Thanks for the reply. I've never heard of soil wetting agents before. I
added manure last year, but perhaps not enough.

Regards,


"Thes" wrote in message
...
Janice wrote:
I have this really weird soil that just won't take up any water. I
water
the soil for ages and ages, but if I immediately dig into the soil no
water
has soaked down, not even a quarter of an inch. It's just bone dry dust
underneath. Where the water is going is a complete mystery (maybe there
really is a third dimension).

The border has dreaded leylandii in it, which I know soak up water, but
the
water isn't penetrating even a half inch. It's almost like the soil has
a
waterproof layer on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Many thanks.



You can get soil wetting agents for exactly this problem at garden
centres/B&Q etc. You could also try a little detergent in the water,
perhaps. Maybe add some organic matter etc, too.

Thes