How to Make Kokedama

So you've been seeing these moss covered plant balls in your feed lately, yep those Kokedama - 苔玉, literally meaning moss ball in Japanese - and you've been left wondering "how do I do that?"

It's easy! Let us show you how to make a wonderful indoor container planting alternative that looks absolutely amazing and eliminates the use of mass-produced pot that can either be hung from the ceiling or perched on dish.

Here's What You'll Need

• Live Fern Moss - Our bag of Fern Moss will make up to 4 Kokedama
• Coco Coir Brick
• Sphagnum moss
• Bonsai Soil Mix - Some people leave this out, it is optional but the plant and the moss will love you for it.
• Bentonite clay as a binding agent - This can also be left out if need be.
• 1 Small plant - I'll discuss which plant at the end
• Ball of twine - approx. 1 meter
• Water - Rain or filtered water is best. Tap water should be boiled.

Okay, roll up those sleeves. Let's go.

1. Mix the bonsai soil, peat moss and clay into a ball that's going to be big enough for the roots of your new plant but also not too big. A good rule of thumb is to use the pot your plant came in to determine the size of the soil ball. About 2cm - 4cm bigger than the pot your plant came in is a good start, though it helps to research the root system of the plant you'll be using to be sure.
   
   Try this ratio and adjust accordingly to step 2.
   • 70% Bonsai soil
   • 20% Peat moss
   • 10% Clay mixture
   
   
2. Wet the soil mixture with water, this bind the ingredients together so that the mixture won’t fall apart. Just be sure not to make the mix too dense, otherwise the plant roots won't be able to breathe.
3. With your fingers, carefully dig a small hole in the centre of the ball. Take your plant out of it's pot, gently clean the roots of it's loose soil and set aside.
4. Cover the soil ball using Live Fern Moss by carefully pressing sections of the moss onto the surface of the ball. Don't get too caught up making it stick to the surface, most of the support comes from the twine.
5. Now it's time to wrap the ball up with the twine!
   Cover as much as the ball as you can including the bottom but don't go too far because you want the star of the show to shine, I'm talking about the Fern Moss!
6. Now we need to tie another length of twine to the sides of the ball just above the equator so we can hang the Kokedama. The lengths is up to you.
7. Hang or perch your beautiful Kokedama creation in shady area that gets some filtered light and give it a good misting.

Tips

• Demineralised or rainwater is going to produce the best results. If using tap water boil it beforehand for about 15 minutes. 
• When the time comes to water the plant simply submerge the ball in a bucket of clean water for 5-10 minutes, leaving the plant out of the water.