mark49•1d ago

Wasted $200 on a fancy soil moisture meter that was worse than my finger

I bought this high end soil moisture meter six months ago because I was tired of guessing when my client's Japanese maples needed water. It had digital readings, a long probe, and claimed to measure at three different depths. But after using it on about 30 different trees, I realized the readings were all over the place. Wet soil would show as dry and dry soil would show as wet depending on how tight the soil was packed. I finally went back to just sticking my finger two inches down like my grandpa taught me. The meter now sits in my truck gathering dust. Anyone else get burned by one of these gadgets and go back to the old school method?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith9431d ago

and then I read this article from some university ag department that basically said most consumer moisture meters are garbage for anything but loose potting soil. They tested like 20 different models and found the readings change based on how much pressure you apply, what the soil pH is, and even the temperature. The cheap ones were just as inconsistent as the expensive ones. I still use my finger too, works good enough for my clients' trees. But I did find one trick that helps sometimes - stick a bamboo skewer in the ground for an hour and see how far up it gets damp. Way cheaper than that meter you bought.

kaiharris1d ago

Bamboo skewer trick saved me too. Way more reliable.