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Looks like your very dry soil is shedding the water. I would mix in the screened compost with the soil and water slowly over a few days to get it wet. It may take some time. Some people use hair shampoo as an additive to water as a surfactant which may help, don't use too much, maybe a spoonful per 5 gallon bucket. The shampoo ingredient list should include sodium or ammonium laurel sulphate, an anionic surfactant.
Gypsum is a good additive for breaking up heavy clay soil. Pretty sure you can get a bag of it at HD pretty cheaply.My passion fruit vine really took off and did much better in the ground than in a pot. Though it was hammered by that heat wave that we experienced this year, but I was away when it hit and couldn’t water when it needed it most.
Quote from: pineislander on October 17, 2018, 09:14:29 PMLooks like your very dry soil is shedding the water. I would mix in the screened compost with the soil and water slowly over a few days to get it wet. It may take some time. Some people use hair shampoo as an additive to water as a surfactant which may help, don't use too much, maybe a spoonful per 5 gallon bucket. The shampoo ingredient list should include sodium or ammonium laurel sulphate, an anionic surfactant.I was going to use a 5 gallon bucket of sand to loosen up the dirt, do you think it will work?
Quote from: smartdriver on October 17, 2018, 09:23:00 PMQuote from: pineislander on October 17, 2018, 09:14:29 PMLooks like your very dry soil is shedding the water. I would mix in the screened compost with the soil and water slowly over a few days to get it wet. It may take some time. Some people use hair shampoo as an additive to water as a surfactant which may help, don't use too much, maybe a spoonful per 5 gallon bucket. The shampoo ingredient list should include sodium or ammonium laurel sulphate, an anionic surfactant.I was going to use a 5 gallon bucket of sand to loosen up the dirt, do you think it will work?Doesn't sand + Clay (and organic material such as straw) make Adobe? I haven't tried it without compacting it but I would think that would make the soil worse.
I think you are in the right place. Its clear you are new and hope we haven't confused you. All of us struggle getting started and have success and some failures. I hope your planter box grows well for you. Remember that most failures of containerized gardens stem from overwatering you need to check down into the soil and keep it moist but not sopping wet, hope it has some drainage to avoid that. Try some simple things if winter melons grew well before and you like them try that. Some beans, cucumbers, etc are cheap and easy things to start with. Good luck!