This Pool Noodle Planter Hack Will Keep Your Plants Cool All Summer

Summer is here, and that means it’s plant potting season! While setting up plants can make your yard look gorgeous and colorful, it’s definitely an expensive process—and some of that comes down to the cost of adding soil. Plus, we want to make sure we can keep our plants cool during the warmer days. Believe it or not, a simple household item can cut down the cost of soil as well as improve airflow.

Yep, we’re talking about the humble pool noodle. The colorful foam toys are not just great fun for the kids, but have also led to a number of pool noodle hacks for the home and yard—and now a genius TikTok has added one more to the list.

How to Keep Your Plants Cool with Pool Noodles

@pennyjo8 I do this Dollar Tree pool noodle planter hack every year in all of my big planters. Potting soil isnt cheap yall lol This allows for drainage and use of half the amount of soul you normally would use. #planterhacks #planterhack #gardenhack #hacks #plantsoftiktok #flowers #gardening #diy ♬ THEY ARE GONNA KNOW – Heliqs

As seen in this TikTok by creator @pennyjo8, all you have to do is cut your pool noodles to approximately 3/4 of the height of the plant container. She then stands the pool noodles vertically in the planter until the pot is filled and scatters the soil mix over them. Instead of trying to clump the soil, she allows it to fill in and around the noodles before evening it out with her hands. A gentle tap can also help to level the soil.

She then shows us a shot of the planter with flowers in it—and as you can see, there’s no hint of the hidden pool noodles! Putting trailing plants like ivy or vinca vines to trail over the side can also help cover up the pool noodles if you’re worried about soil shifts.

How Does This Help?

Pool noodles help in a couple of ways:

• The pool noodles keep the water flowing through the soil and the pot when watering plants, preventing the soil from becoming too saturated with water and weighed down. This is particularly important when deep watering is needed during long hot periods of time and dry spells with a lack of rain.
• A pot that is dense with soil can also lead to one of the biggest concerns for plants in larger pots: poor drainage. The container can become heavy when watered and eventually clogged with little to no water flowing out of the soil and the pot. This spells trouble for healthy plants that will not receive proper drainage and begin to suffer from root rot.
• The material of the pool noodles also acts as a function to retain moisture in the soil and keep it cool. This is important for container plantings to avoid a cycle of rapid water and dry out for the soil in the planter.
• This pool noodle planter hack allows you to use less potting mix which saves money too. Filling a planter from bottom to top entirely with a soil mix will add considerable weight to the container. Using the pool noodles as filler can keep the pot light enough to move around for better lighting.

Using this helpful gardening hack at the beginning of the season will help keep plants flowering and thriving during the outdoor season!