The Tranquil team would like to help you get the most out of your kokedama, so here are five top tips for relaxing with your mossy companion(s). For more tips, tricks and updates on how to fully utilise your kokedama, you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (just search ‘Tranquil Plants’), and make sure to keep an eye on our blogs.
1. Listen to music
A smart man named Gustav Theodor Fechner once argued that plants have souls, and therefore they must love music! Well, at the workshop we’re constantly humming tunes and putting the radio on for our Tranquil buddies and they’re as vibrant as ever. So whatever your style may be - from Eminem to Bach - pop it on the speakers and just watch your elm’s trunk tingle and the fronds of your fern buzz with joy… (Not scientifically proven but fun nonetheless)
2. Have afternoon tea (or morning coffee)
Even though we won’t advise making a cup for your kokedama (this can become a little messy as they don’t tend to have any arms to pick up the cup), get a brew on the go for yourself and let the scent waft through the room. You and your plants will not be disappointed. This can set off a great chill vibe in your space.
TIP: dracaena love red herbal teas such as cranberry infusions, and ferns are partial to a delicate peppermint or green tea.
3. Light some incense
As well as tea and music, Tranquil Plants love to be pampered with an authentic musky incense. We recommend cedar wood for bonsai, dragons blood incense for dracaena, sandalwood for succulents (though all scents are appreciated by all plants!). Alternatively, they all love a good Nag Champa incense, and a free one comes with every Zen Garden kit from the Tranquil Plants website (find out more about the bonsai Zen Garden: https://www.tranquilplants.co.uk/product-page/bonsai-zen-garden-on-slate-tray-brown-moss).
4. Give your plant a real good mist!
We notice sometimes that owners can forget to give their plants the due attention of a regular misting. Misting, for a moss ball plant, is akin to a freshen-up for us human beings. Imagine going without a shower for weeks! To solve this, just simply buy a cheap mister and spray water around the moss ball and throughout the leaves or the canopy. This is especially important for plants who need a little extra humidity, such the asparagus fern, and is rewarding for the owner too. Through this process you’ll start to witness miracles — we have some very dedicated customers who, through misting, have achieved a level of verdancy known rarely to us at the workshop!
5. Give your Kokedama a snazzy theme…
Sound crazy? Well - it isn’t really… We do it at Christmas all the time with trees ten times bigger! Style your kokedama according to the holidays such as Christmas or Easter (you could put mini chocolate eggs around the base), or get your own theme going. We love to put little statues of Buddha next to our Tranquil Plants with an incense or pagoda to give a meditative vibe… Or if you already have a collection of kokedama, place them around and be creative! Put crystals or precious stones under each, sit them next to your record player/computer or create artwork for them to stand next. You could even make your own bases to rest them upon (a large mug works great for this!). The options are endless.
And remember, these are only five of our top tips. As well as having genuine benefits in cleaning the air and giving out oxygen, kokedama are brilliant tools for relaxing and bringing a Tranquil vibe to your room, house or workspace. Good luck, and don’t hesitate to send in any ideas that you think the world should know!
