Who hasn’t struggled to keep their plants properly hydrated at one point or another? Get a soil moisture metre if you frequently forget to water or if you give your plants too much water. For healthier plants, these garden tools take the guesswork out of watering. Anyone with a green thumb—or a propensity of murdering houseplants—understands the importance of soil moisture for plant health.
But it’s less well understood that soil moisture monitoring has applications that go far beyond gardening. In this article, I’ll explain how soil moisture monitoring benefits agriculture from an ecological and economic standpoint. Then I’ll go over some of the less well-known—but still vital—applications of soil moisture monitoring. Finally, I’ll look into a few different soil moisture monitoring tools to help you achieve your soil moisture monitoring goals.
What Is a Soil Moisture Meter and How Does It Work?
Soil moisture metres are little hygrometers (items that measure average moisture levels) that you may stick into the ground to see how moist it is.
This gives you a consistent picture of how much water is in your growing media, indicating when you should water and when you should wait. These instruments give you a readout in around 60 seconds and are very easy to use.
The majority of them have a small window display that displays the moisture level on a scale ranging from dry to wet. To make reading the moisture level easy, some have a numerical scale, a color-coded face, or both.
Definition of Soil Moisture Meter
Moisture sensor is a sensor that measures the amount of water in a soil. Several of these sensors can be found in a probe. It aids in the more effective and efficient management of irrigation systems. It aids farmers in conserving water, increasing yields, and improving crop quality.
Types of Soil Moisture Meter
The various types of soil moisture sensors are listed below.
● Tensiometers
● Gravimetric sensors
● Watermark sensors
● Capacitance sensors
Pros of using Soil Moisture Meter
● Measurement procedure that is simple.
● It gives you the results right away.
● The cost of watermark sensors and tensiometers is quite inexpensive.
● Provides precise findings.
● Watermark sensors provide a wider moisture measurement range of 0 to 200 cb or kpa.
Cons of using Soil Moisture Meter
● It necessitates an initial assessment of site-specific circumstances before selecting an acceptable moisture sensor, which necessitates the insertion of a probe into the soil. The data collection and measurement operations both necessitate work.
● The measured values are influenced by the qualities of different materials. Moisture data must be interpreted and used correctly.
● Because of the big particles in sandy soils, watermark sensors are less accurate, and they must be calibrated for each soil type. Tensiometers, too, need to be serviced on a regular basis.
How to Use Soil Moisture Meter
To use this useful instrument, carefully push the probe end into the earth until it is four-fifths of the way down. Don’t try to force it. If you encounter opposition, move on to another location. Make sure you insert it vertically if you’re using one with two probes.
Check the moisture level reading in the display window after 60 seconds. Compare the reading to your plant’s specific requirements. When cacti and succulents are recently hydrated, they prefer to be on the moist end of the dry spectrum.
Cannas and Siberian irises favour the damper side of the spectrum. Also, some plants prefer to dry out a lot between waterings, and others prefer moist soil all the time. In other words, don’t assume that a result that puts your soil moisture in the middle of the range is perfect when you check your metre. For some plants, drier soil is preferred, whereas for others, wetter soil is preferred.
How to Use Soil Moisture Meter
To use this useful instrument, carefully push the probe end into the earth until it is four-fifths of the way down. Don’t try to force it. If you encounter opposition, move on to another location. Make sure you insert it vertically if you’re using one with two probes.
Check the moisture level reading in the display window after 60 seconds. Compare the reading to your plant’s specific requirements. When cacti and succulents are recently hydrated, they prefer to be on the moist end of the dry spectrum.
Cannas and Siberian irises favour the damper side of the spectrum. Also, some plants prefer to dry out a lot between waterings, and others prefer moist soil all the time. In other words, don’t assume that a result that puts your soil moisture in the middle of the range is perfect when you check your metre. For some plants, drier soil is preferred, whereas for others, wetter soil is preferred.
If your cactus is a three or on the moist end of the dry scale, it probably doesn’t need water. However, if you’re inspecting an orchid and it’s a three on the scale, it’s in desperate need of a drink.
Allow the plant to sit for a minute after watering and then verify the findings again. Remove the probe, clean it, and store it once you’re finished.
It’s not a good idea to leave it in the soil because the probe will quickly disintegrate.
Conclusion
Choosing the right soil moisture probe will help you control your irrigation more effectively. Unless you want a system that measures soil moisture content and plant accessible water, your purchase should be guided by crop water sensitivity and soil type.
It’s important to remember that soil monitoring is only one technique for assisting with irrigation scheduling. Employing evaporation or evapotranspiration as a reference, knowing your soil type and crop, and using proper irrigation design to supply water evenly are other measures to produce the greatest irrigation outcome for your crop.