eli5: Why does wet earth (like right after rain) absorb more water then dry earth (like right after a drought)?

Question

Title. I saw a video showing it happening, but I don’t understand why.

In: 51

Answer 1

In addition to compaction, dry earth still contains the less volatile polar/hydrophobic molecules from broken down organic matter, preventing water from penetrating. The longer the drought, the higher concentration of these molecules.