1/ ko. ke. da. Ma. (苔玉)
When Twined sells our ornamental vegetal creations on events, the most asked question is: “ko ke what?”
ko. ke. da. ma.
Kokedama is a Japanese word that means “moss ball”. The Japanese people love their plants. Japanese gardens, bonsai and ikebana are the most famous living proof they do.
Bonsai and Ikebana both require skills, time and specific tools – it takes years to know the techniques and become a Master Bonsai or Ikebana.
With our kokedama, you don’t really need any skill to enjoy a stylish plant for a number of years – Twined masters the technique for you. All you have to do is watering the vegetal creation. That’s great, isn’t it?
2/ Real or fake?
The second most often question we are asked is “are these real plants?”
Yes, each kokedama is created using live plants.
Twined sources plants from local horticulturists and makes sure each plant has everything it needs to thrive in its new environment.
Once you purchase or are gifted a kokedama, your role is to ensure the plant is in an appropriate location and receives water. You would do it for any pot plant, right?
Not sure how to water or how often you should water? Most of our kokedamas will be happy when you soak the moss ball in water. Have a look on our website, each product description explains the process to water your kokedama 😊.
3/ green moss or sphagnum moss
Ok, Kokedama means “moss ball”. But what type of moss is used?
In Japan, green moss is traditionally used to create kokedamas, as it is abundant in Japan and the Japanese climate is appropriate for this type of moss.
In a warmer and drier climate like Australian’s, sphagnum moss is a better fit than green moss. Sphagnum moss is 100% natural as well and acts like a sponge to retain water, nutrients and moisture. It can hold up to 16 to 26% as much water as its dry weight!
4/ potting mix
The first step in the process of creating a kokedamas is to remove the soil around the roots of the plant. However, the plant is not left barefoot bare root : before we place the roots in their sphagnum moss cocoon – or coconut fibre for some plants -, the roots are delicately placed inside a ball of soil.
Plants are like for people: some like it hot acid, some like it neutral. So at Twined, we play the alchemists and create our own potting mixes. Japanese maples and azaleas will thrive in a slightly acid potting mix, succulents love a well-drained soil, Australian natives prefer a mix that is not too rich in nutrients…
5/ Coco shell
The magic really happens once the ball of soil is covered with the moss, that’s when we twine the ball and give the ball its spherical ornamental shape.
We follow the Japanese tradition and no, we don’t use any coconut shell.
Wishing to enjoy a greener lifestyle? Check our lovely range of handmade kokedamas and start you string garden today!