Gardener reveals affordable DIY hack to help keep your garden watered this summer: 'My plants love it'

Everyone loves a glowing garden, and a hack shared in a TikTok video is helping plant parents allow their gardens to thrive. All you need is a terra cotta pot and saucer and a cork.

@sarah.hayroyan these diy ollas @CozyLittleDIY shared will be saving me water, money, time, and my plants this summer DIY OLLA WATERING SYSTEM: plug the bottom of a large untreated terra cotta pot with a cork and bury in your garden bed leaving about an inch above the surface. Fill with water and top with a terra cotta saucer and that's it! Refill every few days or as needed - the water will slowly leech out of the 'pores' in the pot and is pulled to the roots of your nearby plants the roots of your plants will be larger and sturdier + you'll save water, time, and money! #gardenhacks #gardenproject #gardendiy #californiamom #toddlermom #momof2 #gardenwithme #backyardgarden #gardeningwithkids #beginnergardener #youngmom #relatablemom #cutflowergarden #cutflowers #chaosgarden #pollinatorsareimportant #pollinatorgarden #wildflowergarden #gardentips #gardeningtips #ollas #watermyplants #ollawatering ♬ Oogum Boogum Song - Brenton Wood

The scoop

The hack was shared by TikTok user Sarah Hayroyan (@sarah.hayroyan), who has a breadth of videos on gardening. 

This hack is a DIY olla watering system, which is a common method of using a clay pot filled with water and placed into the soil in your garden to slowly release water for your plants. 

"Plug the bottom of a large untreated terra cotta pot with a cork and bury in your garden bed, leaving about an inch above the surface," the gardener explained. "Fill with water and top with a terra cotta saucer and that's it! Refill every few days or as needed — the water will slowly leech out of the 'pores' in the pot and is pulled to the roots of your nearby plant."

With these homemade wine cork olla pots, growing your own food is easier than ever, as the healthy, hydrated root systems you will be contributing to will grow stronger.

How it's helping

While olla pots can be purchased online or in gardening stores, this TikTok video shows how to make one yourself. Not only is it affordable, but since you can use items found in your home and garden already, it's an efficient, garden-friendly way of practicing sustainability.

Some other great garden tips that help eliminate waste and let your plants thrive are chemical-free weed prevention and pest prevention methods. For instance, you can use boiling water instead of weed killer, or add basil to your crops to naturally keep bugs out.

Another approach to keeping a sustainable garden is to rewild your yard, or use native growing plants to spruce up your garden, which will keep the surrounding ecosystem and its pollinators happy. 

Plus, with these clean approaches to gardening, you can produce crops that have had less treatment. That means those who eat your yummy garden's gifts won't be ingesting harsh toxins, and the produce will be tastier and healthier.

What everyone's saying

It's no wonder the gardening community online is so giving with their hacks and cool finds, as this pastime and way of providing food is proven to reduce stress and improve your mental health.

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day At least once a week At least once a month I don't garden Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Garden enthusiasts who viewed Sarah's video shared their excitement for the hack in the comments.

"Done this for three years now and my plants love it," one user said. 

Another commenter added: "This is genius!! Gonna have to try this!!"

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