Kokedama or moss ball in Japanese is very popular today. These beautiful moss balls are a Japanese form of garden art. And even though it looks really complicated to make, Kokedamas are actually very simple and easy to make. Make your own beautiful Kokedama with our simple how-to steps. Here’s how to pull one together.
Prepare tools and materials ;
Most of the tools and materials you need to make a Kokedama are available at your local garden centre and craft store.
Tools :
- Bucket x 2
- Gardening gloves
- Plastic sheet
- Scissor
- Bowl
- Spray bottle of water
- Mask (optional)
Materials;
- Coir-peat brick
- Sphagnum Moss
- Twine
- Thread
- Small house plants
- Water
How to make Kokedama
Step 1 : Prepare the coir-peat and sphagnum moss.
Soak the coir-peat brick and sphagnum moss in the water. Put them separately in the bucket. A mask can be worn while handling the coir-peat brick to ensure you don’t inhale any dust.
Soak the coit-peat in the water until it absorbs enough water and take the consistency of soil or coffee ground to make it easier to mould into a ball.
Then, soak the sphagnum moss in the water until it gets a little damp. It can be done in a short time as the sphagnum moss gets damp easily in the water.
Once they are both in that stage, break them apart and squeeze the excess water. Coir-peat and sphagnum moss are ready to use.
Step 2 : Remove the plants from the pot
Take the plant from its pot and gently remove the potting mix and brush from any excess dirt so the roots are mostly bare. Use the plastic sheets for the base because it’s getting messy, it’s better to do it outside the house so it will be easier to clean up after finishing the projects.
Step 3 : Wrap the coir-peat and sphagnum moss around the roots of the plants.
Pack the coir-peat tightly around the roots and mold the coir-peat into a ball. It’s ok if it’s not perfectly round, once you put the twine on the ball, it can turn into the expected shape.
Then put some sphagnum moss from your bucket and then flatten it out on the bench. Carefully put around the coir peat and the plants. You can use a small thread to make the ball shape and secure the moss.
Step 4 : Wrap up the plant
This is the fun part. It’s time to wrap the plant and the moss with the twine. If you use the thread to secure the most balls on the step 3, it will be easier to wrap the plant with the twine. Hold the ball with one hand, and wine the twine around it in all directions. Start to wrap from the bottom of the ball and leave a piece of longer string exposed, so when you have done wrapping, you can tie it to secure the twine. Tie it of and repeat the process until the plant is wrapped into desired shape. The more you wrap, the more it will take on a ball shape.
If you like your Kokedama to be hung, begin to wrap from the top of the ball, by the base of the plant and leave an extended section of string.
Step 5 : Brighten it up
Now when you are ready to make a hanger, just add a hook on the extended section of string, or you can add some decorative twine, or if you are giving it as a gift, you can add some cute labels to customize it.
Step 6 : Caring for your Kokedama
It’s very simple to care for your Kokedama, just hold it by the hanger and dip it in a bucket of water every couple of days. You can set your kokedama in the water for 5-10 minutes until it’s heavy. Or give a good spritz of water sprayed directly to the plant for at least 5 minutes. How often you need to water the kokedama depends on the temperature inside your house or outside in the garden.
Feed your kokedama every few weeks during the growing season with water-soluble fertilizer in the water bowl.
To protect wood surfaces indoors, place your kokedama on a shallow dish.
When the kokedama start to show signs of stress even if it’s well water plants, it’s time to move it on a larger ball.
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