Since discovering Wabi-Kusa, I've been eager to create my own installation. Just like with my aquariums and terrariums, Wabi-Kusa attracted me with its blend of artistic creation and nature. The term "wabi-sabi" in Japanese means something natural yet imperfect in which one can find beauty. This philosophy is at the heart of a Wabi-Kusa setup, embracing nature's asymmetry.
After much anticipation, I finally have my Studio Aquatica Wabi Kusa Substrate Ball ready for planting. This substrate ball is crafted with a core that features a specialised blend of nutrients, ensuring the long-term growth of aquatic plants. Its excellent water retention properties aid in transitioning aquarium plants from their immersed form to their emersed form seamlessly.
The essence of Wabi-Kusa aligns with wabi-sabi, where transience and imperfection hold a unique charm. I spent weeks stressing over which plants to buy and overthinking the design, but that goes against the philosophy of wabi-sabi – embracing the imperfect. Transitioning submerged aquarium plants to a Wabi-Kusa and allowing them to grow in their emersed form is challenging and often fraught with failure. To ease this process, I chose aquatic plants that were already in their emersed form.
For my installation, I used a Studio Aquatica Wabi Kusa Substrate Ball, Christmas Moss from Buceplants, Echinodorus Fancy Twist from Buceplants, Hydrocotyle Tripartita from Buceplants, Rotala H’Ra from Buceplants, and a shallow bowl. The plants were sourced from Buceplant, while Bhavna found the perfect white bowl for me at Target. Although I initially wanted to use a shallow DOOA NEO GLASS AIR, the bowl fits my budget and works well for my setup.
The Studio Aquatica package includes a substrate ball approximately 3 inches in diameter when fully saturated, 8 feet of planting thread, a thread anchor to secure the thread to the substrate ball, and substrate ball hangers for use in a rimless aquarium. Interestingly, the Studio Aquatica Wabi-Kusa ball came with a very tiny piece of paper with instructions. In my opinion, these instructions, which directed me to wrap the string around the substrate ball to secure the moss and plants, were not particularly useful. Despite this, I managed to piece together a method that worked, combining intuition and additional research.
When I first started working on the Wabi-Kusa, I was nervous. The delicate nature of the plants made me apprehensive, and I was afraid that I might damage them, causing them to wilt and die. This fear, however, was part of the process, teaching me to be gentle and patient, aligning perfectly with the principles of wabi-sabi. I followed the online written instructions provided by Studio Aquatica. Step 4 required me to use planting forceps to bore holes into the substrate ball and then insert the stem plants. I was worried that I would damage the delicate plants. Instead, I opted to tie the stem plants around the outside of the Wabi-Kusa ball, ensuring they remained secure without risking damage.
I set up my Wabi-Kusa on the kitchen table, which receives direct sunlight from the east in the morning. To maintain the moisture levels, I used a cheap plastic dome. Once the plants adapt to their emersed growth, the Wabi-Kusa will require minimal care, maybe just a spritz of distilled water from a mister.
I'm excited to see how this Wabi-Kusa develops and grows. The journey of nurturing this small yet intricate piece of nature has just begun, and I look forward to posting an update in a few months.