Kokedama Care Sheets

CARING FOR YOUR KOKEDAMA

The weight of your kokedama is a good indicator of whether your plant requires water. If you lift your ball in your hand and it feels light, watering is needed.

Watering

Immerse the ball in a sink or bucket filled with water. Place your ball in the water plant side up and submerge. This can be done by holding the ball under the surface of the water until all of air bubbles escape or by leaving it to soak for up to 30 minutes. If your ball is very dry it will float on the surface. Ideally your kokedama should absorb enough water to saturate the moss and sink. Depending on how dry your ball is this can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Once your kokedama is saturated remove the ball and then drain.

Frequency of watering is dependent on time of year and living conditions eg. air conditioning or heating.  In winter aim to water approximately once a week. During summer months or in constant air conditioning this may need to be done more regularly. As noted above you can tell if your kokedama requires more watering by observing the sphagnum moss surrounding your plant. As the moss dries it becomes crispy and the ball becomes lighter indicating that your ball requires a drink. Light misting of your kokedama between watering isn’t essential but can help to keep your plants happy. Please note if you have a cactus or succulent kokedama these need to dry out completely before watering again. 

If you are a busy person or travelling for a period of time you can leave your kokedama in a saucer of water to draw up its own moisture. I find that the saucer from under a pot works well in this regard

Feeding

Feeding your kokedama at least once every season will also keep your kokedama happy. This can be done one of 2 ways. The easiest way is to add some liquid fertilizer to the water as per the packet instructions and immerse your ball. The second method is to poke some holes through your sphagnum moss and put some osmocote beads inside the ball.

Rebinding your Kokedama

Over time all-natural fibres will break down with water and light. As the twine breaks down you will need to rewrap your ball. This is best done when your kokedama is wet. You can also add a layer of fresh moist sphagnum moss on top of your ball at this time if required.

Kokedama can be kept in indirect filtered light indoors or in your garden. Please avoid direct sunlight.