Container Series: DIY Kokedama

Amanda Thomsen

When I first read about Kokedama, I thought, “This is a great idea, but I’ll never do it because I won’t buy the special clay you need to do it correctly and officially.” Then I snapped out of it. We don’t need special clay to make these hanging moss planters—in fact, you don’t need anything special at all.

These are cheap and easy to make; absolutely perfect for “onesies” you have laying around the store and I see them starting at around $25 to $50 on the ’Net. Hang them from trees, shepherd’s hooks, on walls and on a trellis—just be sure to hang them appropriate to their cultural needs. To water, you can pour water in at the neck of the planting or dunk the whole thing; if you’ve used enough string it won’t lose shape.

I used two succulents, Graptopetalum Muraski and Kalanchoe Black Tie, because I don't feel like watering these much. I’ve made these plantings, successfully, with alllllll kinds of plants though. I liked the asparagus ferns and spider plants the most, but you can use anything—even summer annuals.

Materials:
Sheet moss
Yarn or string
Scissors
Newspaper
Glue gun optional—I’ve never used it before, but you might

How-To:
Take the plant out of the pot, lay it in the middle of a sheet of newspaper and crumple up the newspaper around the root ball, making sure to cover all of the soil with paper. Cover as much of the paper with a large chunk of sheet moss. Tie a “belt” across the middle, tightly, and start wrapping string around the ball. Cover bald spots with small chunks of moss and wrap. Your planting will become rounder and more solid as you wrap. When you get to a good stopping point, tie a knot at the top and make a hanging loop. GP

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Amanda Thomsen is Kiss My Aster. You can find her funky, punky blog planted at KissMyAster.co and you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter AND Instagram @KissMyAster.