Bring the Japanese tradition of kokedama plants into your home by learning the intricate art of making them.
Time A few hours
ComplexityBeginner
Cost$50 to $100
Introduction
Get to know the essential techniques on how to make a kokedama and add a touch of zen to your home's decor.
For plant enthusiasts, Kokedama offers a creative and visually appealing way to incorporate greenery into your home. Kokedama is a unique houseplant trend that focuses on how you plant and display your leafy companions. Rather than using pots, Kokedama involves wrapping the plant’s root system in a moss-covered soil ball, resulting in a natural and visually striking presentation.
This method allows you to easily add a touch of living, thriving vegetation to any space in an artistic, unconventional manner. Embracing the Kokedama style can be an excellent way to bring more vibrancy and life into your living environment through the display of your beloved houseplants.
What Is a Kokedama?
Kokedama bares its roots in Japan and is a many centuries old garden art. Most recently, the concept of Kokedama gardening has come into popularity in the west. Known for its beauty, kokedama literally means “moss ball” in Japanese. It is also known as “Poor Man’s Bonsai” or “String Garden” as most Kokedama gardens seem to float in the air when they are hung with transparent fishing line.
The curious thing about Kokedama is the learning curve lies in making your first one. Once you figure out the dirt mix and how to form your ball shape, it can become addictive because you want to have more and more. Find the right combination of water and light and you will find successful Kokedamas can live for years. Here are some tips and trick to starting you very own indoor Kokedama garden.
Tools Required
- Plant sheers
- Rubber gloves (optional)
- Small garden shovel
- Tray or bucket
- water mister
- Watering can
Materials Required
- Bonsai Soil
- Cheesecloth
- Expanded clay pebbles
- Fishing line
- Jute twine
- Moss sheets
- Peat Moss
- Plants of choice
- Potting Mix
Project step-by-step (8)
Step 1
Mix the soil
Mix together one part bonsai soil, one part peat moss, and half part potting soil.
These soil ingredients combine to create good drainage and aeration, which is crucial to prevent root rot, support excellent moisture retention, and allow roots to stay moist between waterings. They are also lightweight and sturdy, which makes them easy to hang.
Add small amounts of water as you go and combine to a thickness where the soil clumps together. You will know your dirt soil mix is to the right consistency when you press it in to your hand and it stays together in a tight shape. Press and form a dirt ball five to six inches in diameter.
Step 2
Prep the plant
Prep the plant by cleaning off as much of the potting dirt around the roots as possible. Do this over a tray or bucket for easy cleanup. This will allow you to tuck the rootball into the newly formed Kokedama ball.
Step 3
Plant the kokedama
Lay out a single layer of cheesecloth large enough to cover the entire ball. Transfer the Kokedama ball to the center.
With the Kokedama ball of dirt now over the cheesecloth, use your hands or a small garden shovel to gently excavate a hole large enough to accommodate the roots of your plant (and a few expanded clay pebbles) in the center of the ball. Place your plant and clay pebbles in the hole, and gently pack and compress the dirt around the rootball. Make sure the roots are snug and completely covered by the soil but not so tight that they bulge out the top of the ball of soil.
Step 4
Wrap the kokedama in cheese cloth
To help maintain the formed Kokedama ball and ensure it stays snug around your plant’s root ball, wrap the ball with the sheet of cheesecloth. Temporarily tie some twine around the top to secure it around the stalk of your plant. You will remove this string later when the moss has been secured around the plant. Do not worry if the shape of your Kokedama balls is not perfect at this stage.
Step 5
Cover it with moss and twine
With the roots nicely tucked into the Kokedama ball, cover the entire ball with sheets of moss, securing them with jute twine. Jute twine will hold the moss in place and help create the ball shape you desire for your Kokedama. Feel free to tie knots in the twine as you see fit to draw the ball together in a nice round shape and secure the loose ends before trimming them.
Once the moss has been secured, remove the string you placed around the cheesecloth in the previous step. This will allow the plant to stretch and grow without being restricted.
Pro Tip: Misting the moss with water before you wrap it around the ball of dirt will make it pliable and help it conform to the desired shape.
Step 6
Hanging kokedama plants (optional)
You can make your Kokedama appear to be floating by hanging it from a ceiling or window using a fishing line. Use twine to tightly knot it and the fishing line together. Experiment with the balance by moving the fishing line or wrapping it around the twine. Though barely visible, the fishing line does all of the heavy lifting, so ensure that you select a line with a weight rating that is capable of supporting your kokodama following a watering.
Step 7
Kokedama care
Watering
A with all plants, watering every Kokedama plant will differ. However, ideally, once or twice a week take your Kokedama down and let it soak in a tray of room temperature water. Water will automatically be drawn up into the Kokedama ball. You may also use a watering can and water from above to make sure the ball is saturated with moisture.
Take the Kokedama ball out of the water and let it drain for about 30 minutes. To avoid a mess with water dripping all over when you go to hang it back up, make sure the Kokedama is no longer dripping. Plants take in water from their roots and via their leaves. In between regular watering, make it a habit to mist the leaves of your plant.
Light
Avoid a plant that wants full sunlight as the dirt will probably dry out very quickly and you will have to water more frequently. The best plant candidate for a Kokedama is a plant that enjoys partial to full shade. If you place your Kokedama where sunlight will hit it directly, filter the sunlight through a sheer curtain or shade.
Step 8
FAQ
How do I hang or display a Kokedama?
Part of the charm to Kokedama plants is the illusion of it seeming to float in the air. Most hang their Kokedama with fishing line because it is strong and clear which makes it seem to disappear when a few feet away. Other creative ways of hanging a Kokedama are hanging from the middle of a picture frame or neatly placed onto a stone or wood dish. The most important thing to keep in mind about where you display your Kokedama is how easy it is to remove and replace it when watering.
What are the best plants for Kokedama?
Choose plants that prefer partial to full shade. My project utilized Elephant Ear (Alocasia Polly), Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata), and Ficus Tree Bonsai (Ficus Retusa Bonsai); however, there are a number of other plants that would be suitable, such as Orchids (Phalaenopsis), African violets (Saint Paulia ionantha), Hedera Helix, Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum), and herbs such as Basil, Thyme, or Mint.
What kind of moss works best for kokedama?
You will find moss sheets sold in two forms. One is alive and shipped damp. Live moss arrives moist with dirt on the back of it. It comes in sheets, but they fall apart easily. The second form is dried moss sheets. They are usually more vibrant in green because they have been dyed. They do not have any dirt attached to them and you will find the green dye is released into the water when watering. Both dried and fresh moss will conform better if misted before use. Try them both before you decide which you prefer. I combined them for some of my Kokedama plants and it worked well.
