Kokedama is a centuries old Japanese garden art in which Moss is used for supporting the growth of a garden plant or sculpted tree. The Moss balls are either fixed on a platform or suspended using strings with the plants growing out from the Moss ball. In Japanese ‘Koke’ means Moss and ‘Dama’ means ball. In this artwork, the plant with its roots are suspended in a mud ball which is then covered using soft green coloured Moss. You can use the Moss ball as a planter or as a display piece to enhance the beauty of your space. You can create a string garden by hanging many Kokedama pieces.
1
Selecting your plants - You can use any types of plants for a kokedama as long as they will fit comfortably in your home when hanging. The plants we have selected for you will go well in a nicely lit area and benefit from decent misting and humidity
2
Remove the plant by its roots. Whether you're using potted plants or outdoor plants for your kokedama, the first step is to remove the plants by their roots. Remove the plant from the pot. We have removed the bulk of the soil for you to ensure there isn’t a huge mess for you. Gently use your fingers to remove more soil from around the roots. For plants with very fine roots, rinse them in the sink to remove the bulk of the soil
3
Mix your coconut coir and bonsai soil. Take a plastic grocery bag or bucket. Put on your gloves. Use the coir peat and bonsai soil mix for your kokedama. Using a 7:3 ratio of moss to soil, which we have mixed already for you, add enough water to so you can form a soil ball.
4
Make your soil ball. Remove a chunk of soil and moss from the bucket or plastic bag. Use your hands to roll it into a thick, firm ball. Make a ball big enough to completely cover the plant's roots and your desired size. When you're done, set the ball aside.
5
Get your moss ready – Soak your sphagnum moss in water until it is soft, grab your moss and wrap it around the roots of your plant, secure with a thin layer of twine, this protects the roots and forms your first layer
6
Sandwich the roots in your ball. Grab that soil ball you made before. Break your soil ball in half, sandwich your plant's roots around the ball of coir moss and soil. Then, pat the ball together again so it's firmly secured around the roots.
7
Cover your ball in the remainder of moss. Wrap a layer of green moss around your ball covering the bulk of it
8
Use twine to secure the ball. Wrap twine around the ball as needed to secure the moss. Tightly circle the twine around the ball until everything holds together. You should be able to lift and move your ball without soil or moss spilling out, get creative with your wrapping, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect, once you’re happy with the ball tie a knot to secure the twine.
9
Water your plants regularly. You water kokedama plants by soaking them in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes. Drain the soil ball in a colander until it stops dripping and then rehang the plants, your plant will start to feel light when it needs to be watered.
10
Repotting – Just like any plants they will continue to grow inside the ball you have created, so you will need to repot it once a year (sometimes more depending)
So you just complete the process again creating a slightly larger ball each time, if you don’t want your plant to grow larger you can trim back the roots when you repot.
