How to re-wet a dried-out tree in a pot

I don't normally encounter this problem until the middle of summer... but this year, we've had the driest April since records began - ok, I may be exaggerating slightly, but you know what I mean, no rain for week after week, a lot of wind (which is very drying) and eventually, some actual sunshine, which was lovely, but which then baked the soil in a manner which we don't normally encounter until at least July.

This is what happens, if you have a few weeks with no rain:

 

As you can see with this large terracotta pot, the soil had dried out so much that it had shrunk away from the sides of the pot, to the point where I could get two fingers into the gap.

Aargh!

And, of course, once the soil does this, there is no point pouring water on the top of the soil, as most of it just runs straight down the huge gap all the way round, and runs out the bottom of the pot, all over your feet.

When this happens, there are two options.......

 

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