Soil seems to be constantly moist even with days without watering

Question

I had this old pot filled with barely used soil and left it unused for years. Now I'm using this soil for other plants but it seems to be constantly moist which isn't good for species of plants that require cycles of dryness and moisture or good drainage such as basil.

The pots I use are able to drain well and for other pots that have fresh soil I see that they dry out usually when not watered which is good compared to the soil that does not.

I live in a hot and sunny desert country so I'm surprised that this soil is able to hold on to moisture so well and stay wet for many days regardless of what container or plant it stays with.

Answer 1

To improve your old soil, you can mix something like perlite or horticultural grit into it. It will improve drainage capacity of the soil.