In message
, Fran
writes
"Kay" wrote in message
Fran writes
"David Hill" wrote in message

Why not just use washing up liquid, It is a negative ion wetting agent.

But will detergent kill or harm worms?

My major concern about any sort of wetting agent is wheterh they will do
damage to micro fauna and specifically worms in the soil. I've had no
luck
doing a google search and the local gardening gurus in the media don't
seem
to be able to answer this question.

If your soil is that dry I am surprised you have any worms.

It depends on the location in the garden. In the veg garden there are more
and where I mulch perennial veg with large rocks there are lots. However,
in the rose areas there are exceptionally few and usually very deep down and
then only in the very few spots where there is some residual moisture

Your best tactic is probably to install the sort of horticultural pipes
that take water down 3 - 4 feet under the roots of the plants. In an
arid environment surface watering evaporates before it penetrates the
ground.

large garden I have. It's too big and much of the "soil" has turned
concrete like. I'm trying to keep alive the roses which normally just power
through the heat and relative drought but the local plumbers tell me that
there is no subsoil moisture down even 5 ft so it is a bit of an ask for the
roses.

Apart from pointing out that it is very difficult to grow plants that
don't match their local environment (I grow desert plants in the UK).
The best you can hope to do is modify the soil close to the roses and
organic mulsh to prevent water loss and encourage worms.

Growing ornamental species from other arid climates might be a better
bet,

I was looking for a relatively easy solution but did have doubts that it
existed as you have confirmed. I hate to let over 100 roses simply die or
become so wak that they will have trouble recovering. They are a
significant investment. I have water but getting it in the soil and keeping
it there is the problem.

Bury a 3" leaky plastic pipe going under their roots and filled from the
top periodically might work. Its a trick I have seen done to allow
saplings to establish in challenging arid deserts. Makes their roots go
down and the water has a long way to go through the soil before it
evaporates.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown