Martin

This happens when the organic content of the soil is allowed to get
extremely dry. Fir bark is notorious for this hydrophobic property. Like
you, I have tried any number of things to get it wet, but the best thing
to do is to take the plant out of the pot (if you have already potted
something in it) and tumble the soil and water together so that every
particle gets a 'coat' of water. I do this in a cement mixer that I use
as a soil mixer. It is fast and efficient for this, but if you don't
have one, you can tumble it in a garbage can. Inspect it to make sure
the particles are coated with water, then seal it up to allow the water
to penetrate each particle. This may take several hours to a day or two.
After that, it should take up water normally. When storing soil, make
sure that it is slightly damp, not wet, and seal it to keep it from
drying out.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

Martin wrote:
Greetings all,

The soil in my training pots seem to repel water instead of absorb it. I'm
using commercial grade 'standard' potting mix with added coarse river sand
(about 10-15%). Each time I water, the water either wells around the top
without being absorbed by the soil, or it just seems to run down the insides
of the pot. When the water _does_ seem to be absorbed, it only penertrates
about 5mm down, leaving the rest dry. Additionally, a dry 'crust' of about
5-10mm tends to form on some of the newly repotted plants.
I've tried soaking the pots in buckets of water for 30mins or so, which
_seems_ to help.
I was wondering if perhaps this is a water quality issue (high calcium
content?)

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