Seeking help with first Neo & Kokedama

[Roberta]

Jason grows his Neos in the traditional Japanese moss mound. It's an aesthetic as well as cultural choice. He is very much into the whole Japanese approach to growing them. (He's good enough at it to be one of the very few Americans invited to judge at Japanese shows) The Japanese have been doing it that way since the days of the Samurai. However, that is certainly not the only approach that works, not by a long shot. To use that technique, you do need to pay attention to details and repot very frequently. I have tried it, didn't pay suitable attention to details, and it did not end well. After more trial and error, I have ended up growing them in baskets with sphag for the small ones, bark for bigger ones. The roots run wild - certainly not the Japanese aesthetic, but the plants do much better for me with considerable neglect. So do what works for YOU under YOUR conditions. Treating these like little Vandas (which they are...) is definitely one way to do it.