Northern Lights

Northern Lights is one of the most recognized and globally famous strains there is within the cannabis community; and like most legends, its origin is shrouded in mystery and epic tales. The original Northern Lights was thought to be a pure indica, whilst the origins of today's hybrid version resulting from the mix with a Thai sativa to give it its sweet, fruity tastes and soaring cerebral highs. The mythical pure stain had an intense heavy stone, a form that it can be quite hard to find it in this day and age unless you know where to look.

It is speculated that Northern lights was conceived back in the 1970's near California, USA. Other sources will swear to you that it was first grown by a man known only as “The Indian”, on an island near Seattle in Washington State, USA. The truth is no one really knows for sure any more, but it certainly adds the mystique of the Northern Lights strain. In 1985 it was brought over to the Netherlands by Neville Schoenmaker, the original founder of Holland's first seed bank. The original batch of Northern Lights was said to have consisted of eleven plants, all varying in quality, and that Neville was given female clones of some of them - but exactly which and how many is hidden by an even deeper veil of mystery, as various strains of Northern lights and hybrids started to appear in Neville's catalog without much explanation.

The deeper you try to delve from here into this illustrious strains past, the harder it gets. Northern Lights has sired so many big name hybrids as well as being cross bred with itself so many times that it becomes almost impossible to know exactly what is from where - unless of course you were one of the original breeders of this strain, and even then it still would not be easy to decipher what time has made so cloudy.

So why is Northern Lights held in such high regard? Well, for a start it induces an out of this world body stone, and depending on the strain of Northern Lights, an equally soaring cerebral high. It hits hard and fast, leaving the user in a state of bliss, often for hours. It is a perfect strain for both sharing and private use. It can be a great social stimulant and will have you and your friends chatting the hours away; or, if you prefer to save the good stuff for yourself, then it will unwind and relax you after a hard day, letting aches and pains slip away whilst allowing your mind to wonder and contemplate life and the issues at hand.

Although novices may be understandably keen to try out this piece of history, it is often advised that Northern Lights is approached with caution by the less seasoned smoker. It can still be enjoyed by them, but don’t jump in head first, you are likely to find yourself sinking.

In terms of medical use, Northern Lights is a holy grail. It is highly sought after, and very hard to obtain. It is great for treating chronic pain, arthritis, headaches, stress, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, depression and lack of appetite – the list goes on, there is something for everyone here.

Northern lights also has some very sought after tastes and aromas. It has an extremely fresh smell that is zesty and earthy all at the same time – quite unusual, but very enticing. The taste leans towards the earthy side usually with slightly sour undertones. It is a smooth smoke and a real pleasure to have – it is not really a surprise that so many strains now a days are descendants of this fine smoking experience.

As you would probably expect of any breeder that got their hands on this, we at Zambeza have been experimenting! We love this strain and its highly prized qualities. It is only right that we incorporate it into our own catalog and produce some truly amazing hybrids – and we have produced quite a few. There is our Vanilla Ice, a frosty beauty that becomes coated in glittering resin – a true treat for hash lovers; Super Silver Haze strain that takes the best of Northern lights and adds in that oh so pleasurable Haze experience; Blueberry, a true connoisseur strain that has all the strength of Northern Lights XL with the succulent tastes of a Blueberry strain; and Northern Lights XL Autoflowering, an automatic behemoth that will suit anyone who wants the high quality of Northern Lights in an easy to manage automatic variety. These are just to name a few of the great strains we have created and engineered. Northern Lights is a breeder's dream and we have barley scratched the surface of its potential.

Northern Lights is a multiple award winning strain and it makes no exception in quality with its growth. It is a powerhouse! It grows fast, strong and dense. It tends to reach heights of around 1 -1.5m and yields a very generous portion. The beautiful, frosted buds will remind you of a snow flecked garden – you can tell how it got its name as it glistens in the light. The flowering period is fairly short, around 45-50 days for an optimal harvest. The compact structure offers a yield in the region of 500-600g/m2. It is highly suited to indoor cultivation and has a high resilience to pests, temperature as well as over and under nourishment. It tends to do the best in hydro set ups, but will still thrive in other situation with care.

As you can see, this old school strain is an absolute classic and has a legendary status with many seasoned smokers, breeders and cultivators. It won awards at both the 1989 and 1990 High Times Cannabis Cup and is still a favorite to this day. That is a testament to its quality, that it has remain so popular for so long, well above some of the modern strains we have today. If you are looking for a bit of cannabis history that will show you what it means to have an A+ grade smoke than you should try and get your hands on something with Northern Lights in it. We love it, and are sure you will too.