Compacted soil

hey all, a few days ago i transplanted my cell plugs into 4 inch pots with happy frog soil. When i first watered them the water just stayed on the top and slowly seeped through. I feel like i have a drainage problem. Today also when i watered, the water just stayed on the top and slowly leaked through. I know this can cause problems. Has anyone had similar problems and have a solution? Any input = +REPS to you.

How dry is the soil? if dry water takes a bit to soak in. try a spay bottle hit enough to wet the top then spray again soil should get to the point you can pour and the soil will soak it up.

try putting a few drops of dawn dish soap in your water. the soap acts like a wetting agent. google it.

i use a couple tooth-picks like a pitchfork and till the soil/medium an inch or 2 down. this works well, but don't go too deep cause you can cause root damage. sounds like maybe some perlite is in order.

kevin said:

try putting a few drops of dawn dish soap in your water. the soap acts like a wetting agent. google it.

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tried to look it up but all i found was dawn dish soap being used as pest control

what i usually do is just pour really really really slow for the first 30 seconds, let it chill for a min ya know to let it soak in, that way you can pour a little faster,but make sure you spread the water around and let it all sink it slow. be as gentle as you can to the plants, the slower you water the better. i had a couple plants where i just poured the water in real fast, you could see it pool up and sloooowly sink down, making the soil sink, increasing in rootbound problems and aeration problems.

after i water i gently but firmly place my hands on either side of the pot and squeeze together, rotating my hands around the pot. ive never heard of anyone doing this, but to me i think it helps get air to the roots, helps break up the roots a little bit for more growing room.

everything i write is my own opinion, only way to really know something is to have experience with it

once you get the soil moist I bet your problem would go away.

stumps said:

once you get the soil moist I bet your problem would go away.

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^^^^^^WORD^^^^^^

Did you get this fresh mix wet BEFORE you transplanted? Dry peat moss will actually repel water and is hard to get wet.

I put my mix in a 5 gal bucket or wheelbarrow, depending on how much I need. Wet it down good, mix it up and let it sit for ????. I do ~1hr minimum and up to a few days if I'm distracted.

A few DROPS of Dawn as a wetting agent will help along with letting the containers sit in a basin of water for a period of time. Just don't leave them in there.

Wet