Making a Hanging Kokedama String Garden is Not Difficult
Posted on 20/10/2020
How to Make Japanese Inspired Hanging Kokedama
If you are into gardening, you may feel like experimenting with different designs and ideas. After all, this hobby is a great creative outlet and you will do well to pursue every opportunity to develop something new and exciting.
When you are looking at different features to add to your garden, you might as well check out kokedama bonsai. It is a popular project to make, not only because it looks stunningly beautiful, but also because you don’t need special garden care for it. The word kokedama translates to moss ball in Japanese and that is exactly what kokedamas are in essence - a plant and its roots wrapped in soil and moss. If you like the idea, you will be thrilled to learn that you can in fact turn this into a DIY project.
Here is what you need to do:
- Know what plants to use - before you start, you need to know what plants you can use and what plants you should avoid. When it comes to that, you have more options than you think, because the list to avoid is not that big. Basically you will do to avoid Ming Aralia, flowering plants (orchids for example), Maidenhair fern and succulents. As for what plants look good in such a gardening project, you have plenty to choose from: Philodendron, Waffle plant, Begonia, Pothos and Polka Dot plant. These are just scratching the surface of options, as you can also include various ferns: Bird’s Nest, Asparagus and Staghorn will all greatly aid your gardening efforts.
- Get your materials ready - you will have to acquire a number of items to complete this project. To start off, you will need bonsai soil and peat moss as the two most essential components of your kokedama garden. You will also need to select your preferred plants, preferably small ones. The next very important element of your garden is sheet moss. Expert gardeners recommend that you choose living and preserved moss, as it works best. You can go with organic products that exclude chemical additives for an eco-friendly approach.
- Mix bonsai soil and peat moss - to start off, you will need to mix the soil your plant will thrive in. Mix equal parts of peat moss and bonsai soil and enough water to wet damp the components. Stir till you get a homogenous damp mixture, which is the main ingredient to a healthy plant root.
- Plant in the mix - the usage of the word ‘plant’ is general here. What you need to do is form a ball of soil mix around the plant roots. It can be a bit tricky, as you don’t want to be too tight, in order to allow the roots to spread with ease. At the same time, it shouldn’t be too lose either.
- Wrap the soil ball with sheet moss - now is the time to introduce this very important element of the garden - sheet moss. Gently wrap it around a ball of soil. The better you wrap it, the better the plant will develop and spare you the need to clean soil from the floor. - Tie the wrapped soil - next, take a sturdy string to wrap and tie around the ball of moss. Make sure that it is secure, as soon enough it will be hanging at a place of your choosing. You don’t want it to fall to the ground.
- Use another loop to hang - select a good spot with enough sunlight for your plants and secure them on a hook with another string. This concludes the process of making your very own kokedama garden.
- Garden maintenance - now that you have an idea on how to create such a garden in your home, you only need to provide enough care for it. Don’t forget to water it properly. When the moss becomes light in colour, it is time to take it off the string and water till it becomes heavy. Let it drip in the sink before you hang it again.
That is all there is to creating a beautiful kokedama garden in your home. Invest some of time, as this interesting garden design is worth it for sure.
