Wabi Kusa
What is it?
Wabi Kusa is a variant of aquascaping using aquatic plants in their emersed grown form. The art-form of Wabbi Kusa was created by Takeshi Amano, whom many consider to be the Godfather of auqascaping. The term Wabi Kusa loosely translates to ‘beautiful and natural plants’ and is closely related to the Japanese term Wabi Sabi, which means to find beauty in the natural imperfections of nature.
Wabi Kusa is a great way to create a beautiful piece of aquatic art on a low budget and with minimal space. Wabi Kusa balls can be placed in any bowl, jar, vase or dish. Because the plants are grown in their emersed form, a high powered light is not required for success like in a high-tech aquascape. The Glass Box Nature Plant Light Mini is an ideal choice, however they can also be grown under regular desk lamps, and some people even have success placing their Wabi Kusa by a windowsill!
Glass Box Nature Wabi Kusa Substrate Balls
Glass Box Nature Wabi Kusa balls provide a nutrient rich base, or canvas, to plant the emersed plants. They are made by hand by us from ADA Amazonia aquasoil, and then covered with a layer of sphagnum moss to help retain moisture. The traditional way of planting a Wabi Kusa stubstrate ball is to first cover it in moss, and then add a variety of stem and carpeting plants. But there are no rules when it comes to Wabi Kusa, you can let your creativity and imagination flow!
How to plant a Wabi Kusa Substrate Ball
When you receive your Wabi Kusa ball, the first step is to rehydrate it. This can be done by placing it in a sealed plastic bag with a bit of water, and then place by a windowsill for around 48 hours. The humidity will rehydrate the clay-based substrate, making it ready for planting.
To attach aquatic moss to your Wabi Kusa ball, simply cover the ball in your chosen moss, and then wrap the moss with cotton or nylon thread (or fish fishing line works well too!). The outer layer of sphagnum moss will help the aquatic moss retain moisture. Carpeting plants like Monte Carlo or HC Cuba can also be tied to the Wabi Kusa ball. As they grow they will develop roots.
To add stem plants to your Wabi Kusa ball, choose where you want the stem to go, then poke a small hole around 2-3cm deep into the ball (a good set of fine tip tweezers are perfect for this) and place the stem into the hole.
Once planting is done and the substrate ball is ready, be sure to add some water to the bottom of the bowl. If using aquatic plants that were initially grown in submersed form, it is best to cover the top of the bowl for a few weeks whilst the plants transition into their emersed form. You can slowly start peeling the cover back over the period of a week or two to help the plants adapt to their new environment.