These are so adorable and lovely! How do you care for them? If you water them, do they leak a little? And how long do they typically live for?

I’m not known for a green thumb, but I’d love to try this!

These are beautiful! I only have one question, though…how do you water them?

It’d be good to mention: when harvesting moss from the woods, *don’t go crazy!* Moss grows extraordinarily slowly, and though it isn’t an endangered species or anything, it is a part of our delicate natural environment.

This may seem silly but…how should they be watered? I assume you would have to take them down each time and either mist them or run them under some water?

Other than that, wonderful diy! Too bad my room is so sunny, maybe I can find a dark corner in the living room :)

ah what a cool project!

I love this idea! I am wondering how the plants should be watered? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

Oh wow! I bet these would look amazing and flourish in a bathroom. But I’m concerned that my cat would think that they were giant cat toys…

These are so cute! I’ve been looking for a way to make our basement gym a place we accentually want to be. It’s the darkest space in the house so this should work. Yes, watering instructions would be appreciated. Maybe mist them?

so pretty! does it leak when you water it? or should you take it down and water it, letting it drain before rehanging?

These are lovely and whimsical. Like everyone else though, I’m wondering what the lifespan is? how do we care for them? thanks!

Can’t wait to try this. Dank je wel Aura!
Here are some instructions on how to water I found through a link on Aura’s site:
After you have made your Kokedama, you need to water it, so prepare a bucket which contains enough water to cover the green moss ball (not the plant) and leave it for about 10 minutes.

I third the request, how do you water this? Will a light mist be enough or does it need to be very damp all the time? I couldn´t have leaks at my place because of the wooden floors :)

That’s so cool! But I was wandering too how you water them ??? hehe

such a beautiful idea! i’m with Mailee though…how does one care for the plants and do they start to disintegrate over time?

These are incredible and solve the mystery of what to hang in my low light rooms!

I imagine using a spray bottle to mist it would be a good choice, or perhaps dipping it briefly into a bowl of water.

love this idea! i’m guessing you would have to be extremely gentle when watering, so they wouldn’t break apart? maybe a spray bottle would be best?

These are so cool. I’m very tempted to attempt this.

call me silly but THIS is sexy.

I’m so happy you posted this tutorial! I recently posted about string gardens on my own blog and was going to try to figure out how to make one of my own. Now I know!

P.S. Wonder if this would work with bulbs?

I’m a little confused.

1) re: watering as others have mentioned.
2) Do you wrap the roots with moss THEN put into soil ball THEN wrap with moss again? The pictures and text don’t quite match up.

Thank you! it’s adorable!!!

This may be my favorite diy yet: can’t wait for a chance to try it!

I, for one, am really pleased with the current obsession with gardens that hang. Air plants? Succulents? Whatever. Stick some twine on it. :D

How ingenious! I’m absolutely in love with this idea, but can’t help but feel that it’s going to end up really messy, being such a klutz. I think I’ll try this at the spring brunch I’m hosting anyway! Thank you for the idea. Would love to know how to water these on a daily basis, too!

Gorgeous! I’ll make this my weekend project.

I showed a moss ball in my own blog posting as well. (http://weeklyflowertherapy.blogspot.com/2011/03/005-moss-ball.html) It’s really easy to make and maintain. I never thought about hanging them tho. It looks great!

I have been waiting for this tutorial for my whole life. I’ll check back to see some of the answers to all the questions. But here is another for the list- why do we use two kinds of moss? Where do we use the dry moss and where do we use the live moss?

Beyond the confusion (maintenance? When to add moss?) this is great! Oh, and the ground cover with the violet flowers – Vinca, I think.

Those look as good as the originals!!

oooh~ would this also work with succulents?

And if you want to go crazy… http://www.stringgardens.com/

This site is inspiring :)

ooooooh. How perdy is that!?!?
grrrldelsol, that link is most inspiring!

I’m going to be completely foolish and try this with herbs and hang them in my kitchen… once I add my request for watering advise to the pile (you can never ask enough, right?).

I’d been wanting some hanging plants for my front window, so this is the perfect thing!

I love it! I recently completed a similar project using epiphytic cacti and bark. http://www.therainforestgarden.com/2011/03/how-to-make-rainforest-ball.html

your plant is called periwinkle or vinca minor. It blooms in the early spring and grows as a ground cover is planted outside.

Thank you all for your lovely comments. So sweet!

1. I water them with a water mist spray bottle once a day. I try to do this early in the morning, to mimic the ‘dew’ effect (it looks magical when the sun comes up)

2. you wrap the roots with dry moss, called sphagnum (which you buy in a large bag – think of that fluffy stuff that is used for model railroads or nativity scenes), put a string around it and then you insert it in the earth ball which you afterwards cover with the other type of moss (the one you either find in a forest or buy as a moss carpet).

3. Yes, I am sure it would definitely work with bulbs! That would make a wonderful kokedama, especially when using miniature tulips or grape hyacinths. The only downside might be that after a few weeks you will be left with ‘just’ a moss ball.

4. Succulents on the other hand I am not so sure of… as moss and succulents do no require the same amount of water. If you would use a grass instead of moss, I am sure that would work too! And think how it would look with a miniature Christmas tree. I am going to try that too in a few months!

5. Oooh, yes that site looks amazing. Thank you for sharing!

Love it…really pretty and delicate.

Plleeeeaaaassseeee can someone explain about WATERING them :-)

Love from England xxx

Wow! awesome rustic space saving idea! I blue flower could be periwinkle?

Here is the BEST site for string garden care and watering — and gorgeous plants:

http://www.stringgardens.com/index.php?/caresheets/

I have several places in my house where I can these “moss balls.” Perfect solution for rooms with no shelf space for potted plants!

I just love this idea! With some shady spots around my home, this will come in as a handy little helper. I think I’ll start getting a couple of things going for my front yard this weekend. Thanks!

you are truly a genius. cant wait to get started!

holy crap!!!! these are perfection!

Re: Sphagnum and watering; sphagnum, when watered, holds 10x it’s size. Therefore, in wrapping the roots with sphagnum, you are insuring the roots are receiving water. Sphagnum is a VERY interesting plant and anyone who uses it for anything should research it to receive a better idea of what they are using. :) Can use it for menstrual pads, (again, absorbs 10x more than it’s size in fluids), is antibiotic, antifungal, etc. so can be used as a wound dressing as well as other applications. If you buy it in the bag, do your own experiments with the absorption in a bowl. Have a marvelous day, and I am jazzed about attempting this with my many house plants as well as using it for starts! Fantastic! Thank you, Aura!

No, I should thank you, Jeri. That is so interesting to know, wow!

I attended a class at Terrain doing this with succulents. You make the moss covered ball first, then use a pencil to make holes in the ball then insert the plant roots. After a while the plants spread and fill in It does need to hang in some sun and you water it by submerging it in a bucket for 15-20 seconds every few weeks.

Looking forward to trying this.

wouldn’t the center of the earthball get dry after a while with only misting the moss? as a gardener, I would think that it would and how would you get the water to the center of the ball? it is where the roots would be most dense? and the compaction of the soil would also contribute to the density, not allowing for moisture to enter into the compressed ball….I think it’s a lovely idea, and look but I’m not sure if it would last very long.

Vinca minor? That third plant?

So amazing and looks very efficient in providing plant with proper care.

It is now much hotter in Amsterdam so just misting the moss is not enough anymore. I have done what Lori said and submerged the Kokedama in a bowl filled with water. It worked like a beauty treatment and now the Kokedama and it’s Vinca minor look green and fresh again!

These look so funky. I wish I had some hanging in my living room. Long term I can’t imagine them staying perfect though. I’m guessing you will need to redo them every couple of months.

No, they don’t, Peter, don’t worry. If you take care of them, than it’s like putting a plant in a pot. Of course the flowers will die and in the winter leaves will fall off but it will keep growing. Again, you do have to take care and make a perfect Kokedama. Be gentle with its roots. PS Yes, the look very funky and it’s the first think everyone sees when entering the house!

Beautiful !!!

So lovely! I can’t wait to make these.

This is really cool it seems like it would be difficult though. It is intriguing none the less

I this for my boyfriend’s mother! She loves them!!!

you have the wrong picture set for the link….just thought i would let you know

You have a very nice site! Very informative and interesting to read. I will be returning soon to check out what’s new.

@Mary Jane: thank you so much! I will try to update it soon then.
@Bri: which picture is linking to the wrong page?

I love this! But I was wondering, would planting jasmine work or no? I love flowers and the scent of jasmine is so lovely, having it growing in my dorm would be like natural air freshener! What flowers did you use?

hey,

I can’t wait to try this project!
i’d like to encourage everyone to use the more sustainable and budget friendly coconut husks instead of sphagnum moss which grows incredibly slowly and is harvested from natural wet lands which are already under tremendous stress. Another plus is that its cheaper. You can buy coco fibers on amazon. It can also be used to start seedlings. Happy plantings

Awesome!. I do it! :D

very cool. i wonder if i could mail one of these….from east to west coast…

mine has been alive for over 6 months now! and is doing great!! love.

What an awesome idea!

you know if these start to get out of control all you have to do is plant the whole thing in a pot and enjoy it’s second life :)