How to Make a DIY Kokedama Ball

How to Make Kokedama at Home

How does kokedama work? Mix peat moss and bonsai soil, then slowly add water until the compound adheres as a ball. This will be your base. Wrap the roots of a plant (we used a fern) in damp sphagnum moss, bind it in twine, and insert it into the soil ball. Finish it in sheet moss, with more twine to secure it, then spritz with water.

1. Make and Form Soil Balls

   Mix peat moss and bonsai soil together in a 7:3 ratio. Slowly add water and mix until it reaches a consistency to form a soil ball that stays together and is about the size of a grapefruit or large orange.

2. Wrap Ferns with Moss

   Soak the sphagnum moss in water until it's damp, then rinse. Next, take the fern plants and clean the soil from the roots. Use the damp sphagnum moss to wrap the roots and bind the fern with twine.

3. Form Soil Ball Around Moss Ball

   Break the soil ball in half. Place the moss-wrapped plant between the two halves, shaping the resulting ball as needed. Use sheet moss to wrap the ball, then bind it with twine. When the kokedama is done, spritz it with water.
   

Kokedama Care

Watering Kokedama

The best way to determine if your plant needs water is to feel how heavy it is. When the ball feels light, there's a good chance it needs to be watered. Another telltale sign that your plant needs watering is browning of the tips of its leaves. Cut off any brown parts of the plant to keep it from spreading.

Watering your plant is simple: Soak the ball in a bowl of room-temperature water for about 10 minutes. Then transfer the ball to a colander for a few minutes to allow it to drain off any excess water. When the ball no longer drips, it's ready to hang again.

Two indications that your plant is being overwatered, or is not thoroughly drying, are yellowing leaves and mold. If you find mold on your plant, don't fret—trim the infected leaf or rinse the mold off with a warm, wet towel.

Moss Lighting Needs

Like most plants, kokedama is going to need some light to thrive—but not too much. Since the plant is moss-based, it's more likely to dry out if sitting in direct light. To elongate its life, pick a semi-shady spot in your home and keep a close eye on it.

Fertilizing Kokedama

Once a month, fertilize your plant to give it the nutrients it needs. Add a water-soluble indoor plant fertilizer to your water-soaking routine, using half of the product's recommended concentration.

Decorating With Kokedama

There are many ways to enjoy your kokedama plant, both inside and outside your home.

Hang kokedama in an office space or bathroom (the moss will love the moisture), above a kitchen island, or as a centerpiece on a dining room table. Hang kokedama from a pergola, balcony, porch, or another shady area outdoors.

If you're interested in adding more color, instead of planting fern in the middle of the ball, as we did, add colorful blooms like tulips or English roses.

More About Moss

Mosses are nonvascular plants grouped according to growth pattern: acrocarps and pleurocarps. Acrocarps are unbranched and erect, forming a mounded colony. Pleurocarps are branched and spreading, with a fernlike look, creating a colony in a creeping, chaotic fashion. Each type has a different design appeal. The tiny sporophytes reaching for the sky produce spores that develop into the soft green mat we recognize as moss.

Harvest moss from your property, or check local garden centers, floral shops, and online sources. Removing moss from protected areas, such as state and national parks and public lands, is illegal.

To collect moss, use a spatula and include a thin layer of soil along with the moss. Always collect responsibly, removing only small portions of a colony. Keep in mind that moss is sensitive to metals and chemicals.