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| Credits to zandraart |
Hello my pretties~ Today I have a different
kind of review for you. Nothing clothing or makeup related, but it's related to
a plant.. err algae to be specific.
So what is a marimo?
So what is a marimo?
Everyone knows of these and calls them "moss balls"
which isn't really a correct term since these are balls of algae but its what
everyone recognizes them as. They mainly grow in Lake Akan in Japan and due to
the swaying motion of the waves, they roll in the lake and form/grow into a
ball shape. They also naturally grow in Iceland, Scotland and Estonia.
These are super popular in Japan as many landlords forbid having pets, so having a marimo is a good substitution. They grow very slowly (ughh 5 mm/year). It's super easy to take care of too. Just have sufficient lighting (household lighting is ok), change the water weekly and make sure the water is cool. You can squeeze them and poke them around to help keep their shape and that's it! Also no direct sunlight is needed since they do live at the bottom of very cold lakes.
These are super popular in Japan as many landlords forbid having pets, so having a marimo is a good substitution. They grow very slowly (ughh 5 mm/year). It's super easy to take care of too. Just have sufficient lighting (household lighting is ok), change the water weekly and make sure the water is cool. You can squeeze them and poke them around to help keep their shape and that's it! Also no direct sunlight is needed since they do live at the bottom of very cold lakes.
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| Credits to ohmonah |
I initially wanted one of these ever since I
saw them on tumblr and Milky Fawn's (from deerstalker pictures) Instagram. She
has long deleted that one, but I recall her and her best friend got marimo
together. Man they're just so cute and fluffy plus they can double as another
pet (I currently own a rabbit). Then I'll feel so accomplished when they grow
bigger, not to mention they can sit in little fish bowls looking all cute and
stuff. I also just wanted something else to love.
Obviously there are going to be many sellers who sell these. I could've gone into a pet store, walked into the betta fish aisle (since they have some water purification properties) and bought one, but when I took a look at them... the marimos they were selling didn't seem healthy at all. They weren't a bright green colour, they were brown. I've heard of people buying from pet stores and the marimo was actually rotting from the inside due to lack of care.
Another thing that I had to watch out for were counterfeit marimos. Yes, they make fake balls of algae. Since they are slow growing and demand COULD be high (lol idk maybe), some people will sell fake marimos to keep up with the demand. In Japan, they also sell fake ones because they are protecting the marimo due to them growing slowly and people visiting the lake to steal some so they kind of are endangered.
I'd rather buy an authentic and healthy one and pay a bit extra so I searched around on the internet. Then I stumbled upon Wendi's marimo videos, and I noticed she sells them. She seems extremely knowledgeable and really cares/loves about them, so I know it would be right for me to buy one off of her and a real and healthy fuzzy ball of love will come my way. Plus unlike other sellers who are apparently "authorized" to basically steal from Lake Akan (which there are movements that now protect marimo and it's illegal to steal or endanger animals/plants that are already endangered), Wendi herself grows these too with all the love and care that they need.
Obviously there are going to be many sellers who sell these. I could've gone into a pet store, walked into the betta fish aisle (since they have some water purification properties) and bought one, but when I took a look at them... the marimos they were selling didn't seem healthy at all. They weren't a bright green colour, they were brown. I've heard of people buying from pet stores and the marimo was actually rotting from the inside due to lack of care.
Another thing that I had to watch out for were counterfeit marimos. Yes, they make fake balls of algae. Since they are slow growing and demand COULD be high (lol idk maybe), some people will sell fake marimos to keep up with the demand. In Japan, they also sell fake ones because they are protecting the marimo due to them growing slowly and people visiting the lake to steal some so they kind of are endangered.
I'd rather buy an authentic and healthy one and pay a bit extra so I searched around on the internet. Then I stumbled upon Wendi's marimo videos, and I noticed she sells them. She seems extremely knowledgeable and really cares/loves about them, so I know it would be right for me to buy one off of her and a real and healthy fuzzy ball of love will come my way. Plus unlike other sellers who are apparently "authorized" to basically steal from Lake Akan (which there are movements that now protect marimo and it's illegal to steal or endanger animals/plants that are already endangered), Wendi herself grows these too with all the love and care that they need.
I purchased an imperfect one by accident (oops I was only paying
attention to the price) but I don't really mind since imperfect things needs
love too ok.
And so I place an order and wait 1-3 business for her to ship it out...
but it took a while. After one whole week and she didn't ship them, I decided
I'd send a message and see whats up.
If you're wondering, I used my sister's Etsy account since we do live in the same house and it doesn't make sense to make a new account if all the information was going to be the exact same, you feel?
Turns out, there was a hurricane that hit California (where she lives) and she
didn't want to ship them out so the marimo would be safe. Kind of odd how the
message didn't send, but she did respond super quickly when I asked about it.
After the marimo shipped off, she indeed did keep her promise and she
sent me a message telling me she shipped it off.
When I got the box (after I squealed in happiness after I retrieved the package), I noticed she express mailed it to here, so it came rather quickly. I can't really show you guys cuz I covered this photo with the poop sticker and I obliterated that box.... but it was well packed and it was still moist! As a bonus she even gave me two mini marimos, which I guess was to compensate for the wait, but I didn't really expect anything because I completely understood the circumstances... like I'm pretty sure she didn't ask for the hurricane to happen just to spite me right? No one can control natural disaster, but that was extremely nice of her to do
When I got the box (after I squealed in happiness after I retrieved the package), I noticed she express mailed it to here, so it came rather quickly. I can't really show you guys cuz I covered this photo with the poop sticker and I obliterated that box.... but it was well packed and it was still moist! As a bonus she even gave me two mini marimos, which I guess was to compensate for the wait, but I didn't really expect anything because I completely understood the circumstances... like I'm pretty sure she didn't ask for the hurricane to happen just to spite me right? No one can control natural disaster, but that was extremely nice of her to do
I did squeeze it because I was EXTREMELY curious about the texture of it, but it feels firm and spongey and it came in super green and healthy which I very much appreciate. Since I did buy an imperfect one it has a tiny tuft of hair, which I think is cute and my older sister says the feeling of it reminds her of a pipe cleaner which wtf.. lol.
Anyways, since I'm really lame, I named my marimo Makoto, after Sailor Jupiter whose name is Makoto Kino from the Japanese series of Sailor Moon since she is green themed (and also she's my favourite sailor senshi).
It also doubles as Makoto Tachibana from Free!
since his swim trunks are green (2nd favourite from the series aside from
Haruka Nanase). Since plants do not have gender, either way work fine although
I do sometimes refer to my marimo as a her.
Pros
Pros
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Marimo arrived healthy and retained its round shape
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Well packed
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Arrived quickly
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Excellent
communication
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Generous (didn't have
to compensate me but she did anyways)
Cons
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None (natural disaster
was not her fault from the shipping delay)
Do I recommend Gardens of Wendiland? Yes I do! I'll maybe even buy a larger marimo to keep Makoto company.
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| It really does look like a tuft of hair, doesn't it? |
Thanks for reading!
Psssst!
Happy Halloween from me and Makoto!
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| lel sitting on top of a Liz Lisa handkerchief |
Makoto is going as a trubbish/pumpkin lol. If you're wondering why the water is bubbly, it's because Makoto was photosynthesizing since my lamp is right next to her and she just absorbed all the light and produced oxygen as it's waste (like what most plants do when they photosynthesize for their food). She's actually floating in the picture, but I don't think you can tell... Sometimes marimo float after they photosynthesize since they are balls of algae and the inside can too photosynthesize so it will produce enough oxygen bubbles on the inside and it will float up. Sometimes it doesn't float since there are oxygen bubbles surrounding the marimo and it will weigh it down.
Ok for real I'm done bye.
Ok for real I'm done bye.
