Ball Family Farms Living Soil Q&A
Featuring Ball Family Farms Cultivation Manager, Michael Unger
Tell us a little bit about yourself and Ball Family Farms?
“My name is Michael Unger and I am a Cultivation Manager a.k.a one of the farmers here at Ball Family Farms. I started farming in the Santa Cruz Mountains with full season and spring greenhouse deps with Ashton Howarth, my mentor and Ball Family Farms Head of Genetics. There, I learned that the best medicine produced came from the best soil. So, when Ash called me one day and asked if I wanted to move to L.A. for an opportunity to try these practices out indoors, I was excited. The methods we found to produce the best medicine is to simply mimic nature the best we can and that is what Ball Family Farms is about.”
What is Living Soil?
“Nature is built with diverse complex systems where balance is paramount in keeping it working, and that is what we try to do with our soil. Living Soil is made of these complex systems from worms eating organic matter, to springtails, and different species of soil mites munching on old roots to the plethora of archaea, protozoa, mycelium, and microbes that we can’t see, transferring carbon waste to available food. Living soil is simply soil that is alive with a diversity of this soil food web. The beauty in this system is that nothing is ever wasted. Even the waste of these critters are essential in the balance of soil. One gram of soil can harbor one billion bacteria. We always want a healthy balance of these good organisms so when the inevitable pathogen does come along, the resilience of the beneficials will combat and suppress the foreign invader, just like nature intended. In turn, the medicine produced is by far tastier than other practices utilized. Each cultivar we grow is able to reach its best expression of itself through a thriving soil.”
Why does Ball Family Farms prefer Living Soil over other growing methods?
“Ball Family Farms has adopted living soil because it just makes sense in all the facets of indoor agriculture. Indoor cultivation has a large footprint and impact on the natural world, so implementing more sustainable methods to lower our impact is why I chose to make the move to LA. I believe a farmer is a true steward of the land which in turn is a steward of soil, and we are always continuing to learn and be open to even more ways to be more sustainable so in the long term, we pass good medicine and farming practices to our children.”
- Michael Unger, Ball Family Farms
Ball Family Farms
Ball Family Farms grows all-natural, indoor flower in living soil without the use of any synthetic nutrients or additives. Our cultivation methods are environmentally friendly with unique cultivars that you don’t find anywhere else. We search for them in our massive yearly pheno-hunts with a selective breeding process. Ball Family Farms takes pride to ensure we cultivate aesthetically-appealing, natural buds. With a distinctive nose profile across all of our exotic flavors, our strains will create a euphoric and enjoyable experience.
