The Pool Noodle Hack That Will Help The Tall Plants In Your Garden Flourish

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Adding height to your garden is desirable for a number of reasons. It creates visual interest in your landscape design by drawing the eye upward, allows easier access to pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds, and even offers a level of privacy to your outdoor sanctuary. But many gardeners — professional and amateur alike — can often run into problems with tall plants sagging, tilting, and spreading, affecting their overall health and aesthetic. One option is to run to the nearest garden center to buy a range of support stakes. Or, you could simply locate a common item that you may already have around the house: the pool noodle.

Helping your tall plants and flowers thrive by using pool noodles is easy. First, select your preferred color. You can either use what you already have to make this hack low-cost or purchase some you like, such as these attractive green ones that cost around $25 for seven on Amazon or individually from your local Dollar Tree store. Then, take a pair of scissors or a serrated knife and carefully cut horizontally so that the noodle matches the height of your plant's stem. Finally, slice it vertically so that it can be wrapped around the stem without having to push it down from the top. Simple! But which plants in your garden might benefit from this colorful support system?

Common sunflowers, known by their scientific name Helianthus annuus, are well-known for their attractive height and large, heavy flower heads. However, those charming features can also make them an easy victim to strong winds. This pool noodle hack is perfect for them because their leaves tend to grow at the top, leaving plenty of room for you to wrap the foam around the bottom of the stem for support. Another desirable flower, candle larkspur (Delphinium elatum), can also be prone to collapsing to one side due to the dense purple or blue flowers that grow near the peak of its tall stem. Wrapping a noodle around the base of each flower can not only provide it with much-needed support but also protect the plant from pests such as cutworms, slugs, or rabbits, which may try to nibble on it.

Pool noodles can also provide excellent support and guidance for your vegetables, too. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), for example, tend to spread and tilt as they grow. Adding in some additional support can help keep them on track and even increase their yield due to increased air flow, which helps the plant fight off fungus. In the same way, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are known for spreading their branches wide, which can make it difficult for plants nearby to thrive. Therefore, adding a pool noodle to the stem can help it to grow upward rather than outward. Keep in mind that while this hack is simple and relatively low-risk, it is a good idea to remove the pool noodle occasionally in order to check on the health of the stem underneath. That way, you won't miss any early signs of disease or root rot, which could be affecting the plant's health. With that in mind, using a pool noodle for support can be a great way to keep your plants tall, strong, and healthy all season long.