By Luke Sumpter

Not many indicas, maybe with the exception of the legendary G-13, have achieved such widespread fame and recognition as Northern Lights. Considered a staple strain among indoor cannabis cultivators, and having laid down her mark for many of today’s cannabis genetics, Northern Lights is still widely popular among cannabis cultivators and smokers. If you like cannabis, chances are you have tried Northern Lights or one of her variants.

Ever since Northern Lights came to the scene in the mid-‘80s, she has won countless cannabis awards all over the world. Her outstanding qualities have earned her the reputation as one of the most acclaimed cannabis strains of all time. The genetics of Northern Lights have provided the foundation for many of today’s popular indica-dominant strains such as White Widow, Chronic, Haze, Special Kush, and many more. Let us take a closer look at this famed indica classic and a truly legendary cannabis strain.


The History and Origins of Northern Lights Strain 

As is often the case when looking into the history of legendary strains such as Northern Lights, the exact origins of the strain are shrouded in mystery. It is said that the strain was originally bred by a person known as “The Indian”, somewhere on an island near Seattle, Washington in the United States. Some say that the plant may have come to the mysterious Indian from the West Coast, maybe from California or Oregon.

“The Indian” is said to have grown 11 plants, possibly from Afghani landraces, which he named Northern Lights #1–11. He carefully compared his plants for their yields, effects, and other qualities. This left him with two plants that stood out due to their large buds, good yields, and excellent resin production: Northern Lights #5 and #1.

It’s possible no one would ever know about Northern Lights if it wasn’t for the “King of Cannabis” and founder of the very first seed bank in the Netherlands, Nevil Schoenmakers.

According to some, it was him who discovered the strain on one of his trips to the US in the early 1980s. As the story goes, he brought back female clones of the plant to the Netherlands, where he was experimenting with cannabis genetics from all over the world.

In 1985, he introduced the first variety of the newly discovered strain in his “The Seed Bank of Holland”. Northern Lights #1, which he marketed as a pure Afghani inbred indica, flew off the shelves and quickly became a bestseller. He crossbred some of the other varieties of Northern Lights with a Thai sativa, which is also the reason that many Northern Lights varieties today are sold as Afghani indica and Thai sativa crosses.

After the introduction of Northern Lights to the scene, it didn’t take long before the strain started to rake in countless awards all over the world.

Northern Light

Northern Light
23_genetic background_1 Northern Light S1
33_Yield indoors_1 500 - 550 gr/m2
31_plant height outdoor_1 100 - 160 cm
25_flowering time_1 8 - 9 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 18%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 0% Indica 100%
34_yield outdoor_1 575 - 625 gr/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 180 - 220 cm
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Balanced, Clear, Stoned

Buy Northern Light

Growing a Legend: Why Cannabis Cultivators Love Northern Lights

Northern Lights is regarded as a staple indica plant by indoor cannabis cultivators for many reasons. They love the plant because she is easy to grow and finishes her flowering in eight weeks. Grown in hydro, she is even faster, with the wait cut down to around six weeks. This way, cultivators can always rely on excellent production value with this strain.

Northern Lights grows into a conveniently compact and bushy plant with buds that are firm and easy to trim, thanks to ample space between nodes. Some phenotypes of the strain, such as the original NL #1 pheno, may only grow one single cola, resulting in a tall and leggy plant, giving her a “weed on a stick” appearance. But it’s more common for the strain to appear in the shape of a small evergreen tree with one large central stalk that is surrounded by four or five lateral branches akin to the original Northern Lights #2.

Despite the buds of the strain being sizeable and firmly packed, they are not too dense for mould to become a problem. This makes Northern Lights a very good strain to grow in humid conditions too. As the plant matures her dark green buds, they will become covered with a thick and sparkling coat of trichomes.

When you get Northern Lights seeds from Royal Queen Seeds, all seeds come feminized. This way, you ensure that you grow females only, which makes growing the strain even easier.

You can expect Northern Lights to flower for around 7–8 weeks before she is ready to harvest. Depending on factors such as temperature, light, and nutrients, this can take a bit longer.

Due to the Afghani heritage of Northern Lights, it shouldn’t be surprising that the plant loves plenty of sun. She has a good resistance to dry climates and drought, and also does exceptionally well as an outdoor plant under harsher conditions. Planted in good soil with only gentle feeding and water, she can reach a respectable height. Compared to some other strains, Northern Lights is very sturdy and robust, which makes her easy to grow in many different environments.

Although you can find many variants of Northern Lights today, the plant will usually reach a height of 100–160cm in a typical indoor setting. With this convenient height, you can easily manage the plant, yet she will still reward you with excellent yields. On average, you can expect to get as much as 550g/m². Plant your seed outdoors, and she may reach a height of 180–220cm with yields of up to 625g/plant, ready at the end of September.

Northern Light Indica

Northern Lights: Effect and Taste of a Cannabis Legend

Northern Lights wouldn’t have her legendary status if it wasn’t for the incredible mind and body experience she induces, thanks to her true Afghani indica roots. With 18% THC, she is not overwhelmingly strong, but potent enough that she relaxes you from head to toe. Her effect isn’t just deeply relaxing, it will also give you a nice bout of euphoria, which makes her a great herb for stress relief. No wonder she’s still a favourite among indica lovers everywhere!

What’s more, her balanced effect can also provide good therapeutic potential for medicinal users. Northern Lights can help with pain relief, soothing sore muscles, and offering relief from insomnia. With her relaxing, happy effect she’s also an excellent smoke that can help with anxiety and other mood disorders.

Smoking Northern Lights isn’t just a great experience thanks to the strain's superb indica effect. Her flavour is equally top-notch and won’t disappoint even very spoiled cannabis connoisseurs. She blends earthy flavours with notes of pine and delicious sweetness for that awesome old-school flavour that has become quite rare to find these days.

Northern Lights: a True Classic That is Still Rewarding Today

Some cannabis strains are famous, but it takes a little more to make a strain into a legend like Northern Lights. What makes a cannabis strain a true classic is its ability to be just as impressive when it debuts as it is today. Northern Lights can already look back on more than three decades of success, yet the strain still continues to be as fun and rewarding as ever.

Autoflowering Variety of Northern Lights Strain 

Breeders successfully crossed Northern Lights with a robust ruderalis variety to give birth to Northern Light Automatic—a small strain that’s easy to grow. It still provides a fantastic yield and features many of the impressive traits of its world-renowned predecessors.

Moreover, NLA boasts a couple unique advantages of its own. Its autoflowering genetics mean it flowers without a change in the light cycle. What’s more, it’s highly resistant to fluctuating temperatures, pest insects, and fungal pathogens—perfect for beginners looking for a taste of Northern Lights, or experienced growers in the mood for an easy harvest.

Most autoflowering strains don’t really compete with their photoperiod counterparts when it comes to yield. Northern Light Automatic goes against the grain here. For a small specimen, it pumps out quite the harvest.

Northern Lights Auto

Outdoor plants grow to a considerably taller height of 160cm and are capable of pumping out up to 200g/plant. You might need stakes to keep their heavy canopies upright, especially in strong wind. This strain prefers a warmer climate but can handle the occasional cold snap.

Northern Light Automatic features a genetic profile of 80% indica and 20% ruderalis. It delivers a warm and soothing high that relaxes the body while keeping the mind clear. Its compact, green-blue buds generate a subtle but effective THC content of 14%—just enough to feel the euphoria without becoming overwhelmed or mentally compromised.

Overall, it makes a superb selection after a hard day's work. Enjoy this smoke in the evening before settling down to a good film and a hearty meal. Tastes of earth, pine, and sweetness infuse every hit.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: