Any soil that is too wet 2 weeks after a rain is a soil with problems. Whether a "moisture meter" actually does a good job of actually measuring soil moisture is highly debatable and it is simpler to just take a handful of your soil and squeeze it and smell it to see whether that soil is too wet or not, and less expensive than spending money on a tool that probably does not work. Soils need to be evenly moist for plants to be able to uptake the nutrients that are in the soil that plants need, but a soil that is too wet will also keep plants from doing that since air is also necessary and a too wet soil excludes that air. Perhaps these simple soil tests can help you determine whether your soil is too wet and what, if anything, needs to be done to correct any problems, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Much like when I clean a room in the house: it gets worse BEFORE it gets better :) The card stock trick from Podcast 10 (covering the leaf/leaves BEFORE you yank them) helps you imagine life without it/them. My theory is if the leaf looks like crap it's gone; baby & yellowing leaves: gone. (those are the easy ones! :) I figure gaps will fill in but why make a plant waste energy on damaged leaves just because it fills a gap. It will never get better! The more energy spent on the center/outward the better - the sooner there will be improvement. Q2 - "Do I need to open my plastic container often to let the soil dry out a bit?" If you think it's too wet - it probably is. Too wet could spell disaster = mushy, dead leaves. "Wicking" is tricky and I would make sure it's not keeping the rooting leaves soggy. (I don't wick leaves or root in water but as they say: do what works for you!)

JeremyD - Not sure about your clay soils as I live close to the coast but I would say ammend the soil with some organic matter and it should help, or grow in pots. You will have to water more often if they are potted! Full Sun for sure! Trelis is the way to go! Have fun with them! I tooka bunch of old christmas lights and ran them along my trellis and it turned out flipping cool! Last season I grew long neck dippers, bottle, martin, and bushel. All where in pots at the four corners of my trellis. They took over everything in late summer! They found their way onto my japanese maples, tomatoe plants and even up and over my patio umbrella. We ended up with 60-70 gourds. We made birdhouses out of every variety along with bird feeders, vases and few other crafty things. This spring I have added a couple more trellis's for a few new varieties! Just have fun with them!!! I know we sure did. Here pictured are just a few of the birdhouses we have made. I placed a couple outside tucked into a J.Maple and a Camielia and already have new neighbors in them.

Today is Memorial Day and time for Step 3, Starter Fertilizer (18-24-12). Lawn is responding well to soil adjustments. It's looking gorgeous and receiving lots of compliments. I've applied a Milo application between Step 2 & Step 3. The Milo iron certainly keeps the dark green going. KBG is producing tons of rhizomes and filling in thin spots. Weeds such as clover and chickweed are being thinned out by 3" turf and several applications of weed control. Dimension took care of the foxtail grass. No evidence of any young sprouts.