Balcony Decor, Balcony Garden, Gardening, Small Gardens

How To Make Kokedama: Amazing Japanese Art Of Growing Plants

Posted on

December 8, 2018

by

Disha Mishra Dubey

Kokedama is a Japanese art of growing plants on a Moss ball. Word Kokedama translates like this

Koke: Moss Dama: Ball

It is also known as the poor man’s bonsai.

Kokedama in my balcony garden

Recently, I tried to make Kokedama for the first time and I loved the fact that it doesn’t require any pot to grow the plants. Just make a ball of soil and moss and grow tiny plants on it. Kokedama can be hung or kept on a desk or floor indoors as well as outdoors.

Things you’ll need to make Kokedama:

Compost – 1 part
Coco Peat – 1 part
Garden Soil – 1/2 part
Tray/bowl to mix ingredients
Scissors
Gardening Gloves
Sphagnum Moss
Ornamental Plants
Water
String/Twine/Yarn

SUBSTITUTES-
Now, there is no need to worry if you don’t get all the supplies. Here are the substitutes:
Instead of compost + Cocopeat + Soil, you can take just Bonsai soil + Coco peat OR Garden Soil and mix sand in a small amount.
Instead of Sphagnum moss, you can use moss stick, coco coir, jute or anything that holds moisture for a long.

PLANTS For KOKEDAMA:
Choose plants that love moisture, as Kokedama is a ball of moss that retains moisture. Basically, all the plants that grow on moss are perfect for Kokedama. You can experiment with all the plants. As long as you know the light and water requirements of the plants, hang them in a suitable place and water them accordingly, you can grow just about any plant on Kokedama. The best ones are Fern, Ivy, Lucky bamboo, Spider plant, and Syngonium. Succulents hate moisture, so avoid using them, but if you are not watering Kokedama too often, then you can give it a try.

1. Start by soaking the moss in water. Till it soaks, mix all the components together (compost + Cocopeat + Soil) thoroughly and then slowly add water until all the components adhere together. Now, take some soil in your hands and form a sphere. Squeeze out excess water, and once the soil ball is ready, keep it aside.

Mix all the components together

Make a ball of soil

2. Spread a plastic sheet on the work area and then take out wet moss from the water. Wring it to remove water and then spread the moss on the plastic sheet. Remember that the green part of the moss faces down as later it will appear on the outer side of the ball. I didn’t get a Sphagnum moss sheet, so I used a moss stick and took out all the moss that it had. Though the moss was all dried and the moss stick also had a lot of coco coir inside, it really doesn’t matter as moss is used because it retains moisture and that’s what exactly coco coir will do too.

3. Now take out the plant from the pot. Loosen the soil around the roots. Make sure you are not damaging the root ball or disturbing the root system. Now crack open the soil ball into two halves, shown in the image below and then place the roots carefully in the center. Now make the ball of soil again, and if required, you can add some more soil at this stage to make a perfect sphere.

4. Place this ball of soil on the moss that we prepared in the second step. Gently pick up the plastic sheet from all sides and press firmly to wrap the moss around the soil ball. Make sure that moss adheres to the soil ball.

5. Now take a twine or string and wrap it around the moss ball in a random fashion and secure the ends by tying the knots. Now attach a string on the top of the moss ball, and there you have it. Kokedama is ready to enhance the beauty of your garden.

To water Kokedama, all you need to do is just use a sprayer and spray water until you see water dripping from the sphere. Or, alternatively, you can place Kokedama in a bowl full of water for 2-3 mins and then take it out. Water Kokedama every alternate day or according to the plant’s need. If it is succulent, then you can skip watering for 8-10 days.

Watch the complete tutorial to make Kokedama below

Watch Also: More Gardening Videos

Here’s a list of the links to buy all the Kokedama Making Supplies:

Dry Sphagnum Moss: https://amzn.to/2QdpaOF

Sphagnum Peat Moss: https://amzn.to/2QCHr7f

Moss Stick (Set of 2): https://amzn.to/2UgGT66

Coco Peat 3.5 kg: https://amzn.to/2QBFwQx

Coco Peat 5kg block: https://amzn.to/2L07m3K

Vermi Compost 1 kg: https://amzn.to/2AXAzYh

Vermi Compost 5 kg: https://amzn.to/2QGpe98

Bonsai Soil 1 kg: https://amzn.to/2PoFfvI

Live Indoor Plants: https://amzn.to/2AVZmw6

Live Outdoor Plants: https://amzn.to/2L1pZUX

Garden Spray Bottle: https://amzn.to/2AZVWYW

Pump Pressure Sprayer: https://amzn.to/2QCp16H

So, making Kokedama is not a big deal. It requires minimal skill and very few supplies. I hope you like the tutorial. Be a little more creative and try to make it in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Happy Gardening!!!

Disha

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10 Responses

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Kashif Ali says:

March 26, 2021 at 7:42 pm

House plants are those pot plants which are able to exist an grow under adverse conditions. The more popular plants are those which retain their health and good looks, but grow at a slow rate.

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