Dry soil and how to fix it?

its not a swamp plant

the roots arnt just at the top

if you really must cover the soil with grass , however you should be watering when they need it not because the suns dried the top , pick up the plant and feel it , is it dry and light ? is it heavy ? when light water the plant but only when it gets dry and not before , plants require oxygen at the roots , keeping it water logged is not a good thing at all


i love spain , if you in fuengirola ill pop round in june to water them for you or ibiza then in july

Thanks pal, appreciate the advice.
In Madrid actually, but more than welcome to pop round one day!

Are they potted or in the ground?

Add some water

Mulch.

if you hit your local garden shop you can get a big sack of "garden soil" miracle gro garden soil is a fine choice, since this variety (see fig. 1) is just rich compost and some fertilizer which will drain down to your plants as you water

a 2 cubic foot sack will cost you like $5



spread that over your dirt in a thick layer around your plants. it will keep the soil cooler, feed your plants as it natirally decomposes, and conserve water allowing you to water less frequently.

you can also use composted garden waste, and "redwood bark" (dont get plain bark, it's no good) and do the same job. a 2 cm deep layer of mulch will do the trick.

if your soil is cracking when it Bakes in the sun, your soil contains too much clay silt and fine sand.

see fig. 2


so next year before you plant your dope, dig a big ass trench (1 meter x 1 meter x .5 meter deep per plant) and mix the native soil with the above compost 50/50, and stir in about 2 liters of perlite then fill the hole back in (youll have a mound, but it will settle in as you water)

thereafter, turn the soil every year before you plant, add a carton of earthworms (from a bait shop, bit dont get pile worms or blood worms, they bite) plant your crops, then mulch 2 cm deep,and your soil will get better and better every year

see fig 3.



this is what youre shooting for.

a balanced mix of sand clay oragnic material and earthworms.

you can do a 1 meter wide six meter long garden patch for about $30 plus some digging and some dedication.

Protip: a tiller will make the job a snap, you could do a 10 meter by 10 meter yard for $100 in a single very sweaty day if you rent a tiller and git crackin. then you just need the tiller every spring. one of the little Mantiss rototillers is a great investment if you want a good sized garden.

see fig. 4

drying out on top is not nescessarily a bad thing. are the pots getting realy light in one day? or is it only the top of the pots getting dry? if its the whole pot thats drying up, you might just need a bigger pot. if youve already been veging for 2 months those are prob going to get pretty big.

I use perlite as a mulch...its cheap, light so it won't compact your soil, and the white color reflects light...I had roots growing right under and into the perlite as well so that's just more room for large rootballs.....doesnt add any nutrients or anything but you can't go wrong at $4 a bag that covers about 2 -3 pots depending on size of course

Thanks to everyone for your comments - will take them al onboard.
These are the two I'm talking about and they're both still in the 'jiffy' soil I started them in (it was mostly an organic coco-based soil). Not sure if I should transplant them already to larger pots. My vegetables are not getting the same cracks as this 'jiffy' type soil, so thinking I probably should. It's bloody hot here at the moment, the photos were taken post-watering, but before that they looked liked they were breaking through some soil in the pic like Dr Kynes attached.

This forum is ace by the way!

roamingrichy said:

View attachment 2653621View attachment 2653622

Thanks to everyone for your comments - will take them al onboard.
These are the two I'm talking about and they're both still in the 'jiffy' soil I started them in (it was mostly an organic coco-based soil). Not sure if I should transplant them already to larger pots. My vegetables are not getting the same cracks as this 'jiffy' type soil, so thinking I probably should. It's bloody hot here at the moment, the photos were taken post-watering, but before that they looked liked they were breaking through some soil in the pic like Dr Kynes attached.

This forum is ace by the way!

Click to expand...

dude. if your soil is cracking in a pot then your soil is contaminated. coco fiber should not form a crackle crust. it should not form a crust at all.

the fine particulate soil that causes the cracks will cause the roots to smother, and those black nursery pots will cook your roots in the hot sun.

put the ladies in a BIG terra cotta pot full of fresh potting mix or in the ground (properly prepared with compost peat moss and a fist full of used coffee grounds) and youll have a fine harvest.

indcolts77 said:

I use perlite as a mulch...its cheap, light so it won't compact your soil, and the white color reflects light...I had roots growing right under and into the perlite as well so that's just more room for large rootballs.....doesnt add any nutrients or anything but you can't go wrong at $4 a bag that covers about 2 -3 pots depending on size of course

Click to expand...

but the same $4 will get you 50 lbs of Supersoil brand compost which has nutrients, is self mulching and will FILL half a dozen dope-sized pots