We will never find out about a hidden interest till we try something new.
Only after attending a recent Kokedama Workshop at Space 4 Us, that I realized that I enjoy gardening. It was held at Space 4 Us, a place designed to host different creative workshops for interactive learning.
Besides knowing that the term Kokedama comes from Japan, I did a quick search and found out that they were bonsai plants grown in moss covered spherical balls made of soil.
As I reached Mandarin Gallery with my friend, where Space 4 Us is located. The first thing that caught my attention were rows of potted plants that could make beautiful photos backdrop!
The workshop was about an hour long and remember to cut your fingernails beforehand. I did wear the gloves provided yet my nails still pierced through them. After a quick brief from the trainer, we started off selecting our preferred potted plant. There were a couple of choices and I ended up picking the more sturdy looking one. All materials are provided in this workshop and you can take home your very own Kokedama!
Here are the steps to make a Kokedama:
1) Select a potted plant (smaller ones are easier to handle)
2) Remove as much soil as possible (we would want to use new soil)
3) Form a ball with the new soil and the ball should be large enough to hide all the roots
4) Split the ball into halves
5) Close up the ball and hiding all the roots of your selected plant (make sure the soil is damp enough so that it doesn’t crumples)
6) Coat it with moss
7) Use the fishing string to tie the moss to the soil ball (as much as possible)
8) Once done, use colour threads to beautify your Kokedama base
The overall process may sounds simply yet I encountered problems making my soil into a perfect ball. Most people would also anyhow tie up their Kokedama base resulting in a mess.
In conclusion, it was my first-time handling plants, and I was probably overly gently with it. I was quite afraid that I would damage their roots as I pry to loosen up the soil. Hearing snaps of their roots caused me unnecessary worry! I have a fun time making my Kokedama and watering them requires placing them into basin of water for the soil to absorb. Hope I have more opportunities to handle plants without pesky insects in future. (Yes, I dislike insects!)
More information can be found on their website here. Check out what other workshops I have participated in!
Read about my other workshops experience here!