Just recently potted up my plants in 1 gallon geopots which are very similar to smartpots. I'm using foxfarm oceanforest witout any additional additives....just straight from the bag. Last night I decided to give everyone a good watering. I notcied immediately that the soil is so airy that just beneath the surface the soil is still dry. How do I know if my plants are getting enough water???? I try to even drench the soil but its still dry in appearance underneath the surface. The water drips from the bottom so I know its soaking through. Any suggestions??????
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soil Geopot/Fabric Pot (watering and soil question)
- Thread starter Hadoken
- Start date
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
If you watered then its wet. Maybe it just looks dry. Pick it up before and after the watering. Youll notice a big difference. Air pruning containers dont dry out any faster than conventional pots generally speaking.
Guru thanks for the reply. It definitely feels a bit heavier, just strange how the soil looks a light brown color and feels dry instead of that dark moist look. Its almost as if the water is just running through straight to the bottom and the soild isn't realy holding in the moisture. I'll take your word for it.
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
Give it a little more when you water it. Just careful not to overwater in terms of frequency. High peat content will try and reject water. Is it floating when you water?
I am using ocean forest in smart pots and have noticed that it really absorbs a lot of water. The first watering always made the soil float around until it soaked in the water. Getting a good rain helped alot.
goc
goc
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
There ya go 
I don't know if this helps the OP as I don't know the products.
I'm just chiming in to say I know what they are trying to explain, as down here in perth australia it's very common.
The soil here is sandy and hydrophobic, water will not sink in at all, it just runs off. So there's lots of "soil wetter" treatments available here that we need to use in our gardens.
I also found that most potting mixes develop the same tendencies after a few months if you always let them get dry between watering. The water just flows between the soil and the pot and then straight out, the bulk of the soil stays dry. So I either had to use a soil wetting agent, or just put the pot in a deep saucer to let it bottom water for a few hours and gradually get moist again.
A lot potting mixes and treatment even include soil wetting agents or crystals in their composition because of this down here, I guess because of the local sand that's in the mix that is naturally hydrophobic.
Last season I used coco coir in my own mixes for the same reason, a permanent fix rather than treating with a soil wetting agent every few months, or bottom watering 30x large pots for a few hours each. Of course using coco coir bites me in the behind now when the pots are out in the rain and the plants are drowning and I want them to dry out...
So if you're worried Hadokan, either look up a soil wetting agent or bottom water the pots by sitting them in a deep saucer for a little bit.
I'm just chiming in to say I know what they are trying to explain, as down here in perth australia it's very common.
The soil here is sandy and hydrophobic, water will not sink in at all, it just runs off. So there's lots of "soil wetter" treatments available here that we need to use in our gardens.
I also found that most potting mixes develop the same tendencies after a few months if you always let them get dry between watering. The water just flows between the soil and the pot and then straight out, the bulk of the soil stays dry. So I either had to use a soil wetting agent, or just put the pot in a deep saucer to let it bottom water for a few hours and gradually get moist again.
A lot potting mixes and treatment even include soil wetting agents or crystals in their composition because of this down here, I guess because of the local sand that's in the mix that is naturally hydrophobic.
Last season I used coco coir in my own mixes for the same reason, a permanent fix rather than treating with a soil wetting agent every few months, or bottom watering 30x large pots for a few hours each. Of course using coco coir bites me in the behind now when the pots are out in the rain and the plants are drowning and I want them to dry out...
So if you're worried Hadokan, either look up a soil wetting agent or bottom water the pots by sitting them in a deep saucer for a little bit.
+1 to bottom watering
I use promix HP in geopots, I find that for the first watering I have to both bottom and top water in order for the soil to get thoroughly wet, since the dry peat repels water. As soon as it get a little moist from the top watering it wicks up the bottom water.
I keep all my pots on saucers or trays and just top water once the plant is established. The water runs through the pot into the tray, moistening the peat a little bit as it flows by, then it gets wicked up back from the tray.
It's kinda tricky to find the right amount of water to use at first, but you kinda get a feel for the amount of standing water you need to leave in the tray to get the job done. Any excess water in the tray after an hour or so should be discarded.
Oh also, I push my finger down into the soil near the edge of the pot as far as I can to get a better gauge of how wet my soil is in the middle. If you just keep using the same spot you won't disturb the roots too much
I use promix HP in geopots, I find that for the first watering I have to both bottom and top water in order for the soil to get thoroughly wet, since the dry peat repels water. As soon as it get a little moist from the top watering it wicks up the bottom water.
I keep all my pots on saucers or trays and just top water once the plant is established. The water runs through the pot into the tray, moistening the peat a little bit as it flows by, then it gets wicked up back from the tray.
It's kinda tricky to find the right amount of water to use at first, but you kinda get a feel for the amount of standing water you need to leave in the tray to get the job done. Any excess water in the tray after an hour or so should be discarded.
Oh also, I push my finger down into the soil near the edge of the pot as far as I can to get a better gauge of how wet my soil is in the middle. If you just keep using the same spot you won't disturb the roots too much
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
Great points 