DIY Kokedama

What is Kokedama?

Kokedama, meaning "moss ball", is a Japanese form of garden art. The moss ball can be secured to a platform or hung by a string. They make great additions to any room(and save floor space!).

Materials

• Small plant of your choice
• Sphagnum moss
• String
• Bowl
• Scissors
• Sheet moss
• Soil

Step 1:

Get your materials ready. We mixed some clay into our soil because I've heard that Kokedamas have a problem of drying out too fast. Clay holds moisture so we thought we'd try to add some to the mix. Add water to soil mix. Soak mosses too if they're dried.

Step 2: 

Take your plant from its container and remove excess soil from around the root ball. Be careful not to damage the roots too bad. 

Step 3:

Wet the sphagnum moss and wrap a handful around the roots. 

Step 4:

Press moistened soil mix around the sphagnum into a nice round ball shape.

Step 5:

Wrap your sheet moss around your ball and secure with string.

Step 6:

Hang and enjoy!

We liked our first ones so much we went back to the store and bought a bunch more little plants to do! Mimosas and Kokedamas, sounds like a great Sunday to me. 

Dana and our Kokedama factory

Staghorn teammates Dana and Colin with their new Kokedama

To keep your new creation happy, spray with a water bottle frequently or take down and give a good soak once or twice a week. The amount of water you give will depend on the specific plants' requirements.

We made a lot. 

How to Mount a Staghorn Fern

I am lucky enough to be writing this from Mexico and I love jungle plants oh so much, so I thought I'd share a little tutorial on incorporating an awesome tropical plant into your home. Staghorn ferns are members of the Polypodiaceae plant family. They thrive as epiphytes, which are plants that harmlessly grow on another plant, usually a tree, and derive their moisture and nutrients from the air, and rain.

Because they grow on other plants, you must mount your staghorn fern on wood or in a basket. This allows you to hang your staghorn on the wall as a beautiful, growing piece of art. I mounted some for Christmas for my Staghorn NYC teammates and took lots of photos so I could share with all of you!

Step 1: Choose your mounting board. Attach brackets to the back so you can hang your staghorn on the wall when you're done. This will be hard to do at the end without hurting your fern, so do it first!

Step 2: Turn your board over and trace a circle around the base of your pot.

Step 3: Use screws or nails around the circle. You can do more all the way around the circle if you want but I just did four.

Step 4: Gently remove the Staghorn from the soil. Be careful not to break the shield (the brown part at the base). 

Step 5: Put a small pile of soil in the circle you made and cover this with sphagnum moss. This can easily be found at any garden store. It's good to soak the moss in water before you use it. 

Step 6: Place your fern on your pile of moss. Make sure it's facing the direction you want it to grow (check the brackets on the back!). 

Step 7: You should use fishing line to attach the fern but I couldn't find any so I used floral wire that I had(not the best option). Wrap the wire/line around one of the screws. Pull it taught and crisscross around the base of your fern to the other screws.  When it's secure, tie it to the last screw and cut the excess.

Step 8: Viola! You can hang your fern! Hang in a place your fern will get indirect light.

Caring for your fern: Weekly, give the whole thing a good soaking, the board and the plant. Let it dry out before rehanging.  Make sure you don't let the leaves get too dusty because it absorbs through its pores. It enjoys a nice misting once in a while as well. 

It's Wreath Making Time!

Making your own holiday wreath is easy, fun and you get to make it however you want!

First, go gather some plant materials! Be creative. There are a lot of dried plants out there that make great decorations for your wreaths.

Wreath making supplies

Floral wire

Wire frame

Pruners or heavy duty scissors

Evergreen branches

And other fun plant materials you found

Snip pieces from your evergreen branches so you have small bundles. Use the floral wire to attach the bundles around the frame. You repeat this overlapping the previous bundle.

I made many with the wire frame last year so I wanted to try a different wreath. I made this one with vines from the woods. You don't need the frame for this because you can just wrap them in on themselves. 

You can decorate the vine wreaths the same way by attaching bundles and other decorations. 

Ta- Da

Now we are all pros.

Cold Season Wellness With Herbs and Spices

As we move into the dark, cold months it is important that we care for our bodies. The sun goes away pretty much right after she shows her face. Temperatures fluctuate for a while and then plummet. Cold and flu season sniffles begin. The stress of the holidays wears on our bodies. Thankfully, nature has provided us with many plants that can help us stay well through the cold season. 


Echinacea for immune support

That beautiful native perennial that we enjoy seeing in the warm months, can help us get through the cold ones. Echinacea is said to be an immune-enhancing herb which helps prevent colds and/or shortens the length of them. It is endemic to eastern and central North America and was used for hundreds of years by Native Americans before European colonizers arrived here. 

Echinacea contains phenols which have high antioxidant properties. “Echinacea also contains alkylamides or alkamides, (not in E. pallida), which have an effect on the immune system”. (Medical News Today)

It can be found in the form of herbal extracts, teas, dried herbs, or capsules. Check out this DIY recipe for an echinacea tincture. 


Elderberry/ Sambucus for cold and flu

Dana making elderberry wine a few years ago

Elderberry has been traditionally used on the skin to treat wounds and taken by mouth to treat respiratory illnesses such as cold and flu. An article put out by the University of Maryland’s Health Center states, “Some evidence suggests that chemicals in elder flower and berries may help reduce swelling in mucous membranes, such as the sinuses, and help relieve nasal congestion. Elder may have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties”. Elderberry is typically available in liquid or syrup form. Check out this DIY recipe for an elderberry syrup. It can also be found as a capsule and lozenge.


Peppermint and Eucalyptus for sinus relief

The oils of these plants are great nasal decongestants. “Each herb contains compounds that relax the airways and open congested sinuses and nasal passages”. (Mother Earth News) 
I like using these in combination with steam when i’m stuffed up. I can see myself a few years ago when I was super sick and could not breathe out of my nose at all- head under a towel with a steaming bowl of water and drops of Eucalyptus in my lap. It was a sad sight but, it helped. I have also just put drops on the floor of my shower when I’m in there for some extra steam help.


Turmeric and Ginger for aches and pains

You’re cold, frigid and all bunched up tight to keep warm. This tension can make our joints feel  sore and cause achy all over. Turmeric and ginger are in the same family and have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. 
“A recent study from the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine found that a daily dose of 2 gm of curcumin(a compound found in turmeric) to people suffering from osteoarthritis resulted in reports of reduced pain and increased mobility. In addition to soothing sore joints, curcumin is a potent antioxidant, brain health supporter, and strengthener of the vascular system by improving the lining of the blood vessels”. 
Ginger is said to also act as an expectorant and has a warming effect that may help if you’re chilled. Both can be added to dishes raw or made into tea. 


Lemon Balm and Chamomile to unwind

To ease the seasons stresses, it is nice to unwind with a nice warm calming tea. Lemon Balm and Chamomile have both been traditionally used for their calming properties. Lemon Balm “was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort from indigestion”. (University of Maryland Health Center) Chamomile is reported to have similar results. They are both commonly found as teas but can also be found as tinctures, extracts, oils and capsules. 



There are many things you can do to incorporate these herbs and spices into your diet over the next few months. When doing it yourself, make sure you research the herb you are using thoroughly before foraging and making your own teas and tinctures. While there are parts of the plant that can be medicinal, other parts of the same plant may be poisonous and it is best to do your research before using the plant yourself. If you're not into growing your own to use or foraging, buying from stores is the next best option and takes away a lot of the guess work. Both are great options! Just make sure to do your homework and find what is best for you. 


Sources:
https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/elderberry

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252684.php

http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/cold-busters.aspx?PageId=1

https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lemon-balm

http://amazingwellnessmag.com/cold-weather-herb-guide/

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-chamomile

How To Lay Sod

I’m not the biggest fan of lawn yards. But in New York City, we are lucky if we get a 5’x5’ piece of dirt outside.  In this case, I think it’s fine to want some grass for your kids, your pup, or even you to play in. Growing grass from seed can be a pain and take forever, with not great results. Why do that when someone else can grow it for you and you just roll it out? Brilliant.

How to lay sod:

First you want to clear your area. If there is patchy grass or other weeds where the sod is going, you need to remove all of it so the soil is bare.

Turf likes well-aerated soil. If the ground is very compacted, use a tiller to loosen the ground.

Add finished compost and soil amendments and till into soil.

You need to level the area where the sod will be placed. If it will be near a sidewalk or paved surface, you want the soil to be a couple inches below this surface.

Now you can unroll your sod in rows, making sure to line up the edges.  Pull it flat making sure there are no raised points. Do not step on your sod as you are laying it.

Make sure the edges of the pieces are snug against each other but not overlapping. You can use a knife to cut the pieces to size.

Once everything is laid, water, water, water!

The new grass needs a lot of water to settle in and take root. Make sure to keep it well watered every day for a week or so. After that you can cut back to every other day for a few weeks. 

During the first couple weeks, while it is settling, you don’t want to step on it.

Buying sod instead of seeds is, of course, more expensive but you are buying convenience. You are paying someone else to spend over a year to grow it and then you go from bare dirt to a lush carpet of grass in a few hours.

Sod is great because it can be laid at almost any time of year. It is best to lay it in the spring or fall when you won't have to water it as much. You can do it in summer but it will take a lot more watering and be a bit more fickle. 

Here is a tiny front yard we installed in Park Slope. They had a toddler and wanted just a little place for him to be able to play. 

You can see the lines from the edges of each roll. These lines go away within a week or two as it settles in.