The moss ball is one of the bonsai styles that the root of a plant is covered with
green moss. It is said that the origin of the moss ball
is the Nearai that has been popular since
the mid-Edo era(about 1650) in Japan. The plant has
usually been cultivated in a pot for a few years. The roots develop in the pot. The root and soil maintain their shape even though the plant is
taken out the
pot. Its beauty has been appreciated for
hundreds of years.
Because it takes so long to make Nearai,
an easier way was found, that is the moss ball. Now Let’s
try to make it.
I think anyone can enjoy it.
Step 1
Preparation
(1)
Prepare these things below.
・your
plant
・green
moss
・clay-like
soil *→see Step 1-(3)
・a
piece of net
・two pieces of wire
・cotton thread (1~1.5m)
(2)
This time I used Trachelospermum
asiaticum that I bought for a
bargain in a gardening store near my house. The
height from the bottom of the pot to the top of
the plant is about 15cm.
(3) Soil
preparation.
・Clay-like
soil 60~70%
・Akadama(small
grain) 10~20%
・Sphagnum
moss 10~20%
*Clay-like
soil is a kind of peat moss or the soil that contains some peat moss in it
* Akadama
is bonsai soil. You can make a moss ball without Akadama.
*Cut sphagnum moss
finely.
(1) Intersect two pieces of wire and twist.
(2) Put each tip of wire into the corner holes of the net.
(3) Then bend all wires up.
Step 3
Blending the soil
(1)
Mix soils for
the moss ball.
(2) It is very important to
knead them well.
(3) If you knead it well, the soil becomes
shiny. Then it’s perfect.
(4) Make some small balls from the soil that will be easy to use
later..
Step 4
Trimming
(1) Take the plant out of the pot and trim.
(2) Choose the side that looks most
beautiful.
(3) Loosen its root and remove the soil very
carefully.
Step 5
Covering with soil
(1)
Put some of the soil on the base.
(2) Put
the plant on the soil and cover the root with soil little by little. Be careful
not to stick the soil to the plant too much.
(3) It
should look like this.
(4) To fix
the soil, bend the four
tips of wire
inwards.
(5)
This is the bottom view. It should look like this.
Step 6
Covering with moss
(1) You can make a moss ball with any moss
you like.
I
recommend using Hypnaceae because it’s leaves and stems are long enough to make a moss ball easily.
(2) Water
the moss with a sprayer to prevent
drying.
(3)
Pick up the
moss and wrap
the soil ball quickly.
(4)
Make sure to fill up the space between stems with the moss.
(5) It
should look like this.
Step 7
Winding with a thread
(1) Use any
color of cotton thread.
(2)
Wind the moss ball with a thread, to hold the moss root together.
(3)
After that, tie up both ends of the thread.
* A few month
later, the cotton thread will disappear.
(4)
Soak the moss ball in a bucket of water.
It is now completed.
(5) Display and
enjoy your bonsai!
I put
it in a Shigaraki ware pot.
Thank you.
