[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[Dick Gross]

Jenny, the condition is commonly called channeling. Erosion occurs between the pot and the soil allowing water to run straight through unrestricted leaving the interior as dry as a bony. Firstly, potted plants should have good drainage through a medium that drains readily. I make more holes in pots to avoid a water table from building up high in the pot suffocating the feeder roots and starving the plant. I like to periodically nestle some pots in earth and allow water to percolate through to flush out salts and thoroughly dampen the interior throughout.

This is how I correct channeling. Us a stick 3/4th inches thick, about 10 onches long and one to three inches wide. Be sure it has blunt ends. While the soil is just damp, tamp the soil tightly all around the inside of the pot wall. You will create a trench all the way around the perimeter. You will destroy a few root hairs and tips but don't worry about it. Depending on the size pot, use a smaller stick like a slat or the end of your finger.

Now, fill in the trench with a similar potting soil and tap it in snuggly until you are back to the same old level. To rehydrate the soil mass, set the pot on soil and adjust a water level of at least a quarter inch and let the water run until you have completely soaked the interior and flushed any previously accumulated salts from the root zone. Shut off the hose and add a soluable all-purpose fertilizer at the concentration recommended on the package.

Resume regular irrigation cycles until you percieve channeling is again a problem and repeat. Stand back because new growth may just explode.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
Maricopa County Cooperative extension
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Zelhart Alan-rpcs30" <Alan.Zelhart at freescale.com>
To: <jenniyo at gmail.com>; <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 12:20 PM
Subject: RE: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page


> Jenny,
> 
> If I were you, in those conditions, with that afternoon sun beating on the patio.  I would switch to some type of plant that does not need a lot of water.  An Adenium (Desert Rose), some type of cactus, or a succulent that can handle the afternoon sun here.  It's very hard to keep pots in afternoon sun, watered with enough water to keep water thirsty plants alive in the summer.  Another thought...can you put a sunscreen in, on that side, that only allows dappled light through?  Another thing you might try is the polymer crystals, but it may still be a loosing battle on pots with Western Exposure.  The following link my interest you:
> 
> http://www.watersorb.com/index.htm
> http://www.gardenerscorner.com/SavingWater.html
> 
> --
> Chat with you later,
> Alan
> -- 
> Chandler, Arizona        Sunset Zone: 13
> http://www.GardenersCorner.com
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu [mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of jenniyo at gmail.com
> Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 12:05 PM
> To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
> 
> 
> jenni
> 85234
> jenniyo at gmail.com
> 
> My potted patio plants are suffering!!!
> They can't seem to soak up the water they need.  when i water them they drain water as fast as I pour it---it seems to be running out between the dirt and the pot.  I've heard of this condidtion being called "hydrophobic" but can't find any info to treat the problem and get my plants the h20 they need in this arid climate!  I know it has something to do with too much peat moss in my potting soil.  some of the soil was from a mix i bought and some of the plants i've bought directly from a nursery.  HELP me---it's a matter of life a death for my plants!!!
> 
> by the way--- my patio sees 5 hours of afternoon sun a day.  and my all my pots are plastic.  some have a compost mulch-which seems to help a little and others have bark which i notice doesn't do any good.
> 
> thanks for your help --i'm new to AZ
> 
> 
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