malaysiangSHAH ALAM, Feb 11 (Bernama) — With just three key components, ornamental plants that are usually placed in pots, can appear more attractive through the use of the kokedama technique, a Japanese gardening method that involves wrapping a plant in moss ball instead of placing it in a pot.
Through the technique, various ornamental plants such as snake plants, pothos, philodendrons, Mexican mint plants and spider plants can be hung up as decorations or placed in containers made of coconut shells and husk.
Kokedama Kit Malaysia founder Norani Samsudin, 64, said kokedama is a style of Japanese bonsai in which a plant is potted in a ball of soil or compost that is coated with moss and secured with string.
“This technique becomes a preferred choice because it is clean, organic, easy and hassle-free to maintain.
“Watering a kokedama is really easy, just misting or soaking it in water,” she told Bernama.
Norani who is also an instructor of the bonsai art, said she was introduced to kokedama by her daughter who bought it in 2017.
“But it only survived for two months. Driven by my interest in gardening and curiosity, I did some research especially on the use of compost mixture specifically to help ornamental plants live longer even without the need for fertilisers and daily watering.
“I use compost that is made from rice husks and mixed with zeolite and topsoil. Rice husk contains effective microbes (EM) from plants that are good for fertilising the soil.
“Zeolite is a natural mineral that is able to absorb and exchange various chemicals, nutrients and ions according to need,” she said.
The co-founder of Integrated Islamic School Shah Alam said through this technique, plant roots are wrapped in moss before being tied with string and shaped according to one’s preference and creativity.
“Before that, the moss needs to be soaked for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to absorb water and the compost mixture must also be mixed with water so that it can be formed into a round shape,” she said.
However, Norani said, the process of dividing the compost mixture into two parts should be done carefully to form a ball that won’t break apart.
“The next step is to compress the roots of the plant together with the squeezed moss until it covers the entire rounded area.
“Finally, the plant needs to be neatly wrapped with jute before hanging or placing it in a container according to each individual’s creativity,” she said adding that the process usually takes 30 minutes to complete.
A passion for kokedama has also inspired Norani to produce a kokedama kit, containing compost, sphagnum moss (dried moss), coconut husk and jute, which can be purchased for RM35.
The kit has qualified her to receive an Agro-based Industry Certificate of Product Ratings at the Selangor Agropreneur Local and International Market Promotion Seminar organised by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) in 2018.
“I am confident that even by using this kit, an ornamental plant will grow well and that it will have a longer lifespan than when it is planted conventionally,” she said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
