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FAQ

Northern Lights: frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions people search most about Northern Lights, each with its sources.

Is Northern Lights indica or sativa?

An indica: Leafly and Weedmaps list it as one, Sensi Seeds sells its seeds as 90% indica and 10% sativa, and Royal Queen Seeds calls its version 100% indica.1,2,3,4

What strain is Northern Lights?

A classic indica, listed by Leafly as Afghani × Thai, that by most accounts came from the Seattle area and spread from the Netherlands after 1985.1,5

How much THC is in Northern Lights?

The median is 20.03% across 406 state lab tests; half of all results fall between 17.28% and 22.05%. Weedmaps lists 16–19% and AllBud 16–21%.2,6,7

What does Northern Lights taste like?

Mostly pine, earth and wood, with a sweet, spicy edge.1,2,7

What does Northern Lights smell like?

Sweet, spicy and pungent: AllBud lists pine, pungent, spicy and sweet aromas, and Sensi Seeds calls the scent pungent, deep and earthy with a hint of honey and herb.3,7

What terpenes are in Northern Lights?

From only 15 tests with individual terpene values in our lab data, the medians are β-caryophyllene 0.49%, limonene 0.31%, β-myrcene 0.24% (percent by weight). Leafly ranks myrcene first, then caryophyllene and limonene.1,6

Does Northern Lights have CBD?

Almost none: 149 of the 357 tests that reported CBD found none, and the highest result was 0.75%.6

Does Northern Lights make you sleepy?

That is what users report most: “sleepy” is the top effect on Leafly, which rates Northern Lights mostly calming, and Weedmaps says longtime users often mention sleepiness. These are self-reports, not medical findings.1,2

Who created Northern Lights?

No breeder is known by name: histories from SeedFinder and Royal Queen Seeds credit a grower known only as “The Indian” near Seattle, and Nevil Schoenmakers’ Seed Bank brought it to market in the Netherlands.5,8,9

What is Northern Lights #5?

The standout of the numbered original plants: Leafly calls #5 the “top crop” and lists it separately (aka NL#5), with Afghani as its parent and Jack Herer and Mango Haze among its children.5,10

How long does Northern Lights take to flower?

About 45–50 days indoors for Sensi Seeds’ regular and feminized seeds; Royal Queen Seeds lists 55–60 days, Crop King 8–10 weeks, and Leafly puts it in its 7–9 week band.1,3,4,11,12

Is there an autoflowering Northern Lights?

Yes. Sensi Seeds, Royal Queen Seeds and ILGM sell autoflowering versions, and Northern Lights #2 went into Lowryder, one of the first autoflowering strains.13,14,15,16,17

What is Atomic Northern Lights?

A separate strain (aka Atomic NL): Leafly says Dr. Atomic Seeds recrossed Northern Lights in Canada, and lists its parents as Northern Lights and Afghani.18

What strains come from Northern Lights?

Shiva Skunk, Jack Herer, Super Silver Haze, Silver Haze and Hash Plant all have Northern Lights in their lineage, and SeedFinder counts 73 direct descendants of Sensi Seeds’ line.19,20,21,22,23,24

Sources

  1. Leafly, Northern Lights strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  2. Weedmaps, Northern Lights strain page. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  3. Sensi Seeds, Northern Lights regular seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  4. Royal Queen Seeds, Northern Light feminized seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  5. Leafly (Bailey Rahn), Strain highlight: Northern Lights, the indica legend up close (2014-05-01). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  6. Cannlytics (CC BY 4.0), cannabis_results: public state lab results (filtered and aggregated by Official Cannabis). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  7. AllBud, Northern Lights marijuana strain information and reviews. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  8. SeedFinder, Northern Lights (Sensi Seeds). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  9. Royal Queen Seeds (Luke Sumpter), Northern Lights: a cannabis classic and true indica legend (2020-03-20). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  10. Leafly, Northern Lights #5 strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  11. Sensi Seeds, Northern Lights feminized seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  12. Crop King Seeds, Northern Lights feminized marijuana seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  13. Sensi Seeds, Northern Lights Automatic seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  14. Royal Queen Seeds, Northern Light Auto seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  15. ILGM, Northern Lights autoflower seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  16. Alchimia, The origins of Northern Lights (2015-08-17). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  17. Leafly, Lowryder strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  18. Leafly, Atomic Northern Lights strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  19. Leafly, Shiva Skunk strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  20. Leafly, Jack Herer strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  21. Leafly, Super Silver Haze strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  22. Leafly, Silver Haze strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  23. Leafly, Hash Plant strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  24. SeedFinder, Northern Lights (Sensi Seeds): lineage and hybrids. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.