The Japanese have always been special for their minimalist and special aesthetics, and it is from their tradition that kokedama comes as a way of growing plants. The name kokedama comes from two words, koke (moss) and dama (ball). This way of growing plants originates from the Nearari bonsai school.
From the translation of the name itself, we can guess that it is about growing various plants in balls that are covered with moss. These plants get rid of the shell of the container, and at the same time the moss helps to retain the necessary moisture.
Kokedama is an example of the design of bonsai plants and will surely fascinate all true lovers of greenery, gardening and unusual decorative details that elevate any space. Kokedama looks equally perfect whether it is hung in the interior or placed on the table without a real pot. This way of creative gardening is not only intended for growers and florists, but also for every plant lover who has gardening as a hobby and who is imaginative and ready to try something new.
Below are instructions on how you can make your own kokedama in your own home, and all you need is a little willpower and effort for these unique hanging plant decorations.
Material for making kokedama
In order to be able to make a kokedama, you must first collect the necessary material, and everything depends on your wishes and preferences, from which plant you want in the kokedama (or maybe even a combination of plants) and how you want to decorate it, that is, in what way it will decorate your space. Will it hang with the help of a rope in a corner of your home or will it beautify the table as a simple and minimalist natural element.
To make a kokedama, you need an indoor plant that is smaller (10 – 15 cm). It is possible to combine several types of plants, but it would be best to start with one that is less demanding and that will suit semi-shade or shade, given that moss does not like direct sun, which could cause it to darken and automatically spoil the decorative appearance of the kokedama. .
For the ball, use garden loam, sand and peat or a combination of purchased substrate for bonsai and peat in a ratio of 70 to 30. The soil intended for bonsai is quite permeable and loose so that the roots will not rot, and the peat will retain moisture and facilitate the formation of the ball. Peat can also be replaced with coconut fiber.
You also need live or dry sphagnum moss. Dry moss is the easiest to maintain, but it doesn’t look as nice. You will also need stronger twine, thread or flax in the desired color, a container or a mat to hold the kokedama and scissors.
It is customary to use simple plants that are undemanding if possible, although all plants that would normally be grown in jars can be used, and even orchids that will surely delight everyone. Only in this case, the kokedama needs to be watered more often (every three to four days).
As for the care of kokedama, it does not differ from the care of any other planted plant, except for the frequency and method of watering. If the kokedama is in a heated room during the winter, it will need to be watered more often.
If it happens that the ball is very dry, then it is necessary to dip the entire ball in a container of water for five to ten minutes, and do so in such a way that you dip only the lower part, while keeping the plant above the water. After that, it should be drained well, and at that moment you can fix its shape, that is, form it with a gentle squeeze of the palms.
If you notice that the thread has broken or loosened somewhere, be sure to additionally secure the kokedama with thread to keep its beautiful shape. When the excess water stops draining, you can return it to the substrate and do not overdo it with watering.
You can moisten the soil and the moss from which the cockades are made with the help of a garden spray bottle. The plants you plant in the kokedam will never grow large, precisely because of the special conditions in which they grow, and will forever retain their miniature form.
How to make a kokedama
To begin with, cover the surface on which you will make the kokedama with nylon or plastic film, and put gloves on your hands. In a bowl, mix peat, loam and sand in a ratio of 5:1.5:3.5 and add water if necessary to make your mixture easier to shape into a ball.
You can also get a mixture for kokedama if you mix 70% peat and 30% akadama, i.e. clay granules or say 50% peat, 15% sandy clay and 35% clay granules. Remove the excess soil from the plant that you want to plant in the kokedam and place it in the obtained soil mixture and form a ball around its roots.
There is another way to form a kokedama, and that is to first make a solid ball out of the soil mixture, then gently cut it in half and insert the desired plant in the middle. After that, soak the moss a little, then squeeze out the excess water and wrap the ball with it. To keep everything in place and keep the shape of the ball, wrap the moss with thread, twine or flax in several circles to secure it. If you intend to hang the kokedama somewhere, leave a little extra string so that you can attach it to something.
Miniature coniferous wood can also be used to make kokedama, but it is best to start with lighter plants, and small guard houses are also great. The most important thing when making a kokedama ball is to mix the substrate, i.e. a mixture of clay and peat into a clay mixture, because if the consistency of the mixture is loose, the kokedama will not hold after watering.
In the same way, to make it easier to wrap the ball with moss, you can do it with the help of plastic film, and it would be best to use larger pieces of moss.
Your kokedama can look very interesting if, for example, in one of the attempts you choose plants such as ferns, pines, creepers, violets, dwarf palms, some types of fruit such as kumquats or vegetables, various types of cacti and houseplants.
A variety of grasses, wildflowers and climbers can be planted in the moss ball, which will usually remain small due to the size of the ball, and the root system of the plant will form on the inside of the ball. Kokedama can change with the changing seasons, so the leaves will certainly change color in the fall, and they will fall off during the winter. At that time, the plant may appear to have died, but as soon as spring comes, the plant will turn green again and shine brightly.
Care and maintenance of kokedama
It should be remembered that kokedama is a living plant and that it still requires a certain amount of sun and water and care just like any other plant that is planted in the garden.
As for watering the kokedama, it will get all the water it needs by submerging it, at least every 7 days. It is best to soak it in a container with rainwater or stagnant water for five minutes, and in winter it can be soaked in water created by melting snow.
It would be a good idea to spray the moss daily with a room sprinkler or to place the kokedama on a mat filled with gravel and water so that it does not stand directly in the water.
In the spring, some plants will produce seeds that may sprout from the ball and that’s when the fun part of kokedama care and growing begins.
If you happen to neglect your kokedama for a while and it goes dark, once you water it it will come back to life and continue to grow. If the moss covering the ball dries out, then you can just replace the outer shell to ensure the cockades continue to retain moisture and prevent damage.
When it comes to pruning the plant, you decide that yourself. If you have planted several plants in the ball, then the kokedama needs to be turned towards the sun so that all the plants have the same treatment with solar energy, and you may also find the change interesting because of the different angle of looking at the plants.
Excessive wetting can harm cockades, so it is very important to know whether the plant needs water or whether there is enough of it. One of the ways you can determine this is to take the ball in your hand and feel its weight. If it is heavier, then there is probably enough water in the ball for the roots to grow unhindered. On the other hand, if it seems to you that the ball is too light, then the kokedama definitely needs watering.
Plants bring a certain sense of calm and bring us closer to nature, and this can be the case with kokedama, which brings nature into your home as an original and attractive decorative detail, especially if it is your handiwork.
If you manage to grow a plant in this original Japanese way, you will certainly feel proud and enjoy your achievement every time you look at that small piece of nature in your living space.
Photo: La Florida studio/Wikimedia Commons