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soil moisture meter?

Cronk

Cronk

New member
I see some folks have meters stuck in their pots in both soil and coco. Are these helpful for getting a good read on how wet it is below the surface? I know the knuckle deep method is recommended but I'm looking for a second reference.

any specific cheap ones do the trick?
 
Its not dead on but its a good guide. It will go all the way up to wet when you water and as you leave it in it will gradually drop. Like i said rough estimate. But it also hits the very bottom of the pot where your fingers cant reach
 
is this the analog one with the needle meter from amazon? there are many but I think they are all the same.
 
To me the best way is picking up your pot, when you think it needs watering just pick up your pot ,it will be real light when they need watering.
Then water as normal, and then pick up your pot again ,and it will be much heavier.
Then don't water again till your pot is light again. It's real easy.
 
Yes I use the analog 3 in 1. Like I said I use it a rough estimate. Basically when it gets to the bottom of moist into the dry zone I start lifting the pot.
 
Placing the probe at the root zone about 4-6" below the surface gives a good indicator for soil moisture.
I use it to determine ,IF I need to lift the pot or not.
I always confirm by pot weight, as its a better indicator for soil.

Coco, I tend to use the knuckle test being dry at the first knuckle but not let it dry out below 2" - my second knuckle.
 
Heres a perfect example of why you should get used to the lifting method. This 3 in 1 is broken been out of the soil for like 20 hrs still showing over 1 on moisture. I'v also been having watering issues and seemed to have found the culprit.
 

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Yeah def. a 7 gallon completely full dry weighs like 5 or 6 pounds. Wet easily 30 pounds. its a big difference
 
Morning Cronk, the small amount of water your using right now, it's almost impossible to tell when to water by picking up your pot, but when you start watering normally, it's super easy to tell by picking up your pot .Just imagine how small the seedlings roots are, they don't need much water. Hang in there ,they are fixing to start growing pretty good. Just don't overwater.
 
Using fabric pots for the first time and they seem to require watering more often than when I used 5 gal pots but going by weight of pots makes total sense to me!
 
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