When you dry out something the first thing to do is get moisture back in the entire soil area. Usually it takes a slow soaking. This is where a moisture meter can come in handy. Dry soil, especially dry soil with a lot of organic material, repels water. This can mean lots of dry pockets even if you do a slow soak. A moisture meter can help you detect dry pockets.

Several years ago we had a super dry ficus in a large pot. After soaking three times it still seemed too light in weight so we checked with a moisture meter. About half of the root ball was still dry. It took a couple of days to get the entire soil mass moist.

After you get the soil moist the next problem is over watering.

Yes, over watering!

If you ever get lost in Death Valley I hope the rescuers don't take you to the closest hotel, tie an anchor to your waist, and put you in the pool.

This is what a lot of people do. "If I just give it some more water the burned leaves will turn green."

This is again where a moisture meter comes in handy. It gives you some real feed back on the moisture levels. You can tell if it is dry on the surface and still wet in the center.

Generally, the ideal is to keep the entire soil mass moist (not wet). Too much water drives out the oxygen out of the soil and causes anaerobic bacteria to grow that attacks the roots. In addition roots NEED oxygen to grow.

You have to be careful until the plant has enough time to heal the root damage. In some cases it can take several months to a couple of years.

In most cases careful care can allow the plants to recover. Obviously not letting plants dry out is better and again a moisture meter can help you tell what is happening before the damage happens.

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