"Phil L" wrote in message
. uk...
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.

Ah, but these are very large pots with big plants, and the root ball has become
really solid. The earth is very compacted and I will have to re-pot the plants
this autumn !

Jenny