Northern Lights #5

Pine and earth, along with a sweetness reminiscent of honey: this is how consumers describe the smell and taste of Northern Lights #5. The predominantly indica-leaning plant is a numbered selection from the Northern Lights line, which originated in the Pacific Northwest of the USA and reached Europe through The Seed Bank of Holland, the seed company of Nevil Schoenmakers. In 1990 it won the High Times Cannabis Cup for The Seed Bank, and it later became a parent of crosses such as Jack Herer.

Aroma and Flavor:

How the aroma turns out depends strongly on the origin of the plants. Bodhi Seeds describes plants in its line with barely perceptible odor alongside others that smell of grape and incense with a hint of pine. Authentic Genetics attributes an earthy scent with a hash note to its reproduction, said to be reminiscent of indoor weed from the late 1980s; owner Todd McCormick describes the scent of #5 as more tropical than that of Northern Lights #2.

Other strain descriptions add citrus, fruit, and a sour note, with spicy and herbal tones in the flavor as well. Grow reports spread even further, from sweet lemon with berries and eucalyptus to a restrained odor that did not dominate a room in the 1990s. One plant from a backcross grown from 1989 seed was reminiscent of sunscreen and nitro lacquer, while others from the same line showed notes of grapefruit, guava, and turpentine.

Lab Results:

A certificate from SC Labs, 2025 shows 28.27 % total THC at 31.53 % THCA for the flower sample of a Californian producer, along with 0.07 % CBD and 0.12 % CBG. The terpenes in this single measurement add up to 2.07 %; myrcene (0.64 %) and α-pinene (0.52 %) lead, followed by limonene (0.34 %) and β-pinene (0.25 %). Other strain descriptions name pinene, terpinolene, and myrcene as the dominant terpenes.

Genetics and Origin:

According to Sensi Seeds, which took over The Seed Bank in 1991, the line originates from a breeder group in the Pacific Northwest known as the Northern Lights Crew. One of them, known as Seattle Greg, sent Schoenmakers several numbered lines; Northern Lights was released in the Netherlands in 1985.

Todd McCormick relays Greg's own version: an employee of a hydroponics store in Seattle crossed the Afghan line Purest Indica with a supposedly Hawaiian variety, which Greg instead places in northern Mexico. Seeds went to The Seed Bank in 1984, followed later by a cutting. Several strain descriptions, however, name Afghan and Thai landraces as the parents. Sam Skunkman, in turn, told a Californian growing operation in 2024 that Northern Lights had been bred by a neighbor in Santa Cruz in the late 1970s.

At The Seed Bank, #5 circulated only as a cutting and served as a mother plant. At the 1990 High Times Cannabis Cup it took 1st place in the Indica category, and according to a retrospective on the competition also in the overall ranking; Sensi Seeds, however, dates #5's Cup win to 1989. Its descendants include Northern Lights #5 x Haze, Schoenmakers's F1 cross, Shiva Skunk from #5 and Skunk #1, and Jack Herer from Sensi Seeds, in whose lineage Haze meets #5 and a cross of #5 and Skunk #1.

Effects:

Experience reports describe euphoria and physical relaxation, along with creativity, a good mood, and focus. Opinions diverge on the degree of sedation: some describe strong drowsiness bordering on lethargy, others an effect that did not limit them during the day. Reported unwanted effects include dry mouth, dry eyes, paranoid thoughts, anxiety, and dizziness.

Cultivation:

Grow reports mention compact, bushy plants with broad leaves and dense buds. Those who keep a cutting considered to be the original, however, describe the leaves as hybrid-like and the plant as less compact. A Californian growing operation that propagates a cutting selected from Todd McCormick's seed gives 56 days to harvest indoors; it describes the plant as bushy and medium-height and considers pruning and defoliation necessary.

Versions from Different Breeders:

The original plant from The Seed Bank was a cutting; seeds sold under the name come from reproductions:

• Authentic Genetics (Todd McCormick): regular seeds from an inbred line from Seattle Greg's seed of the early 1980s, flowering time according to the breeder 8 to 10 weeks, broad-leaved growth with dense trichome coverage.
• Bodhi Seeds: according to the breeder, regular seeds from open pollination of an F3 from the British Columbia Seed Company, flowering time 8 to 9 weeks, medium height, mold-resistant; the plants come out green or purple, compact or tall.

Whether the #5 of the 1990s still exists is disputed among growers; some consider today's seed to be mixtures of several Northern Lights lines.