If water runs straight down the sides of the pot and out the bottom while the soil stays dry in the middle, you are looking at a common problem. After a long dry spell, potting soil can harden into a block and pull away from the pot edge. The gap becomes a shortcut for water, and the roots in the middle get nothing.
Loosen the top layer gently
Start by loosening the top layer of soil gently, so water has a way back in. Work lightly and stay near the surface, so you do not disturb the roots below. A cultivator is a handy tool for this job, used with a light touch rather than deep digging. That is one of the four tools in the Bloom Tools set, a 4-piece aluminum set with a trowel, rake, cultivator, and weeder, priced at $19.99.
Water slowly, in stages
Next, water slowly in stages instead of pouring it all in at once. Add a little water, wait for it to soak in, then add a little more. Dry soil needs time to reabsorb moisture, and staged watering gives it that time. Repeat until water starts to drain from the bottom and the soil feels evenly damp again.
When the surface stays crusty
Crusting is common after long dry spells, and slow watering plus gentle loosening often fixes it. If the surface stays crusty and water keeps running off even after staged watering, refresh the surface mix with fresh potting mix. In severe cases a repot may be needed, but that is a judgment call for a plant that is not responding, not a step every crusty pot requires.
The fix is patience more than force: loosen lightly, water slowly, and repeat. Wherever you call home, that is how dry soil comes back to life.