This is an unforgiving project that’s currently in the works.
Back in 2000, I was lucky enough to get my hands on some G13 x Northern Lights #5. To this day, it remains, without question, the best strain of cannabis I have ever seen in my life by far. In terms of appearance, taste, smell, and effects, it was an undeniable 10/10. This was a true super strain with an advanced genetic profile. It had excessive, frost-covered trichomes that looked like a snowstorm, paired with a potent citrus, pine, and skunk flavor. The aroma hit like a hard Lemon Pinesol cleaner—so intense that it would reek up a room in seconds, thanks to its strong alpha-pinene and limonene dominance. The smell of the unburnt cannabis was so powerful it would cling to anything within a 20-foot radius.
For the last 25 years, I’ve been searching for this strain because there was simply nothing like it. The closest thing I ever found was Gordy’s Spice #18 by Mota Rebel, which was bred with Pacific’s G13 and an NL#5. That strain also had 10/10 reviews from growers, but unfortunately, it was discontinued a few years ago.
Since around 2005—nearly 20 years now—I’ve been scouring the internet for G13 x NL#5 seeds. Every search came up empty. Then, in the summer of 2024, I stumbled upon Deep Ellum Seed Company in a Google search. This breeder specializes in rare, old-school genetics, and they had just released an ’88 G13 x NL#2 x NL#5 strain. Without hesitation, I reached out to them on Instagram to learn more about the seeds. Deep Ellum explained that the strain was created by crossing Neville Schoenmaker’s ’88 G13 x NL#2 with their famous NL#5. That was all I needed to hear—I knew I had to add this to my collection.
Deep Ellum told me the strain had an overpowering Pinesol-like smell, almost to the point of being overwhelming. He even offered to deliver the seeds to Dallas since he was coming down from Oklahoma that weekend to pick up a clone from another grower. I could tell he was stoked to connect with someone who truly understood the value of these genetics. With our shared love for NL#5—both of our favorite strains—we clicked immediately.
That weekend, Deep Ellum arrived at my place with some beautiful, old-school strains like NL#5 x Haze. We smoked a few joints—his stuff, my stuff—and exchanged genetics. I even gave him some seeds from a GMO cross called Kitchen Sink (GMO x Sundae Driver) from my collection. That day, a true friendship was formed—brought together by cannabis.
A few weeks later, while searching the internet again for any variation of G13 x NL#5, I stumbled upon an Instagram post by another breeder, Firefly Genetics by Sparks Garden. They had the Airborne G13 x NL#5 strain, a project created by two breeders—Four Wise Eyes and Kinetic Genetics. Firefly described this strain as something special, offering an incredible high with dominant notes of lemon, pine, skunk, soap, hash, and chocolate. Without hesitation, I ordered the seeds, and now I had two variants of G13 x NL#5 in my collection.
Since I had built a solid friendship with Deep Ellum over the past few months, I shared my discovery with him. But I didn’t stop there—I proposed that we combine the ’88 G13 x NL#2 x NL#5 with the Airborne G13 x NL#5 to create a space alien from another planet. Without hesitation, he agreed. And just like that, the project to create “’88 G13 x NL#2 x NL#5 x Airborne G13 x NL#5” was born.
| Strain | Smell & Aroma | Taste | Terpene Profile | Appearance & Bag Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific G13 x NL5 | Bright citrus, pine, mild skunk funk | Piney-sweet with citrus zest and spice | Pinene (high), Limonene (medium-high), Caryophyllene (medium), Myrcene (low) | Bright green, frosty, vibrant orange pistils |
| 88 G13 x NL2 x NL5 | Musky skunk, earthy hash, diesel undertones | Hashy spice, earthy pine, mild citrus | Myrcene (high), Caryophyllene (medium-high), Limonene (medium), Pinene (low) | Dense, frosted buds with deep green hues |
| Airborne G13 x NL5 | Loud gas, pine-heavy skunk, hashy musk | Diesel-heavy, skunky pine, spicy earth | Caryophyllene (high), Myrcene (medium-high), Pinene (medium), Limonene (low-medium) | Large sticky buds, deep green, slight purple hints |
| 88 G13 x NL2 x NL5 x Airborne G13 x NL5 | Best of all worlds—pine, citrus, deep gas & skunk | Skunky pine, citrus inhale, spicy hash exhale | Caryophyllene (high), Pinene (high), Myrcene (medium-high), Limonene (medium) | Frostiest of all, deep green with purple hues, super resinous |
Final Verdict
Most Citrus-Forward & Piney: Pacific G13 x NL5
Loudest Skunk & Gas: Airborne G13 x NL5
Most Hashy & Musky: 88 G13 x NL2 x NL5
Best Overall Mix (Pine, Citrus, Skunk, Gas): 88 G13 x NL2 x NL5 x Airborne G13 x NL5
Best Bag Appeal & Frostiest Buds: **88 G13 x NL2 x NL5 x Airborne G13 x NL5
Images of the strain proposed to combine
Airborne G13 x NL#5
8813x NL#2 x NL#5
