Lovely Little Greens in Air!

String gardens are the suspended pot less arrangements of your plants using a twine or a string, which are constructed using the Japanese technique of making a Kokedama, which means a hanging moss ball.

Imagine your house balcony bearing lovely greens hanging down your roof.  If you get your imaginations right, then you can feel the fascinating nature floating beautifully in the air in your very house. It is definitely possible to make your imaginations take form through designing a ‘String Garden’, which is all about liberating the plants from pots and putting them on your ceiling to dangle around. 

Designing your String Garden

In order to design a lovely little green world in the air one needs to practice crafting and hanging a Kokedama.

Here is how to start with.

Requirements: Crafting your string garden requires the use of

  • Soil: Peat soil and Akedama soils or common bonsai soils in the 7:3 ratios or Peat, Sand and Akedama soils in 5:2:3 are used for better result.
  • Tiny Plant: Wide range of indoor plant options are available and can include varieties of tiny sized bonsai plants, succulents, ferns, herbs and also orchids.
  • Patch of green moss can also be dry Sphagnum
  • Hand gloves
  • Cotton thread
  • String  and Hook
  • Scissors
  • Water, and
  • A bucket

 Making of Kokedama balls:

After collecting all the required materials we can simply start with the procedure of making the moss balls.

Step 1: Blend the soil and make perfect tight clay that doesn’t break apart. Check for the clay consistency and make it as tight as possible. This is because loose clay cannot withstand watering. Now carefully shape them into fine round balls such that each ball has enough space to accommodate the roots of your plant.

Step 2: Pick the chosen plant and gently remove every little trace of soil attached to the plant. Clear the exposed root system and shorten it if it is too long for your clay ball.

Step 3: Insert your plant into the soil ball by making a small hole. Fix it up by gently pressing it and carefully close the ball such that its shape is retained.

Step 4: Moisten the green moss using a gentle stream of water and cover the whole ball by pressing it firmly. Bind it tight by the help of a cotton thread that can dissolve in the soil with time.

Step 5: Water your prepared Kokedama by dipping it in a container with water for about 10 minutes. The water level should cover only the green moss ball but not the tiny plant. Now remove the Kokedama from the container and place it on a paper to absorb excess water. In order to maintain the water level in the later stages choose a sprayer bottle.

Step 6: Wrap your moss ball using a string or a fishing twine in four to eight directions such that it can be hanged. Choose a serene shady place and install a hook on the rafters to hang your lovely moss balls.

After all, string gardens are a creative option for a plant craft with a wide range of plant options. Therefore just get your hands in the soil, and play around to create brilliant jade balls to dangle in your homes.