Water repellent sandy soil due to being coated with the waxy substance found on eucalyptus leaves

Water repellent sandy soil due to being coated with the waxy substance found on eucalyptus leaves.

After 50mm of rain in the past day, a thin layer at the top got wet. Just a few millimeters below, it's all dry. This makes it very difficult for seeds to germinate or for transplants to stay alive.

This area used to be covered in eucalyptus, and 3 years later there's still a couple patches of soil like this. We've been covering some of it up with biomass this winter, but it's too soon to tell if it makes a difference.

#eucalyptus

#hydrophobicsoil

#waterrepellentsoil