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I've bought a coupple of plants in the past few weeks and the soil I used to repot them dosnt absorb water well. After I water the plants theres a puddle of water on the top of the pot. Is there anything I can do to change this?
Peat and bark-based soils become hydrophobic (water repellent) when they dry down to about 30% moisture content. The trick is to not let them get that dry. You COULD use a surfactant (wetting agent), but it's unnecessary. Set the pots in a tub or bucket for an hour or two & they will absorb water, then water before they get too dry.
It's also helpful to water lightly, then return a little while later and water again. Proper watering will show at least 10-15% of the total volume of water you applied exiting the drain hole. If you cannot water in this fashion w/o risking root rot, your soil is too water retentive.
You may have the same problem with the new stuff--many of the bagged potting mixes have a fair amount of peat in them and tend to behave the same way if you let them get too dry.
Changing soils isn't going to change the physical properties of peat moss any more than wishing real hard will. You may be fortunate enough to have stumbled on a (new) soil that has been treated with a wetting agent, but that's doubtful. I do hope you fare well.
