How to Read Soil Moisture Requirements for Plants
Who hasn't had a difficult time at some point with trying to keep their plants watered appropriately?
If you regularly forget to h2o or you continue giving your plants too darn much, get yourself a soil wet meter. These garden tools take the guesswork out of watering for happier plants.
Learn more beneath.
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I've killed more plants than I intendance to admit by declining to requite them the right amount of water. Can you relate?
It seems like such a straightforward gardening chore, but it can exist frustratingly difficult to master.
I've overwatered succulents, and I've allow my fiddle leafage fig become so dry that it started tossing its leaves to the ground in protestation.
And then, one day I saw a funny-looking thing sticking out of a friend's bed of lettuce, and I discovered the globe of soil moisture meters. These handy tools help accept the guesswork out of watering.
Sure, you tin can stick your finger in the soil, only this is more of an fine art than a science, an imprecise fashion of figuring out what your plants demand. And with this method, you tin simply tell what'south happening in the top few inches.
A moisture meter tin tell you exactly how moist the soil is, and not just in the top few inches, but up to a pes down – or more!
Plus, yous tin go on your gloves on, and avoid getting your fingers dirty with one of these on hand.
Thanks to my hygrometer, I'm non killing plants because of bad watering practices anymore.
Desire to know how to put these handy garden tools to work for you? Hither's what nosotros'll cover:
What You'll Learn
- What Is a Soil Moisture Meter?
- How to Utilise 1
- Troubleshooting Tips
What Is a Soil Moisture Meter?
Soil wet meters are small hygrometers, or tools that let yous measure average moisture levels, that you tin insert into the earth to determine how moist it is.
This provides a consequent analysis of how much water is in your growing medium, letting you lot know when it's time to h2o, or if you should agree off for now.
These tools typically requite you a reading inside sixty seconds, and they're simple to utilise.
About of them have a little window display that shows the wet level on a scale, typically ranging from dry to wet.
Some take a numerical calibration, a color-coded face, or both, to make reading the moisture level easy. And virtually don't even require batteries to requite you lot your reading!
Dr Meter Hygrometer
The one that I rely on is made by Dr. Meter. Y'all can purchase one of these at many nurseries, or via Amazon.
Detect more models in our supplemental guide: "9 of the All-time Soil Moisture Meters for Your Garden."
Some meters only mensurate water, but others are available that as well read pH and calorie-free levels.
If you similar the 3-mode manner that provides all of these readings at in one case, you can pick up ane at Arbico Organics.
Are these tools magic? Nope. They measure out moisture past detecting electrical currents in the soil. The more moisture is available, the college the currents are.
How to Employ 1
To put this handy tool to piece of work, gently insert the probe end into the soil and then that it is buried iv-fifths of the way deep. Don't force information technology. If you run across resistance, try another spot.
If y'all're using i with two probes, be sure to insert it vertically.
Await lx seconds, then check the moisture level reading in the display window.
Compare the reading to the needs of your particular plant.
For instance, cacti and succulents like to exist on the moist cease of dry out when they are freshly watered.
Cannas and Siberian irises prefer to be on the wet stop of the spectrum. And some plants adopt to dry out quite a bit between waterings while others prefer consistently moist soil.
In other words, when y'all bank check your meter, don't presume that a result putting your soil moisture in the mid-range is platonic.
You want drier soil for some plants and wetter for others.
If you check your cactus and information technology shows as a three – or on the moist cease of dry – it probably doesn't need water. But if you are checking an orchid and it shows as a three on the calibration, information technology needs a potable stat.
After watering, let the found sit down for a minute and check the results again.
One time you're done, remove the probe, wipe information technology clean, and shop it.
Don't leave it in the soil considering the probe will quickly degrade.
See these 2 probes? Ane was left in the soil for a month (okay, perhaps more similar three months. What? I got busy), while the other has been removed consistently afterwards apply and cleaned.
Troubleshooting Tips
While these are pretty straightforward tools, they are still discipline to problems. Sometimes a probe fails to provide a reading or the needle may bounce around like a rabbit after downing a pot of coffee.
If you lot put the probe in and the needle doesn't move, remove it and wipe the probe make clean. DON'T stick it in a container of water to encounter if it's working. The probe won't piece of work in h2o and is intended for use in soil only.
Instead, soak some soil thoroughly with water to do a test. It should be completely saturated so that it drips water if yous option upward a sample. Then, stick the probe in. If it still doesn't read, it might exist faulty.
If the needle is billowy around and doesn't settle, information technology might be touching some metal or a rock under the soil. Pull it out and sink it in another spot.
Call up, you should never leave the meter in the soil for days or weeks on finish. This can ruin the probe.
I too recommend checking the soil with your finger now and and so to confirm that the meter is working. Don't solely rely on the hygrometer.
If your constitute looks like information technology's wilting, you tin stick a finger in the soil as a betoken of comparison. The meter may say moist but the soil is actually dry out, if it isn't working properly.
A soil wet meter may malfunction if y'all have a high level of salt in your soil. This can happen if you h2o from the bottom of a container or if you use a fertilizer with salts in it.
If your soil is saline, you volition become an incorrectly high moisture reading, which is why it's important to physically bank check with your finger if you suspect the reading is incorrect.
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Source: https://gardenerspath.com/gear/tools-and-supplies/soil-moisture-meter/
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