Breeding History
Northern Lights is one of the most potent and well-known cannabis strains. Primarily of the indica family, Northern Lights is thought to have originated in Seattle, Washington.
The indica family of cannabis – sometimes called Cannabis Afghanica instead – originated in the Hindu Kush region, an area of the Middle East encompassing Turkey, Morocco, and Afghanistan. If a strain has the term “Kush” in its title, it is generally an indica-dominant type. Most indica-dominant plants produce dense and bulky buds rather than the sausage-shaped flowers of sativa strains.
Of the eleven original Northern Lights plants, numbered #1 through #11, #5 and #1 are considered the top selections and, together with #2, make up the only pure Northern Lights strains remaining. These strains are used to create a wide variety of hybrids.
The much-lauded Northern Lights #5 plant is prized for potency and diminished flowering time. Northern Lights #1 provides a fresh scent and good bud formation, while Northern Lights #2 (a Hindu Kush hybrid) offers pest resistance and increased hardiness.
After spending a few years in Holland, the newly perfected Northern Lights #5 took a prize at the 1989 Cannabis Cup and went on to win the High Times Cannabis Cup a year later. It has received numerous other awards since.
Read More: Types of cannabis: indica and sativa
Physical Appearance
Known to be fast-flowering and resilient, Northern Lights generally tops out at 4 or 5 feet high (this shorter stature is common to indica breeds). The strain is identifiable by dark green, wide-fingered leaves, a large number of purple-tinted flowers, and high yield. Unlike some strains, the buds of Northern Lights plants protrude in all directions.
Growing
A good choice for planting from seed, Northern Lights is one of the fastest-growing strains, with a flowering period of 6-7 weeks (an average of 47 days) – ideally around mid-October. Comparatively, most sativa strains often take even more time.
Growing Northern Lights indoors, in hydroponic gardens, has produced the best results. In the first four weeks of life, the plants should be treated to 18 to 24 hours of light each day, allowing thick and leafy development. The light provided to the Northern Lights plants can be lessened to 10 to 12 hours a day for the remaining 2 to 3 weeks.
Grown indoors, the plant rarely reaches beyond its minimum four-foot height, making it easy to care for in a box or small room. When Northern Lights is planted outdoors, directly into the ground in a warm climate, it is likely to reach its maximum height of about five feet. In proper growing conditions, around 100 grams can be harvested per plant, a bit more than the average indica plant.
Northern Lights is ready for harvest when the resin coating the multitudinous buds is mostly gold in colour.
Effect and Flavour
Northern Lights develops a considerable amount of resin, and is celebrated for its sweet and spicy flavor and the relaxing effect of its THC component of 15 percent or higher. Widely considered a “two hit and quit” strain, it provides full-body effects that relax you from head to toe.
Read More: The effects of cannabis
Medical
Medical marijuana is comprised largely of hybrid indica strains, the category into which Northern Lights falls, so it is not surprising that this strain is popular in Medical Marijuana testing. Botanists have also shown considerable interest in the genetic characteristics of Northern Lights.
