmakers, owner of The Seed Bank, Holland’s first cannabis seed company and the original “King of Cannabis”. According to Jorge Cervantes, a long time writer for High Times magazine, Northern Lights was originally bred by a man known as “The Indian” on an Island near Seattle, Washington in the United States of America. In Jorge’s version of events detailing the history of Northern Lights there were a total of eleven seeds held by “The Indian” that were labeled Northern Lights #1 through Northern Lights # 11. Among the eleven Northern Lights plants, Northern Lights #5 is said to have been the best of the group with Northern Lights #8 and #1 said to have been of above average quality as well. Described as a 70 day variety indoors which finishes by October in the Northern Hemisphere outdoors, Cervantes’ description of Northern Lights states that is primarily an Afghani Indica which was hybridized with a Thai sativa. Described as very stable, with a piney taste and a THC percentage of over 15% this description has become synonymous with reports of Northern Lights the world over. With a very favorable flower to leaf ratio, it is described as having a purple tinge to the leaves late in the flowering cycle.
According to Sam the Skunk Man, Northern Lights originated near Seattle, Washington (with origins said to be ultimately out of California according to Sam) and arrived in the Netherlands in clone form only in 1985. Available exclusively from Nevil at The Seed Bank, it was quickly hybridized with many outstanding varieties in their own right and marketed to customers across the globe. Said to be the most resinated variety known at the time, by some accounts at least 70 varieties of cannabis were hybridized with Northern Lights or Northern Light derivatives by the mid 1990’s alone. Northern Light hybrids quickly dominated the High Times Cannabis Cup (HTCC) festivals, taking first place in the 2nd, 6th and 7th annual HTCC competitions respectively. With the pure F1 Northern Lights #5 cut winning the 3rd annual HTCC competition. The Seed Banks 1987 catalogue listed several Northern Lights varieties, including (Northern Lights #1 x Big Bud) x Big Bud, Hash Plant x Northern Lights #1, G13 x Northern Lights #2 F-1 hybrid, Northern Lights #1, Haze x Northern Lights #1 F- 1 hybrid, (Hash Plant x Northern Lights #1) x Swazi, Northern Lights #5 x Skunk #1 F-1 hybrid and a wonderful photograph by ganja guru Ed Rosenthal of the original Northern Lights #5 cutting. The Northern Lights #1 variety is described as a “true breeding Afghani, with extreme indica characteristics. These are short, stocky plants, with leathery, dark green, extremely broad leaves. The stems are very strong, and it is easy to clone.” Indoors, the yield was approximated at 1000 grams per 100 days. Outdoors, two pounds was not out of the question. This variety is described as having an approximate finishing time of 55 days, while indoors reaching heights approaching 50 inches, outdoors one could expect five to seven feet by the end of the season. The description went on to state the Northern Lights #1 is “very vigorous and cold resistant,” being “resinous, potent, and sweet, not nasty and acrid like some Afghanis.” The very first Big Bud hybrids were also marketed in Nevils 1987 The Seed Bank catalog. A three fourths Big Bud variety, (Northern Lights #1 x Big Bud) x Big Bud, the hybridization with the Northern Lights line was expected to create “super plants” that increased both the yield and overall quality of the original Big Bud line. Interestingly, the mention of subsequent Big Bud hybrids to follow, including Big Bud x Northern Lights #2 (Hindu Kush) as well as “a 4-way hybrid of (Big Bud x NL#1) x (Skunk #1 x Early Girl) was mentioned as well. The G13 x Northern Lights #2 F-1 hybrid was described as a variety that “really fizzed, producing an excellent yield of fat, sweet buds. The pungent sweetness of the NL #2 really came through in this blend, adding a touch of Thai fruitiness to the full-bodied Indica aroma.” The Hash Plant x Northern Lights #1 F-1 hybrid was developed using “the best Northern Lights #1 males,” which was said to attribute to this varieties particular unique characteristics. Described as producing among the strongest narcotic effects known from cannabis varieties at the time, this variety finished remarkably fast in approximately 45 days. The Haze x Northern Lights #1 F-1 hybrid was described as, “the most reliable haze hybrid so far, and is our favorite smoke. It is a bit stretchy and difficult to grow, but well worth it.” The Haze is described as being a Sativa variety from the United States, which was quite popular and common in the 1970s. The Seed Bank is said to have “managed to salvage a few viable seeds from the last crop grown in America, and we have used them to produce some remarkable hybrids.” The (Hash Plant x Northern Lights #1) x Swazi is a three way hybrid in which, “the sweet, fresh, piney taste of Swazi” was combined with the powerful and high yielding Hash Plant x Northern Lights #1 variety. This variety is described as growing quite tall, at approximately seven to nine feet outdoors and yielding nearly two pounds come harvest time. The Northern Lights #5 x Skunk #1 variety is of course a legendary variety in its own right, a High Times Cannabis Cup winner described as being the plant recommended above all others. This variety has a “high-calyx-to-leaf ratio, (with) very little manicuring required.” This variety finished within a 55 day flowering period, with an estimated yield of one and a half to three pounds possible outdoors. In 1989, Nevil’s varieties found success in all five categories in route to putting on a truly dominant performance. The Seed Banks 1990 cannabis seed catalog is a treasure trove of information for the Northern Lights enthusiast.
Northern Lights #1 F3 is described as “one of the purest, most potent, most extreme Indica varieties in the world.” Described as a 40-45 variety with very broad, dark green leaves and an extremely resinated appearance, Northern Lights #1 F3 is a must for the amateur breeder and hobbyist. Northern Lights #2 F3 is a Hindu Kush dominant variety being “wonderfully potent but not devastating” with a pungency and sweetness found to be very intoxicating. Northern Lights #2 of course also being known as Oasis, a variety today offered by the Dutch Passion seed company, said to originally consist of a union between Northern Lights #1 and Hindu Kush. A description which would seem to match up with The Seed Banks 1990 description of their Northern Lights #2 F3. Said to be “surprisingly vigorous” despite its inbred status, also a 40-45 day variety, they weren’t kidding when they mentioned this was an absolute must for the connoisseur or collector. Northern Lights #5 x 2 was a hybrid made between the now infamous Northern Lights #5 cut and Northern Lights #2 (Northern Lights #1 x Hindu Kush). Said to be a variety ready in approximately 50 days, with a “juniper berry taste” and favorable resin production. Hashplant x Northern Lights #1 is said to have been one of the most powerful varieties ever encountered, with the Hashplant itself having origins in the Pacific North West of the United States. Coming in at around 45 days itself, this variety is said to have challenged even the most experienced smokers in Holland at the time at finishing a joint. G13 x Northern Lights #2 was also offered in The Seed Banks 1990 cannabis seed catalog and was described as carrying the pungency and sweetness of the Northern Lights #2 variety, with a typically higher yield with commercial potential. The potency was described and superb with equal resin production with a flowering time right around 50-55 days. Perhaps among the most famous of all Northern Lights hybrids, is the world renowned Northern Lights #5 x Haze. Quite possible the first variety with a warning label attached to the breeders’ description, “side effects may include nausea, dizziness, fainting, and loss of bowel and bladder control.” Whether through pranksters who wanted to humiliate their friends or hardcore stoners whose tolerance had reached epic proportions, Northern Lights #5 x Haze quickly became the talk of the town and won Cannabis Cups and praise from all corners of the globe.
The Haze in Northern Lights # 5 x haze was actually said to have been salvaged from the last Haze crop grown in the United States, and according to Sam the Skunk Man the general vicinity of which was Santa Cruz, California to be exact. The actual pedigree of Haze is somewhat of a debate, with Sam the Skunk Man claiming the Original Haze was a Mexican x Columbian variety, with Thai and south indian lines added later in the Hazes development and the Mr. Nice Camp, who possess the earliest known examples of Haze in the world, which are said to be Columbian x Thai primarily in origin dating back to 1969. Where even in the ideal conditions of the Californian climate the Haze was said to require green houses to finish, and in some cases never truly finished at all. Northern Lights x Haze is described as being at least a 75 day variety that usually translated into a 9-10 week flowering schedule roughly. Northern Lights #5 x Skunk # 1, also known as Shiva Skunk is said to have been one of the most reliable indoor hybrids possessed by Nevil’s The Seed Bank. Touted as a variety that is “a snap to grow” and one of the first varieties the novice grower should consider, scissors were said to not be required with this variety come harvest time with an expected flowering time right around 55 days. A more obscure Northern Lights variety listed in the 1990 The Seed Bank catalog was the Hash plant/Northern Lights #1 x Swazi, described as an indoor/outdoor cultivar that which was originally intended to be an outdoor strain only. This multiple hybrid variety is described as yielding sweet and chunky flowers, with a harvest time right around mid September. The Northern Lights #5 pedigree actually consists of Northern Lights #1 x Northern Lights #1 and efforts are already underway to revive this Queen of Queens by Shantibaba of Mr. Nice seeds (MNS) with seed stock from 1988 where the #5 cutting originated. By last report, a germination rate of approximately 50% was obtained (55 out of 80 seeds) after only two days. Contrary to previously published reports, there is no Thai lineage in the Mr. Nice Northern Lights lines which are the exact lines Neville was marketing in the mid to late 1980’s in The Seed Bank cannabis catalogs. The existence of Northern Lights # 9 x 5 has been speculated on for a number of years now, ultimately said to have went off the market upon The Seed Banks ultimate acquisition by Ben Dronkers at Sensi Seeds. The Sagarmatha seed company “has engineered a superior version of the Northern Lights legend” with their version of the Northern Lights # 9, which is a back cross between “Northern Lights X” and the old Sagarmatha Slyder.
Shortly after dominating the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1989, Nevil is said to have been visiting family back home in Perth, Australia in 1990 when he was apprehended by the authorities after making an appearance on the America’s Most Wanted. At the same time Operation Green Merchant is said to have been in full swing, with particular interest aimed at High Times magazine itself. It is said that Hightimes editor in chief Steven Hagar was subpoenaed to testify at Nevil’s trial, luckily however that never came to fruition. After spending some time incarcerated in a Western Australia jail, Nevil is said to have successfully defended his extradition to the United States with grounds for appeal being his dual citizenship status in both the Netherlands and Australia. Interestingly enough, it is also speculated Nevil escaped imprisonment and vanished, ultimately making his way back to Holland while remaining underground for quite sometime before re-emerging in the 21st century as a breeder and consultant with Mr. Nice Seeds, along side legendary hash smuggler Howard Marks and the honorable Shantibaba. Quite possibly the finest collection of Cannabis minds ever assembled, Mr. Nice seeds offers’ possibly the finest selection of cannabis genetics in the world today. With a great deal of the original The Seed Bank lines and many more recently crowned lines of divine and royal descent, such as the world famous original White Widow (now known as Black Widow), as well as the Great White Shark aka Peace Maker (now known as Shark Shock) and Medicine Man(formally known as White Rhino).
Consistencies in the Northern Lights oral history are that it originated from the Pacific North West region of the United States, quite possibly in the Seattle region of the state of Washington. From there the variety made its way to Nevil Schoenmakers at The Seed Bank in the Netherlands, where it was promptly bred with numerous hybrids and marketed the world over. From there the varieties reputation spread globally, with little question as to the validity of these parts of the story. Among the consumers best options on the market today are the Sensi Seeds Northern Lights variety and the Dutch Passion Oasis (Northern Lights #2). With news that the Northern Lights #5 line has resurfaced on Shantibaba’s agenda at Mr. Nice seeds, and the release of the MNS Northern Lights #5 x Haze in early 2009 hope has been instilled into the hearts of thousands of Northern Lights enthusiast the world over. Shortly before Nevil’s incarceration in Perth, Australia it was published that, “After 8 generations of selective breeding we are able to reproduce our Northern Lights #5 from seed. This is the breakthrough indoor and outdoor growers have been waiting for, for a long time. This current outdoor season will be devoted to mass-producing Northern Lights #5 seeds for the 1991 season. As a breeder I consider this to be my greatest achievement yet. Look for this one, it will change the world.” It is these very same Northern Lights varieties that were released all those years ago, which literally became famous world wide that Shantibaba at Mr. Nice seeds has exclusive access too, with the Northern Lights 5a still being in possession of the MNS team and future Northern Light releases looming in the future. There for my friends, there is truly hope in the world after all for Northern Lights enthusiast the world over. With Northern Lights being among the most prolific varieties of cannabis used in the modern breeding today, its little wonder why Northern Lights remains one of the most intriguing varieties of cannabis in modern times.
. Anyways ill check back and see if anyone has any advice for me!!
