WHY DOES WATER SOAK UPWARDS AGAINST GRAVITY?

The effect is called capillary rise. It happens in everything from dunked biscuits in tea to rising damp in old buildings. To understand the cause, have a look at some water in a clean glass and notice how the surface curves up at the edges. The curved surface is called the meniscus. Its curvature creates a pressure difference which tends to lift the water up. The tighter the curvature, the stronger the lifting force which is why capillary rise is most noticeable when the water is in narrow channel like the cracks and pores in biscuits or concrete. In trees, the water menisci in tiny channels in the leaves support the weight of the whole column of water below.