JennyC wrote:
:: I have some very large pots that had dried out in the recent
:: heatwave..........
::
:: The soil had contracted and left room around the side of the pots
:: so that the water just ran straight down and thu the drainage
:: holes at the bottom. The pots are too large to dunk in a
:: bucket........
::
:: I didn't have any soil at hand to fill up the gap......
::
This often happens here too, I just run my fingers around the edges to push
the compost back into the gaps, also after I have watered everything, I
start all over again an hour later, the first watering just barely dampens
the compost, the second allows a good drenching.

While I'm here and on this subject, how is 'over watering' achieved?....I
have two lots of tomatoes, both planted directly into the soil but in
different greenhouses, those in the polycarbonate GH are double the size of
those in the glass one, both were planted out within a week and have similar
light conditions and soil types, the glasshouse leaks in through the roof
and so the soil is permanently damp, the plastic one has been bone dry for a
good few years - I mean not a drop - the toms in the glass house seem to be
dying from the bottom upwards, yellowed and withered branches and even the
small bunches of flowers are shrivelling up, it looks like they have never
been watered but they've had plenty....?

--
If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs.