Rocks are problematic not just because they make working the soil challenging but also because rocky soil tends to have fewer nutrients than other soils and holds water poorly.

“The plants would be unhappy because they need this clay soil to grow in,” she explains. Just as rocks can affect what you plant below ground, they can affect what you plant above ground, too. Rocks can create microclimates that may either help or hinder growth.

The gravel portion, if large enough, helps by preventing the clay from forming the soggy masses found in a pure clay soil. Gravel will improve drainage, and when it dries out, the gravel prevents it setting like concrete.

Digging in a 5cm layer of grit, gravel or crushed stone helps open up a clay soil. Don’t just fill the planting hole: this creates a sump that will fill with water in wet winters. This will help improve the soil, but your soil will still be clay and will continue to need to be looked after carefully.

Unless it is very important to you with straight carrots, pebbles in the soil isn’t a big problem, they both release nutrients, prevent erosion and stops the soil from becoming compact. Just pick out the really big ones when you come across them. But don’t buy a cultivator, the pebbles will wear it down in no time.

Removing Small Rocks Using a rototiller, slowly loosen the soil. This will break up the dirt and expose large rocks. Place these rocks into a wheelbarrow as they are uncovered. Once you have finished rototilling the area, use a garden rake to pull any stones from the soil and into a pile.

One method of dealing with rocky soil is to create raised beds or berms for plants to grow in, above the rocky soil. These raised beds or berms should be at least 6 inches (15 cm.) deep, but the deeper the better for larger, deep rooting plants.

Plowing aerates and loosens the soil, distributes organic matter and nutrients, and helps dry out the wet soil in preparation for planting. In working and disturbing the soil in this fashion, many rocks are brought to the surface…even if the field has been worked year after year, generation after generation.

If you’d like to quickly break up a hard soil surface for planting, mix the organic matter into the top 3 to 6 inches of soil with a spade. To help soften hard soil in a vegetable garden, add a 2-inch layer of compost twice a year and mix it into the top 2 inches of soil.

Top-dressing planting beds with several inches of compost will improve lightly compacted soils. Earthworms and other soil fauna will gradually pull it down into the soil, loosening it and improving water-holding capacity. A 2- or 3-inch layer of shredded leaf mulch or wood chips will provide similar benefits.

Add organic matter such as compost, peat moss or leaf mold when loosening the soil.

The most common reason your potting soil will get hard is if you are not providing the plants with consistent watering. Many potting soil varieties contain peat moss that is supposed to be hydrophilic. This means it will absorb the moisture when you water it and release it slowly for the plant.

Usually when the first inch (2.5 cm.) or so of soil is dry, it’s a good indication that watering is needed. In summer, watering outdoor potted plants is necessary daily (and even twice a day) for most species, especially when temperatures reach over 85 degrees F.

A common reason is that the potting mix has dried out and isn’t absorbing the water. There you have to use a surfactant or wetting agent to get the soil to absorb water. Surfactants can be bought at nurseries and home stores, but liquid dishwashing liquid (Joy, Ivory, etc.) works just fine.

Rehydrating potted plants is tricky and regular watering won’t rehydrate a potted plant if the potting soil has shrunken away from the sides of the container. Instead of absorbing into the soil, water will run straight through the pot.

The most effective way to improve water penetration in soil is to add organic matter. Coarse organic matter separates the clay particles, creating pores for passage of water. At the start of your growing season, use a tiller to work about 3 inches of organic matter into the top 8 inches of soil.

Poke your finger into the soil One of the easiest ways to check if your plant needs watering is to stick your finger into the soil. This gives you a clearer indication of the soil moisture content than simply looking at the surface. You can reach 2-3in into the soil and feel how moist or dry the soil is.

Signs of Overwatered Plants: What to Look For Sign one: If a plant is overwatered, it will likely develop yellow or brown, limp leaves as opposed to dry, crispy leaves (which are actually a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves usually mean that root rot has set in and the roots can no longer absorb water.

Signs Plants Have Too Little Water

1. Wilting. This is the classic sign of an under watered plant.
2. Dry soil. If the soil around a plant is dry, it may need more water.
3. Dry, dead leaf tips. When a plant doesn’t get enough water, the tips and edges of leaves dry out and turn brown.
4. Slow growth.
5. Visible footprints.

How often should plants be watered? Water once or twice per week, using enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of about 6 inches each time. It’s okay if the soil’s surface dries out between waterings, but the soil beneath should remain moist.

Watering at night is not the best for your plants’ leaves or overall health. After a night time soak, leaves can stay wet for a pretty long time since they don’t have the day’s sun to dry them off. Because of this, damp leaves become extra vulnerable to fungal development.

Water Spray for Plant Leaves Spraying plant leaves down with water removes dust and dirt, and it can rinse away insect pests and fungal spores. Although a spray of water benefits the plant’s health, foliage that remains wet for an extended period is prone to the diseases that require a moist environment to grow.

The best time to water plants is in the morning or evening. Morning watering is actually preferable to evening watering as the plant has time to dry before the sun goes down. At night, water tends to rest in the soil, around the roots, and on the foliage, which encourages rot, fungal growth, and insects.

Early morning (5:00 to 9:00 am) is the best time to water the garden when using a sprinkler, garden hose, or any other device that wets the plant foliage. When watering is completed, the plant foliage dries quickly. The rapid drying of plant foliage helps guard against the development of fungal diseases.

Leaves are usually more into the photosynthesis aspect of things, turning sunlight into nutrition and all, so they don’t need water. Also, if it’s too hot outside and you’ve watered on the leaves, they can “cook” and that can actually damage the plant… The roots are what absorb water. So water plants at their base.

Water your vegetables two to three times a week during really hot weather. Watering the garden deeply is critical. The water must go down, down, down to encourage deep roots and get away from the hot soil surface.