You Can Use Pool Noodles to Prop up Small Plants in Large Pots.

Here we love pool noodles. What makes them so special and versatile is the padding they offer and the thin hole in their center – both of which are key to their functionality in your planters this summer.

By using a few pool noodles in your plantations, you don’t need to use as much soil, but you can still keep the plants themselves on top of the pot, giving them the look of being big and sturdy. However, they will become big and strong because the pool noodles still leave room for water, air, and roots—all the ingredients these little ones need to grow strong.

Depending on how big your pots and plants are, you can approach this one of two ways, but first fill the bottom of the pot with some soil or sand to give it extra weight. After that, the first method involves wrapping one or two noodles in a pot and then filling the center of the spool with soil until it covers the entire piece of styrofoam, like this:

You can also cut some noodles into segments that are about six to eight inches shorter than your planter as a whole and place them vertically to add even more height and stability to small plants. It looks like this:

When adding soil, make sure it covers the noodles a little so it won’t be visible. Plus, you still need a few inches of soil at the top to plant your plants. You should also try to do this with plants that are bushy or hang off the edge of the vessel, as they will add extra coverage and the foam will not be visible.

Lastly, don’t push the noodles in too hard. You need a place for drainage, but this may mean that the soil will sink inside them over time, and you will have to redo the structure from time to time. Make sure that the plant does not look too slanted and that the noodles are not visible. As it grows, you can also trim the noodles to give them more room.