I agree with theforgottenone: they key is to fully wet your soil mix before putting it in the pot. If the mix contains a lot of peat (which most store bought mixes do), you can put it in a large container and pour very hot water over it. Allow it to cool, stir it up well and then drain away the excess water before filling your seed pots. Starting from seed is more difficult than many people imagine. Seeds need just the right amount of light, moisture, warmth and humidity, as well as suitable growing media in a not too deep container. There's a short overview of how to do it at the link below from the Growing from Seed Forum FAQ. Here is a link that might be useful: How to get started growing from seed

greetings from Australia, home of the water repellent soil. Wetting agents (detergents and other surfactants), such as you've tried, will only increase infiltration for a few months or until the soil fully dries out again. The water repellence will return with a vengeance. Addition of organic matter, especially eucalyptus mulch or potting mixes/soils will only increase the water repellence over time as the water repellence is due to the sand particles being coated with waxy/fatty materials produced by the natural breakdown of organic matter. best longer term solutions are: 1. always create a basin of soil (like a small well) around plants, especially on slopes, to hold the water you apply. If water is held over water repellent soils for long enough the water repellency reverts and the water runs in(can take from a few minutes up to several hours in the worst cases) 2. addition of clay to the soil when you plant can also provide long term benefits (e.g. builders clay) as clay, having much smaller particles, has a much greater surface area and so is a lot less prone to becoming fully coated and water repellent. Addition rates need to be about 10kg (22lb) per square metre (or sq. yd) dug into the top 100mm (4") of soil 3. consider pebble mulches over organic ones, as they help retain a moister environment at the soil surface and help retard runoff without adding extra organic matter. Remember the soils where these plants naturally occur contain almost no organic matter. 4. The main force acting on water in and out of the soil is gravity. Water applied to slopes will almost always runoff unless you create areas that can hold it until it can infiltrate. This may include pockets, depressions, mounds along contours, even shallow depressions above plants, larger rocks placed below plants, etc. This will in turn waste a lot less water too. good luck steve

If you did use enough of that to have any affect on your soils pH you would find it very expensive. In the suggested quantity you will not be using enough to have any affect.

That Master Gardener gave you good advice but you have not added enough organic material to the soil. Your North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service people will tell you to add more organic material to the soil. In North Carolina soil testing is free (most of the year) because of a surcharge on commercial fertilizers. Voles are primarily vegetarians, although they are known to eat already dead animals as well. They do not eat insects, however and do not have anything to do with indicating soil health. Perhaps this video about "The dirt on healthy soil" from Growing a Greener World might be of some help. http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/organic-matter-soil-testing/ kimmq is kimmsr