Soil is hardening up!

So my soil is starting to harden up. When I water it just runs down the sides and the middle is very hard. I tried watering slower, and more, but no luck. I can’t really transplant because they are huge and in 10 gallon pots outdoors. I caught this early so there are no signs of stress YET, but I was wondering if there is anything I can do? Would adding more soil on top do anything? Maybe a top dressing worm castings? If you have any advise please share! Thanks!

Dont let it dry up so much between waterings. You could use something to make the water wetter. There are some products that do just that, but biobizz acti-vera does that + its a bit similar to giving kelp, and it combines well with kelp products. Its an aloe vera extract and im not sure if it also has something else in it.

Add more soil or you could use a dinner fork and scratch it up before watering. Just be careful you don't have have roots up on the service. Also a drop of dish soap biodegradablle might help with absornson

Thanks!

Should have added that it helps to wet the soil some before you actually plan on watering or feeding.

A top dressing of ewc could help soften the root ball a bit; when you finish this run try adding some vermiculite in your mix to reduce compaction and retain moisture. Fresh compost helps too in this regard. Also try watering more often but with less water; go light. I like to use a garden sprayer for “in between” light waterings of small plants this time of year so that it doesn’t run right off the root ball when I do a thorough watering. Keep the soil supple but never saturated.

You can get a stick of some sort and jab the soil. Yes, some roots will break, but this will not kill the plant. Jab it a couple times, add some water, repeat

BBQ skewers are you’re friends here! Don’t by shy - give it a good 10-20 stabs. Helps the water get into the medium much easier.

Use a spray bottle and spray with water about 5 mins before you water.