Kokedama: moss safety

[AnonYMouse]

Hi all,

Has anyone here made a kokedama?

I have a beautiful robust asparagus fern (not a true fern) that would look fantastic as a kokedama (I also have the perfect tiny plate to put it on)...but I'm afraid of bush snails and other crawlies. Is there a cheap/easy/micro-volume method to eradicate any and all crawlies from the moss on my patio? Is there a safe, cheap, micro-volume source of moss?

Edit: Apparently my "n" key is sticky.

[estación seca]

Welcome back!

Do you realize how big 'asparagus fern', which is Asparagus setaceus, gets, and how fast? I don't think slugs nor snails would bother it.

[AnonYMouse]

Hi back, ES!

A meter? They grow to a meter? Forget that. Nevermind!

(I did consider growing moss anyway, a miniature moss garden or something. But really, not really.)

[estación seca]

A meter would be a 6-month seedling.

[AnonYMouse]

Six months? We'll see. You have no idea what my capacity for NOT growing things have become.

[Roberta]

Aspagagus fern? Grow it on cement... where it can't invade the rest of the garden and multiply. Oh, and the growths are sharp and tough... need gloves to handle them when they get big.There are plenty of other ferns, that are benign and tidy.

[AnonYMouse]

i didn't get into kokedama because all the ones I liked were bonsai or ikebana-like. I don't have the patience for bonsai. And Ikebana-like? Might as well be ikebana which is too short lived for me (although I could arrange fake plants but then, what would be the point). I liked the way some asparagus ferns looked as a kokedama and I like the way mine is growing so I thought...And I have that little dish along with other little dishes, rocks and slate slabs.

I guess I've never seen a full grown asparagus fern.

Real ferns? All real ferns turns crunchy on me.

[Roberta]

I have some I'd gladly share... they are volunteers, I didn't plant them. They especially like the moisture under the orchid shelves, climb into pots if not intercepted.

On the other hand, if the softer ferns don't survive your environment, this one is definitely robust. Snails and slugs would not have a chance with those sharp edges and points.

[estación seca]

The cuter things are, the harder they are to keep from getting crunchy. These things are easy to forget to water. I think the moss tolerates it better than the plants.

Consider Japanese holly fern, Cyrtomium falcatum. It volunteers from spores in southern California hanging baskets that go dry between waterings. It gets medium sized but could stay small if confined.

And I found this, from when Sunset Magazine used to run interesting gardening articles:
Best Ferns to Plant

[AnonYMouse]

Thanks Roberta and ES. I don't have the energy to try just for the sake of trying.

Off topic: I always ment to visit the Sunset magazine campus and now it's too late.