BENGALURU: Around three years ago, plant-artist Aditi PC came across a bonsai pine, around 20 cm high, which was sitting on a ceramic saucer and its root balls were wrapped with moss. “It was perfect, and that’s when I decided to start making kokedama. As I started getting better in this art, I started gifting it to my family and friends and they loved it,” says the 26-year-old lawyer, who is also an ardent plant lover.
For those of you who are new to Kokedama, it’s a form of bonsai. In this process, the plant does not need the pot and instead the roots of the plant are wrapped in soil and moss. The whole thing is tied together with nylon fishing wire or waxed cotton string, so the roots resemble a ball. Aditi says her work on Instagram has attracted lot of rave reviews from those who like to experiment with the plants. “I see a lot of kokedama in many trendy coffee shops in the city.
I feel these are slightly tortured versions, with the moss clearly dead. But then, kokedama does not make for easy house plants, because the moss needs to be dripping wet all day and without a pot to hold in the moisture, the roots tend to dry out,” she adds. With becoming an expert in creating kokedama, Aditi has started selling them through her social media page. What is better than converting one’s passion into profession!
Over the fence of Aditi’s house in Frazer town, one can see the nursery area where these perfect pines are made, that compels people to knock at her door and ask her what is the secret behind creating these trendy and beautiful kokedama. First, she said her meticulously roundedot balls were down to years of practice like moulding sushi rice, and Bengaluru soil is perfect for such things. She gives us a little secret behind how she checks the soil. “I first have a good poke about in the bag of soil, then smell it, roll it around a bit to find texture of the soil. Bengaluru soil is a standard forest-floor soil. In short, its largest component is well-rotted leaf mould,” she adds.
This makes a lot of sense: leaf mould is very absorbent, mouldable, liked by moss and quite light. You cannot collect leaf mould from the woods, so one has to make their own, but there are still enough fallen leaves kicking about to do that. One can fill a bin bag with leaves, tie it up, punch some holes all over it and wait for them to rot. Either that, or the easiest is to collect from the seasoned gardener, who will likely have a hidden stash.
This lawyer with a green thumb has sold many kokedama as she believes that in a city like Bengaluru where there is space constraint, kokedama are the best as they can be expanded as hanging plants.
To place an order for kokedama on Aditi PC’s Instagram handle, Kokedama_by_ Ady. Her work ranges from `200- `1500.
Things needed for kokedama
One needs the right moss. Pet shops often have moss for terrariums and the like or you can harvest moss in any shaded corner.
You will need pleurocarpous mosses – the big, bushy, gold-green, mat-forming sort – rather than acrocarpous mosses, which are cushion forming.
You need right kind of forest soil. Bengaluru soil is a standard forest-floor soil