The three essentials for a happy healthy kokedama:
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Long soaks in the bath:
Water the root zone by gently immersing the moss ball wholly under water until air bubbles stop rising. Give your kokedama a bath when it feels lighter to hold.
The occasional holiday:
If your kokedama plant is pride of place indoors, it will enjoy a change of scenery every now and then. Just a little vacation in some fresh air, maybe a nice little shower in the rain to wash the dust off its leaves. Shelter your kokedama from frost, wind & strong sunlight.
Favourite food:
Kokedama's are easily pleased with a simple diet. Soak the moss ball once a month in a bowl of water nourished with a dash of diluted liquid fertiliser and seaweed solution. This replenishes the soil with food and trace elements and the seaweed solution acts like a tonic and boosts the plant's resilience, health & colour of its foliage. They are generally not hungry in winter.
Advice for different plant types:
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Indoor + easy-going
Kokedama with these types of plants will be happiest where things are bright with filtered light, and left to dry a little between drinks.
Succulent + sublime
Kokedama with these types of plants will be happiest where they are kissed by the morning sun, and when things are bright with filtered light the rest of the day. Leave to dry a little between drinks.
Al fresco
Kokedama with these types of plants will be happiest where they are kissed by the morning sun, live indoors or outdoors with protection from wind and frost. Leave to dry a little between drinks.
Longevity tips:
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Kokedamas make wonderful plant pets and are ready to love you longtime with a little care and attention.
As pets go — they are fairly easy going and won’t chew on your favourite shoes. However, kokedama by The Green Bower have been made with sustainability in mind, and being an organic pod consisting of 100% biodegradable materials, they will eventually need a little maintenance to keep your plant living and lush.
The most important thing to know is that in time the jute string that binds the moss & soil around the roots will disintegrate. The rate of this will differ depending on the watering schedule and the conditions the kokedama is growing in.
Often by then, the plant's roots will have grown to hold the soil ball in shape, and you can gently pull away the string and pat the moss to keep it in shape.
Other options are:
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treat your kokedama to a revamp with new string
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planting your kokedama into a lovely pot, fill around the ball with good quality potting mix
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plant your kokedama straight into your garden
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And if it comes to it, The Green Bower kokedama are *ahem* compost friendly
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Variegated Ivy
8mths as a kokedama
Advice for treating & preventing Mould growth:
Have you noticed the suspicious signs of mould growing on your kokedama ball?
What is happening is conditions have been perfect to support a bloom of mould and without intervention it can colonise your kokedama ball.
During the 2020 summer on the South East Coast we were closing our windows to bushfire smoke, and we had limited air-flow indoors. With this, and the warmth and humidity of summer weather, and moisture coming from within the kokedama soil ball combine to be the perfect conditions for mould to colonise and thrive.
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Treatment -
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Allow the kokedama ball to dry in the sun and brush off what you can with an old paintbrush. By drying the ball in direct sunlight for a few hours UV light will help kill mould & fungus spores. Shield the plant leaves with lightweight cloth or have the foliage in the shade while the ball is in the sun.
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For advanced cases of mould - a fungicide spray will be the most successful method.
Prevention -
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The first course of action is to alter your watering patterns. Water your kokedama less frequently and prop up on some pebbles to allow air to flow underneath.
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Soak the root ball only when moss has become dry to touch and the ball is light to hold
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Try mist watering the foliage - plants will absorb water through their leaves. - OR
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water small amounts often, directly at the neck of the plant's stem
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If possible give you kokedama a little holiday outdoors in a sheltered spot to counteract all the still air in closed humid rooms.