PDF of KOKEDAMA INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO MAKE KOKEDAMA SUPPLIES: Plant Sphagnum Moss 2-­‐3 feet of Cotton Thread or Crochet Yarn Peat Moss Japanese Akadama for Bonsai, Small Grain Water Sheet Moss, live or preserved 6-­‐12 feet of Twine, Waxed Cotton Cord, or Heavy Yarn 1. Place about a handful of sphagnum moss per kokedama n a small container and add water. Set aside to soak until needed. If using preserved sheet moss, also put this in water to soak (a flat pan works best for this). Squeeze out excess water after about 5 minutes. 2. In a bucket or container, mix 8 parts peat moss with 3 parts Akadama soil for bonsai. For example, mix 2 cups peat moss with ¾ cup Akadama. 3. Add water gradually, mixing after each addition, until the mixture is sopping wet. Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. 4. While waiting, get your plant ready. First, gently remove the soil from around the roots. For some plants, you’ll be able to remove most of the soil. For others that are sensitive to having their roots disturbed, such as most ferns & coleus, remove as much soil as you can without having to tear or disturb the roots. 5. Take a handful of moist sphagnum moss, squeeze out excess water, and then encase your plant’s root ball with a layer of sphagnum moss. Grantham Garden Club Workshop – 7/12/16 -­‐ 1 -­‐ 6. Wrap the sphagnum-­‐covered root ball with cotton thread or yarn (~ 2 feet long), to shape & hold the moss onto the roots. 7. Give your peat moss/akadama mixture a stir, and then use your hands to create a ball slightly bigger than sphagnum-­‐covered root ball. You should end up with about an inch of the mixture all around the roots except at the top, which is left uncovered. 8. Squeeze the peat moss/akadama ball to release the dripping moisture. Set aside. 9. Lay out a piece or pieces of damp sheet moss, wrong side facing up, in an amount sufficient to cover “soil” mixture ball you’ve made. 10. Twist the “soil” ball to create two halves, and then press the sphagnum-­‐covered root ball into one half, placing so that where the stems come out of the root ball is even with the top of the soil ball (and so not covered with “soil” mixture). Grantham Garden Club Workshop – 7/12/16 -­‐ 2 -­‐ 11. Put the other half of the ball over the root ball, and try to pat and squeeze together to reform a ball. Do this over your peat moss/ akadama mixture bucket, and if necessary, work in some additional mixture to the ball. Squeeze again to release any dripping moisture. 12. Take your damp sheet moss (spray with water bottle, if needed), and wrap it around the plant-­‐containing soil ball. Gently press it onto the ball, and cover all the soil except where the plant stems come out of the ball. 13. Tie the length of twine/waxed cotton around the moss-­‐covered ball, leaving about 2” on one side. 14. Wrap the longer end of the twine around & around the moss-­‐covered ball to secure the moss, pulling tight as desired to help shape the ball. When you feel it is securely wrapped, tie off to the 2” end. Grantham Garden Club Workshop – 7/12/16 -­‐ 3 -­‐ 15. You can display the kokedama on plates, in bowls, or using other containers. Or, hang it! 16. To hang kokedama, you can simply add a loop of cord the desired length by securing the loop to the twine wrapped around the ball. Alternatively, you can create a hanger, e.g., with macramé or crocheting. [Special thanks to Liz Kendall, who took most of the pictures in the step-­‐by-­‐step instructions.] Grantham Garden Club Workshop – 7/12/16 -­‐ 4 -­‐ KOKEDAMA SUPPLY COMMENTS & SOURCES PLANTS -­‐ Tropical plants tend to be the most successful, but you can use other plants and even trees. You can use any size plant, but bear in mind that the larger the plant, the large your kokedama “ball” will be. Example plants: anthuriums, philodendrons, ferns (such as asparagus ferns, Boston ferns, staghorn ferns, birds nest fern, etc.), orchids, begonias, angel hair vines, coleus, aloe, jade, echeverias and other succulents, prostrate rosemary & other herbs. We used fairy garden plants from Longacres Nursery Center, Mechanic St, Lebanon, NH. SPHAGNUM MOSS – You want loose sphagnum moss, and only need a handful for each average-­‐size kokedama. Can find various size bags in most local nurseries and Home Depot. COTTON THREAD – This is just to hold the sphagnum moss & roots together, and the thread will disintegrate inside the kokedama over time. You can tie knots or just wrap tightly. We like cotton crochet yarn, and used Aunt Lydia’s White Crochet Cotton from JoAnn Fabric & Crafts. PEAT MOSS – Look for straight peat moss, without any additives such as fertilizer. Available at most nurseries in the area, as well as West Lebanon Feed & Supply and Home Depot. JAPANESE AKADAMA – You want real akadama for bonsai with small grain, which looks like little dry clay lumps. Avoid bonsai soils that are rocks of any size. We used Akadama from Dallas Bonsai Garden, available through Amazon.com or direct from Dallas Bonsai Garden (www.dallasbonsai.com). Other sources include Eastern Leaf (www.easternleaf.com). SHEET MOSS: Live moss can be used in part shade to shade locations. Live moss can be found in shady or wooded areas that are acidic, like on bark mulch. To harvest it (with permission if not your own land), simply run a hori-­‐ hori or other flat garden knife just under the moss, wiggling and moving the knife to lift sections of moss. Shake off excess soil & keep lightly moist. Sheets of preserved sheet moss can be found online, but make sure they don’t have some sort of backing. We used Super Moss Preserved Sheet Moss bought on Amazon (Item 21512 or 21508) TWINE/COTTON CORD/YARN: You can use a number of thicker cords to wrap around the outside of the ball. If you use live moss, the moss will grow and adhere to the soil, so if you use an uncoated cord or yarn that will eventually wear away, the ball will hold together without re-­‐
wrapping. If you use preserved sheet moss, and don’t want to rewrap at some point, use a coated cord or synthetic cord that won’t wear away over time. We like the natural look of jute twine, which you can get in many places, such as Save-­‐On-­‐Crafts (www.save-­‐on-­‐crafts.com). You can find coated cotton and other coated cords at various locations, including Amazon and JoAnn Fabric & Crafts. Grantham Garden Club Workshop – 7/12/16 -­‐ 5 -­‐