Fire plays an important role in many native ecosystems, and its suppression has increased woody encroachment across the globe. Restoring native herbaceous communities following fire in encroached systems is often challenging. Post-fire soil hydrophobicity is one factor that may further limit site restoration by limiting soil moisture, which may in turn affect soil nutrient dynamics. We conducted a field study in a burned pinion-juniper woodland to understand the effects of post- fire soil hydrophobicity on soil moisture and soil nutrients. Plots centered on Juniperus osteosperma or Pinus monophylla trees were either left untreated or treated with a surfactant to ameliorate soil hydrophobicity, and then left bare or seeded with Pseudoroegneria spicata. Measurements were taken two years after fire in May, by which time the surfactant treatment had 124.4% higher soil water content than the repellent control. This effect was a function of a thick, hydrophobic layer in the control as compared to hydrophilic soil conditions when treated with surfactant after the fire. Soil nutrient levels were 45.5%, 37.8%, and 52.3% lower in the surfactant treatment compared to the repellent control for sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium respectively. The development of restoration tools and practices to manage these effects of soil hydrophobicity may help reduce invasive species and facilitate the establishment of desired native herbaceous communities.