Wrought Makers FAQ

Can Kids Make One?

Yes of course! We have some large clear plastic cups with pebbles and organic soil inside for your little one/s to create their own little terrarium garden to take home and care for.

Price: Wabi-Kusa (Terrarium): $10 (30min time slot).

What do they get?

3 Bunches of Stem Plants

Moss

A little plastic bug to put in his new home (optional)

A Large Plastic Cup with a lid

Propagation Sand

Organic Soil

Sphagnum Moss

Tools will be at the table for them to use. They can also use their hands.

Suitable for all ages including pre-school. Parent supervision is advised unless your child is of an age where you feel they will be fine without your help or presence in which case you are welcome to head over and do your own thing at another stall if you wish. OR you could always sit next to them and make your own kokodema or Wabi-kusa! If you do leave them with us we are happy to text you when they’re finished so you can come and collect them.

Can they make it at home? Yes they can, the cost will be $10 (Tools not included, although they are not 100% necessary).

Yes you can take everything home with you if you’d prefer to make your Wabi-kusa or Kokodama at home instead. We have a sheet on how to make them to give to you and will also provide tips before you go plus a “care sheet”. 

 

Below are just some example of what you can make! The cost to make just depends on how many plants go into your Wabi-Kusa or Kokodama. You decide!

Price of the Kokodama and Wabi Kusa balls without the plants $5 for small, $7 for medium, $10 large, $13 Xlarge. This includes the twine, soil, sphagnum moss, coconut fibres and all the ingredients to make them.

Stem plants are $3 per bunch and you get 3 stems per bunch. You can use as many bunches as you like or as little as you like also!

Swords are $5.80 small, $7.50 medium, $10 large

Peacock Moss is $12 per handful

Riccia moss is $3 per tablespoon

There are many others plants to choose from and prices do vary just slightly but you are the boss of what goes into your creation. The above prices are what most plants cost bar a couple of rarities.

Glass terrariums are sold separately and range from $5-$8 each, the soil and stones is $1-$2 depending how much you use. Terrariums are for people who are not using the “balls” above.

Tools are provided for you to use free to charge of course! You can purchase them also if you wish to make yours at home.

 

 

 

 

 

You get your Kokodema Ball and plants that you’ve chosen, sit down at the workshop table and use the tools provided to start the decoration process. I will of course show you how to go about making it and give you some tips like how not to break the plants whilst inserting them into the Kokodema ball, how long the stems should be and where you can cut them.  You will also be given a crash course on how to care for your miniature garden whether it be a hanging kokodema or Wabi-kusa inside a glass dish. There are so many display options!

 

 

 

 

Definition below ‘Retrieved from The Green Machine’

There is no literal translation of ‘Wabi-kusa’ in the English language. ‘Wabi’ denotes something aesthetic, imperfectly beautiful and natural (like in wabi-sabi). ‘Kusa’ means ‘grass’ or sometimes ‘plant’. Therefore ‘Wabi-kusa’ cannot be translated literally. It denotes something natural, beautiful, sweetly imperfect and involving plants. The English language is clearly not conceptual enough to have evolved a single word to express all those connotations, which is probably why we have kept the name ‘Wabi-kusa’; to maintain the simple elegance of the concepts the Japanese name denotes.

What are ‘Wabi-kusa’?

Wabi-kusa are balls of substrate that are covered with plants that are grown in their terrestrial form, very similar to plants that are grown hydroponically in nurseries. These substrate balls are placed directly into a small glass container with some water in and then allowed to grow naturally. You can buy a TGM Substrate Ball here.

This is a very different approach to aquascaping techniques, where the layout of the aquarium is planned with exquisite care and the plants are carefully maintained. Wabi-kusa allow nature to flow freely, and as such they produce stunning results. Wabi-kusa is a celebration of the wildness and chaos of nature, and as such it is extremely seductive and inspiring – a piece of wilderness in your home, bedroom or office. The compulsive power of Wabi-kusa is undeniable.

Once the Wabi-kusa is placed in the Plant Glass container a few inches of water are added, depending on the plants and the shape of container you have. Once this is done, simply place the Wabi-kusa under a suitable light for plant growth, like theDo!aqua Branch Light. Then sit back and witness the simple beauty of nature’s chaotic complexity. It is important to make sure that the light is suitable for plant growth – any specialist retailer should be able to advise you on this.

Unlike aquascapes, Wabi-kusa tend not to use hardscape (rocks and wood), although they can be added if desired. The idea is just to let nature flow, rather than staging it. It has to be said that given the controlling nature of aquascaping there is something daringly seductive about Wabi-kusa.

Kokedama (苔玉, in English, literally “moss ball”) is a ball of soil, covered with moss, on which an ornamental plant grows. The idea has its origins in Japan, where it is a combination of both Nearai and Kusamono Bonsai styles. Today, Kokedama is very popular in Japanese gardens. Loosely translated, ‘koke’ means moss and ‘dama’ meansball.

We also put plants in them as well as moss by the way!!