“Are marimo alive? Do they really bring luck? What do marimo eat? How long does they live on average?” After receiving many interesting and numerous questions about marimo, we were convinced that we needed to write a detailed article. 🙂

Marimo, who live in colonies in Lake Akan in Japan and Lake Myvatn in Iceland, take their name from the Japanese words “mari” meaning bouncing ball and “mo” meaning aquatic plant. We can say that Marimo, who live as a family in every region they are found, are social creatures.

We have compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions about Marimo for you.

1. Why are marimos round?
Marimos owe their ball-like shape to the fact that they roll with the current in the lake. When caring for marimos at home, rolling them between your hands will help them maintain their shape.

2. Are marimo animals?
Marimo is not an animal, but it is not a plant either. Marimos are not a moss ball, but a type of algae. If you ask what algae are: algae are aquatic organisms that have nothing to do with plants, but can photosynthesize, live in a very wide geographical distribution, produce their own food, do not have roots or leaves, and have a more primitive structure compared to plants.

3. Do marimos really bring luck?
This is the Japanese belief. In fact, in Japanese culture, it is believed that Marimos bring not only luck but also love and abundance to the person they own. So much so that the Japanese often prefer to give Marimos as gifts when congratulating their new jobs, homes and marriages. In fact, every year on October 8-10, a Marimo Festival is held in Japan and they express their gratitude to Marimos by having fun.
Check out what happened at the festival here: www.ohmatsuri.com

4. How many years does a marimo live on average?
Marimos do not have a lifespan unless you neglect their care. With proper care, they can stay with you for many years. Since their growth rate is very slow, you will not need to change their location frequently, it will be enough to get a new and larger container every 3-5 years.
Marimos can reach enormous sizes. As they grow larger, their sphericity becomes even more perfect.

5. How to care for my Marimo? What am I doing wrong when caring for my Marimo?
If there is one thing marimos clearly do not like, it is being in hot water.

It will be sufficient to change the water of your Marimo with rested tap water once a week, once every 2 weeks (or even once every 3 weeks when you are travelling). (Tap water is richer in minerals, so use rested tap water for at least 1 day instead of drinking water.)

If your environment is too hot or you think your room temperature is too high during the summer months, you can safely put your Marimo in the refrigerator.

One of the mistakes made in Marimo care is adding foreign substances to the water. In Marimo jar designs prepared with tree branches and dry grass, woody substances will rot in the water over time, which will cause bacterial growth in your water. For this reason, when purchasing your Marimo, you should be sure of the quality of the by-products used in the water. You can prefer auxiliary design elements such as branch corals that live in water in their own nature, as in the Marimo Jar jar.

6. My Marimo won't sink in water, what can I do?
Squeeze it gently in your hand. The air inside may be preventing it from sinking.

7. How long can a marimo live without water?
In the cargo packages we send out of town, we send Marimo as a kit and without water. Naturally, the most common concern we hear is "What if my Marimo dies on the way?" Marimo can continue to live without water until they lose their own moisture. This means at least 10 days in a closed container that does not lose its moisture.

8. My Marimo is turning brown, what's causing it?
If your Marimo turns brown, it is unfortunately a sign of illness. After changing the water and thoroughly cleaning the Marimo under running water, add a little salt to the settled tap water with your fingertip and return it to its container.

9. How do I know if my Marimo is dead? How do I know if my Marimo is alive?
Marimos produce a strong and terrible smell when they die. You can be sure that you will know when this happens. You can also tell if they are alive by the fact that you cannot smell this smell.

If you are not good at plant care, you can be sure that Marimo will not upset you. To buy Marimo product page you can visit us and contact us if you have any further questions.