Kenzan are a fairly straight forward tool, however we have some tips for dealing with tricky stems or an elaborate arrangement. Although kenzan perform the same function as floral foam (keeping stems and branches in place for an arrangement), they require a slightly different set of techniques. Once you familiarize yourself with these techniques, you will be surprised how easy it is to use this spiky little friend to position stems much more precisely than with floral foam and make your arrangements last longer. (We will be also posting a comparison of floral foam vs kenzan soon!)

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Water Level

In Ikebana practice, water is usually filled to about a half inch above the kenzan. However, if you are using many stems, or if your stems seem like they will drink up a lot of water, the water level should be higher. You can always add more water, but an inch is usually enough for a shallow vessel.

Angle of Cut & Insert

Flower Stems

For flower stems, cut them flat. Insert solid stems all the way to the base of the kenzan at 90 degrees and then adjust to the desired angle. DO NOT insert the stems directly at an angle. If you do this, the needles will not be fully in contact with the stems and after a while, the stems will fall.

If you are using a less solid stem that is soft or hollow, please see below:

Soft Stems

For very soft or thin stems­, such as that of Hellebore or Freesia, there are several ways to secure them on a kenzan depending on the situation you are in.

1. If your stem is soft but solid, after you have inserted the stem and positioned it, you can insert another short piece of stem (one half to two inches long) right in front of the stem to support the soft stem and fix it at your desired angle. Make sure that this piece of cut stem is stronger than the main stem. If your arrangement is going to stay for quite some time (longer than a day), use thin floral wires to attach the support stem to your soft stem before inserting. This will help keep your arrangement live longer.
2. If a stem is so thin that it is impossible for you to insert it onto a needle without it falling through the gaps in the needles, you can take another section of a thicker stem around one half to two inches long and insert the thin stem into this thicker piece. This gives the original stem a bit more thickness and will help it stay upright.  
3. If all else fails, you could either use floral wires to attach a full length woody stem to your soft stem or simply allow the flower head to rest on another stem that is securely fixed in front of it.

Hollow Stems

For stems that are soft and hollow, it is important that you have already conditioned your flowers and that they have already drank a lot of water. With hollow stems, reverse the technique used to thicken a stem. Find a piece of solid cut stem two inches or longer and insert it into the hollow stem. When placing the stem onto the kenzan, please make sure the solid stem inside is well attached onto the needle. You can also insert the solid stem first onto the kenzan, and then place your hollow stem.

Branches

Unlike flower stems, cut branches or woody stems at an angle. This will allow the branch to be easily inserted between the needles. Similarly to flower stems, first insert the branch at 90 degrees, and then adjust to the desired angle. Please make sure that the cut and direction of the stem follow the rules below:

• If you are using a heavy branch, please cut open the end of the stem or cut an X (making a cross) in the bottom before inserting. This will make it much easier for the needles to hold the branches. 
• If a big and heavy branch is positioned at an angle and is causing your kenzan to tilt, put a second kenzan upside down opposite the branch. Its weight will hold the kenzan in place. Alternatively, you can use floral putty to stick the kenzan to the bottom of the container.
• It is crucial that every time you insert a stem, you should make sure to push it all the way down to the base. Once a stem is attached securely, it will stay in that position for weeks and weeks.

Positioning Stems on a Kenzan 

When positioning a stem onto a kenzan,  you should avoid (a) placing a stem in such a way that it will need to cross the kenzan a lot [see pictures below], or (b) placing a stem at the very edge of the kenzan. You do not want to do (a) because it will take away the surface area of the kenzan. You can usually achieve the same result by placing the stem at a different spot. You do not want to do (b) because if you want to add stems later, if will be difficult to reposition the stems and you will quickly run out of space on the kenzan. A potential solution is to add another kenzan but here we are assuming that you are only using one.

It is always a good idea to leave some gaps between stems as you are beginning to arrange so that there is space left for more stems later.

Repositioning stems

The best part about using a kenzan is that you can easily reposition stems multiple times. You can always insert first and step back, ponder the angle of the stems, and then rearrange them easily. 

A special note – if you have inserted a soft stem multiple times, cut a half inch off the bottom of the stem before inserting again. After two or three insertions, the bottom of the stem will become somewhat damaged and it will not stay in place for as long. For solid stems or branches, you can re-insert the stem or branch multiple times without re-cutting it.

Care (!)

Unlike floral foam or chicken wire bags, kenzan will last a very long time (decades!) if you care for them well – just like you would do with a good pair of scissors or a knife. Luckily, it takes very little effort to keep your kenzan in shape.

After using a kenzan: 

1. Use the kenzan cleaner to brush out any debris from branches and stems.  
2. Use the needle straightener to straighten any needles that are crooked or repositioned.
3. Rinse the kenzan under water thoroughly (there is no need to use soap). Please make sure to separate the rubber base from the kenzan. 
4. Place the kenzan upside down for it to dry. Place the rubber base separately.

This should take less than 5 minutes and your kenzan will last for years to come. All of our kenzan comes with the care kit because we believe tools are family :)