A kokedama is a plant that has no pot. It is actually a ball of moss where, inside, are the roots of the plant as well as a mixture of soil and a little fertilizer. But, what if we told you that you can change the substrate for coconut fiber? Do you know how to make a kokedama with coconut fiber?
If you like making kokedama, or if you’ve never done it before but would like to try, you no longer need to use normal soil. You can only do this with coir. Now you need to know all the steps to do it right. And that’s what we’re going to focus on this time.
Contents
What is coconut fiber
Coir is a natural material obtained from the fibrous layer that surrounds the fruit of the coconut (hence its name). Among its characteristics is to be very absorbent and to have water retention properties, which makes it Ideal for use in soil mixes to improve water retention and soil aeration.
It is also rot and insect resistant, so it can be used as an alternative to peat (which has a negative environmental impact).
What to consider when making a kokedama with coconut fiber
Now that you have a better view of coir, we ask you a question: can it be used for any plant in a kokedama? The truth is yes and no. In general, kokedama use plants that require less wateringTherefore, submerging the moss ball once a week and spraying water every x days is more than enough.
But since we are talking about a natural substrate that retains water, it can happen that there are plants that do not tolerate a very humid substrate, such as succulents or cacti. Although we already tell you that usually nothing happens because you can control it based on the weight of the ball. If you notice it is too heavy, it means it still has water and no watering is needed.
How to make a coconut fiber kokedama
Next we are going to get practical to give you the steps to make a kokedama from the plant which is just that instead of using soil what is done is using fiber coconut. Pay attention:
Prepare all the items
Ready to make a kokedama? Then you need to have everything you are going to use to make it on hand. In this case it would be:
- The plant.
- Coconut fiber. You can buy this set and cut it yourself, or you can already buy the coir soil.
- Mousse. This is optional since many use coconut fiber not only for the substratebut also to cover it and give a different look to the result obtained with the mousse.
- Scissors.
- Rope.
If you already have all of this ready, we can move on.
Substrate with coconut fiber
As we have already told youcoconut fiber can be used in two different ways: either using it to cover the plant outdoors or as a substrate indoors.
If you want to replace the peat (or the substrate you wanted to add) with coconut fiber, here we leave you what you have to do:
- Have on hand: coconut, a container, water, scissors and a knife.
- For the coconut substrate, you should use the coconut husk. To do this, take the knife and go from top to bottom to remove the fiber. The wires will actually come out. You will have to put them in a container. Be patient as this will take some time.
- If you see it’s too big, you can cut it into smaller pieces with the scissors. In this way, the smaller it is, the better because it will be lighter and it will store less.
- Once you’ve cut it all, you can add a little water to mix it with other potting soils, even if in itself it is more than enough.
Now, as we want to make a kokedama, you will need to put this coconut fiber with water to create a paste or paste which you can then spread on a flat surface (remember to put a plastic sheet over the table so that it does not stain.
ride the kokedama
Continuing with the coconut fiber substrate, we previously told you that you have to make a paste in order to spread it on a surface. it doesn’t have to be very good, but you can cover the plant with it. You’ll take it out of the pot with its soil and everything, don’t take it out. Put it in the center then, using the plastic that you have put, wrap the plant in such a way as to create a ball shape on it.
Make sure the base stays planted (otherwise you won’t be able to get it to stay in place where you put it). Press a little so that everything is well fixed. You can do this better if you take the plant out of the pot with the soil moist, as it is easier to work that way.
Cover with moss or coconut fiber
The next step in making a coir kokedama is to decide if you want the wrapper to be coir or foam. Or both. If this is the first case, you will need to cut more or less thick strips of coconut shell to cover the ball you have made with the plant. You can moisten them a little so that they stick together when you work with them. In this way, it will not be so difficult for you to close the whole ball. Of course, have rope on hand to fix everything.
Once you’re done, you can either leave it as it is or put foam on it. Or half and half. These are options that can make the kokedama more original, even if it is out of the ordinary.
If you use moss, remember to moisten it well to help it adhere to the coconut shell that you placed before. This way it will also be greener and it gives you the possibility that if it gets ugly, you can change it without having to undo the whole kokedama ballonly the foam part (which you will also need to secure with rope).
Do you dare to make a kokedama with coconut fiber?