I was watering my plants the other day when I noticed that most of the water was running down the sides and out the bottom of the pots (yes they're in pots for now). I didn't spend much on the potting mix they are in and was wondering if there is a cheap solution for this. I know you can buy soil wetters and i have tried the cheap ones but they seem pretty crap (and short-term). Would a tiny drop of dishwashing liquid be in the water enough to break the surface tension and help the water soak right through? *EDIT: Without harming the plants of course!
i would say just use a bit more water, and before you water press the dirt up against the sides of the pot so the water will sit on top and soak in
get the dirt wet b4 u water. wot i mean is poor about a cup full on top of the dirt, that will soak in and wet the dirt so that when u water them proppa it "shud" soak in ok. if they r major dry then u might need to use a bit, just a bit of soap but dont get into the habit of using it every time.
oh i 4got 2 say, the other thing u gotta watch is the middle of the pot may dry out and never get wet again. soap shud fix that but i dont like using soap so i put the pot in a bucket of water and let it soak a little, not long!!! just 4 a bit. leave it in to long and u cud leave most of ur dirt behind when u pull it out. a good soaking will do it good tho if ur soil is well draining.
Hi gets some good quality compost its very cheap for a bag get the stuff that is like breakable and soft not compost that looks like soil or sand,,,,,,,i bought some crap stuff and had the same problem as u and i keeped watering them the soil was hard and my seeds were nakered i had to chuck them away