And if so, any recomendations?
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This one got missed somehow.
Those meters that stab into the dirt are really unreliable. Better to learn how to check by feeling the weight of the pot by trying to lift it just a bit. Or dig a finger into the top few inches. In soil you want wet/dry cycles and those will depend on how big the plant is. Early on it might take a week to dry out. In late veg early flower it might be just one or two days. In coco coir you will water every day because it drains out and leaves air pockets in the fibers so the roots can breath. .
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The first couple of grows when I used soil I used this
I used it more to verify what I was seeing in the plant and the weight of the pot. I cut one probe off because ph accuracy was worthless. For the couple $$ it cost it served its purpose. Eventually it was no longer needed. Even better was when I switched to coco. No need for one.
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Best to figure it out without the meter. With 100+ gallon grow bags I first like to check the moisture of the soil on the perimeter of the bag. I like to dig down about 4 inches. Feel the soil!
Dose the soil stick to your finger? Did your finger turn a darker color due to the soil? How dose it feel? Dusty at all? Alittle damp?
(These are all thing you should look at when checking your soil.)
Things can also go in the other direction. You Definitely don’t want your soil to go hydrophobic? This is where the soil has retained so much water that it goes a resist layer. Not allowing any more water to be absorbed. This a sure sign way to root rot and negative side effects. Feel the soil!
Dose it feel like mud? When I water is it flowing off the side of the dirt no absorbing? Dose the exterior of the pot somewhat smell? Dose the plant look droopy?
(These are signs of over watering the soil)
When watering you are relying watering the soil. Not the plant. If you can learn to grow your oil the plant with fall into line.
Happy farming…
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They’re useless. Get long wooden cocktail or gardeners sticks, its a great way of testing the moisture
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I have this one and it works pretty well. I’ve compared it against a slurry test and its really close, close enough to give you a ball park idea of what’s happening in your soil. I keep my nutrient solution right around 6.0 and using this meter in the soil for a ph reading I get a reading right around 5.8. Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades.
edited to add tag to link
Totally worthless in coco.
But served a purpose when starting out in soil
as said by S-N
Agreed. Finger nails stay cleaner than finger drilling for moisture check. All bags dry differnetly and need water differently. Personally, i can’t lift 10-lb bags., anymore (but in my dreams). 3’s & 5’s working well.
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