Kokedama

Kokedama is the Japanese art of growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil instead of a container. The translation of the word is literally “moss ball”. Our kokedama are made by our Tangletown designers using a wide variety of Tangletown-grown houseplants. When you display your kokedama, feel free to be creative! Kokedama look beautiful hanging, or set in a container or dish. You can group a few together to create an artful arrangement, hanging forest, or mossy tabletop landscape.

If you'd rather make your own kokedama, check out our Kokedama DIY Kit.

Caring for a kokedama: Make sure your kokedama is displayed in a location where it will receive enough light. Most plants will do best in bright indirect light, but this may vary depending on the plant you’ve selected. The best way to know when it’s time to water your kokedama is by observing the plant for signs of thirst, and picking up the kokedama to see if it feels ,and is lightweight. Water your kokedama by soaking it in room temperature water for 5-10 minutes until it feels heavy, then letting it drain before displaying it again. Alternatively, if you place the kokedama in a deep enough saucer, you can fill the saucer with water, and let it soak up into the plant. It may take a few fills to fully saturate the kokedama. Check your kokedama one or two times a week to see when it is in need of watering. Remember to fertilize just like your other houseplants by soaking it in a diluted liquid houseplant fertilizer (follow the package directions for dilution instructions). A well-cared for kokedama will last until the plant becomes root-bound. When this happens, unwrap the moss from the rootball, add more soil, and rewrap with a larger sheet of moss.