Herself's Houseplants

Komedama with vanilla orchid

I’d seen the Japanese hanging plants potted in moss around the internet and have had them on my wish list for a few months.

I decided to try first with orchids, they are potted only in moss, and I have more orchids than places to put them.

I unpotted the vanilla orchid, and packed the moss into a tight round ball.

I picked up some thin wire and hooks at the craft store in the bead section, I wasn’t sure string would hold up well and I didn’t want to see the string. I wrapped the ball of moss containing the plant in wire until the wire held all the moss in place.

I attached two hooks, each to an end of an 18″ strand of thin wire, one I hooked to the ceiling, one to the moss ball.

The entire project took about 15 minutes ( not counting clean up ), cost was less than a dollar per Kokedama hanging planter

Supplies for Kokedama

Next time I’ll use some wire closer in color to the moss and I’ll use a hook at the top only and just attach the hanging string directly to the moss ball.

For plants other than orchids you’ll want a ball of 2/3 bonsai soil or peat moss mixed with 1/3 clay inside of the moss.

Kokedama (moss ball/bonsai with out a pot) is a form of Japanese bonsai. Typically the plant is removed from the container, roots are trimmed to bonsai the plant and it is planted in a ball of bonsai soil wrapped in moss.

It is said to have originated in the Edo Era (1603-1868 ) in Japan. The moss balls were not hung up but sit in a shallow container or flat tray.

Part of what holds the ball in place are the plant roots, as the plant grows it will more tightly bind the soil ball.

kokedama phalaenopsis

Florescence Elements flower show

At the Houston Florescence show this year small was in, small landscapes, small water gardens, and wreath shaped dish gardens.

( photos of the more traditional arrangements are Herself’s Houston Garden, Florescence photos

Growing orchids in glass containers is a nice way to modernize your display.

If you have orchids that are young or do not get large you can plant them in large glass containers. I have some planted in sphagnum moss, some in regular potting soil, others in bark.

The trick is to keep the roots moist with out letting water collect at the bottom of the container. And that is more difficult than it sounds.

I have a spray bottle with 10% the regular dose of fertilizer and water. When the roots stop looking green or the planting medium feels dry, I spray the plants until the roots and media are damp. I find that’s about twice a week in the winter when the house is dry. I spray them about once a week in the summer when it’s much more humid in here.

I find phalaenopsis do not do well in glass containers, every other orchid I’ve had in a glass container has thrived.

Cleaning the nooks and crannies of the glass containers can be a challenge. My favorite way is to use some table salt and ice and just shake it around the container. Other people have recommended salt and vinegar or alka seltzer or baking soda and vinegar.