Kokedama: How To Do Japanese Floral Art

If you are a lover of decoration and vegetation, surely you usually have plants or flowers at home. Have you ever heard of Kokedama? It is a millenary tradition in the form of floral art, which emerged more than 500 years ago. It may be familiar, and this craft technique is the sister of Bonsai.

In this post, we invite you to discover how to make kokedama. Their advantages are, in addition to the decorating possibilities they offer, their health benefits, such as stress reduction.

History and benefits of Kokedama

Kokedama is the word that describes a millennial tradition of very popular plant cultivation. It emerged more than 500 years ago and has certain similarities with bonsai, seeking to recreate a natural habitat that fosters relaxation and well-being environments. Normally moss ball akadama (a reddish clay used as a growing medium), peat and river sand are used. For kokedama balls, different varieties are used: shrubs, wild plants, flowers like hollyhock, and even carnivorous plants … original and ecological! And much more natural then terrariums.

But its benefits are not reduced only to the decorative capacity they provide. Kokedamas, like any decorative plant, help to purify the air and create a relaxed atmosphere, which means a reduction in the feeling of stress. But not only that, the Japanese assure that they absorb bad energies. These balls have lots of advantages! 🙂

How to make kokedamas

To make your own kokedama you will need a plant you want to grow – we recommend a rather small size, that they don’t develop too much -, substrate (7 parts of peat and 3 of akadama or substrate for bonsai), dry and fresh moss, scissors, thread of cotton, string, gloves, and water. If you are wondering how to get the moss, we recommend to buy it at florists, although you always have the option of growing it in your garden if you live in an area with enough humidity.

First, remove as much soil as you can from the roots of your plant. Next, form a ball approximately the size of an orange with the substrate you have prepared (peat and akadama, remember?). The ball should be with a firm and compact consistency. if you can not, add more water until you get the desired result.

Next, wrap the roots of the plant with the dried moss and tie the moss with the cotton thread. Don’t worry about how it looks now, it will eventually disappear between the plant and the roots can move freely. After this, make a hole in the ball to insert the plant, taking care not to damage the roots. When you’re finished, knead a little so that it comes back completely round.

Almost there! Just cover the ball of the substrate with the fresh moss that you have saved from the beginning. You can now attach to your kokedama a string and hang it where you like. You can also support it in a tray as in the pictures, or put it in a DIY pot that you do at home 🙂

How to water your kokedama

Although it may seem that these plants need a lot of care, the truth is that they are very grateful and hardly require attention. With watering once or twice a week, they will be kept in perfect condition and as beautiful as the first day 🙂

You will wonder what method of irrigation is indicated for the kokedamas. The ideal thing is to practice watering by immersion: it is a matter of immersing the moss ball completely in a container with water. In the process, the kokedama will begin to make bubbles at the base of the stem. When the bubbles stop appearing it will mean that it doesn’t absorb more water. It will then be time to remove the ball from the container, squeeze it lightly and let it dry – either letting it rest supported or hung.

Do you like kokedamas?

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