[quotage rearranged] On 16 Oct 04 at 21:09, Shirley Meneice wrote: > Mary Sue Ittner wrote: > > Finally does anyone have any good ideas about the best way to > > water dormant pots that are completely dry? I find the water goes > > right through them, around the sides. > I find a deep saucer under the plant helps. The water applied to > the top does run through, but when caught below tends to be taken up > as if by a wick. The other possibility, though terribly > time-consuming, is to immerse the whole pot in a bucket or large > container of water and let it stay there until the bubbling ceases, > indicating that the soil is soaked. Often it will "float" in the > container when really dried out. Then I place a smaller plant on > the container to hold it down into the water until it has begun to > soak up the moisture and no longer tips over in the water. IMHO, immersion is asking for trouble. Dry, dormant bulbs are not going to enjoy a sudden bath, being unable to cope with their sudden access to water; better to let the soil gradually become damp, as they will if a saucer is placed under them to catch the runoff. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island