mud pie; mud ball
A ball of mud shaped by hand, often by children playing. Can also refer to a simple earthen ball.
The children were playing in the garden, making mud pies.
seed ball; seed bomb
A ball of soil and seeds used in natural farming or guerrilla gardening. Associated with Masanobu Fukuoka's methods.
deer truffle; false truffle
A type of fungus (Elaphomyces granulatus) that grows underground. Usually written in katakana as ツチダンゴ.
In natural farming, seed balls mixed with seeds are scattered on the field.
The deer truffle is a type of mushroom that deer like to eat.
Standard kanji spelling for the mud pie and seed ball senses.
Katakana spelling is usual for the deer truffle sense.
Compound of 土 (tsuchi, 'earth, soil') and 団子 (dango, 'dumpling, ball'). The deer truffle sense comes from its resemblance to a dirt ball.