Northern Lights 5 x Haze

After the onset of flowering, Northern Lights #5 x Haze gains noticeably in height. Grow reports describe a stretch of 2 to 3 times its pre-flowering size, and in one documented indoor grow the shoots grew by more than 20 inches within a week. The cross of Northern Lights #5 and Haze traces back to Nevil Schoenmakers and his seed company The Seed Bank, which was sold to Sensi Seeds in 1991. Sensi Seeds carries the strain today and classifies it as 70 % on the sativa side.

Cultivation:

For its version, Sensi Seeds states a flowering time of 65 to 75 days, an indoor final height of 120 to 170 cm and a yield of around 450 g/m². Outdoors, the plants are said to reach 250 to 300 cm and produce around 800 g per plant, provided the summer is long and warm. As suitable methods, the breeder names Sea of Green, SCROG, Lollipopping and Supercropping. Its description mentions end buds that can grow longer and thicker than an arm.

Another strain description compares the growth to that of a vining plant with wide internode spacing, sets flowering at 9 to 11 weeks and names mid to late October as the outdoor harvest time; it rates cultivation as moderately difficult. One grow report advises supporting the plants with netting or stakes through flowering.

Community Experiences:

Reports diverge on flowering time: one grower harvested after 50 to 63 days, another only after 82. Two growers report a split into 2 plant types. The NL-leaning type finishes earlier, branches less and forms very hard buds with an afghani-tinged aroma, while the Haze type takes longer, grows taller, branches more and yields more. Long end buds densely covered in resin are repeatedly mentioned.

One documented grow of the Mr Nice Seedbank version needed no extra fertilizer; the plants stretched from 40 to 120 cm and were ready for harvest after 65 days of flowering.

Genetics and Origin:

Northern Lights #5 represents an indica-leaning line from the Pacific Northwest of the USA, while Haze stands for the Original Haze from Central California, whose seed Schoenmakers had obtained from Sam the Skunkman. Accounts differ on when the cross was created: Sensi Seeds places it in the late 1980s, while an account of the Northern Lights line names 1988.

At the 1990 High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, the cross won the Mostly Sativa category for The Seed Bank. In 1993, Sensi Seeds entered it in the seed bank competition and took 1st place, ahead of its own strains Silver Pearl and Hawaiian Indica. As early as 1989, The Seed Bank had already won the Cup with a descendant, the cross (Early Pearl x Skunk #1) x (Northern Lights #5 x Haze). Other strains with NL5 x Haze as a parent include Haze Heaven from Soma Seeds, NHS from Mr Nice Seedbank and Cheese x Haze from Dampkring Seed Bank.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Sensi Seeds offers the strain as regular and feminized seed. Mr Nice Seedbank carries its own NL5 x Haze, with Schoenmakers and Shantibaba named as breeders. This version is only available regular; the breeder states an indoor flowering time of 9 to 11 weeks, a yield of 450 to 650 g/m² and harvest in November in the northern hemisphere. It describes the genetics as 50 % afghani and 50 % Haze, and rates the strain suitable for experienced growers. The Plant offers a feminized, organically grown 2nd generation from the Sensi line under the name Northern Lights 5 Haze, with 75 % sativa content and around 70 days of flowering.

Aroma and Flavor:

Sensi Seeds describes the scent as sweet and spicy with an exotic touch, with the Haze note becoming more pronounced after curing; for the feminized version, the breeder names citrus and pine over an earthy-sweet base. Consumers mention earth, sweet lemon and wood, others cite citrus, nuttiness, herbs and tobacco. For the Mr Nice Seedbank version, thyme, pepper and tobacco stand out in flavor, and a floral sweetness in the scent.

Two strain descriptions disagree on the terpene profile: one lists myrcene ahead of pinene and limonene, the other places terpinolene first, followed by caryophyllene and humulene.

Effects:

According to Sensi Seeds, the effect begins euphoric and social and later settles into physical relaxation. Consumers describe it as energizing, with creativity, focus and talkativeness, and likewise describe a transition to a calm body feeling. One report found it less sedating than Amnesia Haze. According to one grow report, the Haze type felt noticeably more sativa-leaning than the more balanced NL type. Dizziness, dry mouth and inner restlessness are mentioned as accompanying effects; other consumers explicitly noted neither restlessness nor paranoia.

THC and CBD Content:

Figures in strain descriptions diverge: one states 19 % THC, another 22.4 % THC with 0.26 % CBD. Both figures are single data points without a named laboratory.