Wasted $80 on a moisture meter that was way off

I bought this fancy digital moisture meter off Amazon a few months back. It claimed to be super accurate for all kinds of houseplants. I was using it on my fiddle leaf fig and a few calatheas, thinking I was being so smart with my watering schedule. Then my monstera started looking sad even though the meter said the soil was damp. I finally just stuck my finger in the dirt and it was bone dry. I tested it against a few other pots and it was wrong every time. So basically I threw away $80 and could have just used my finger the whole time. Has anyone else found a reliable meter that actually works or are they all kinda hit or miss?

2 comments

2 Comments

dianab684d ago

I wasted $80 on a moisture meter that was way off" is exactly what happened to me too. I read somewhere that the cheaper ones can be hit or miss because they just measure electrical conductivity, which can get messed up by salts in fertilizer. Honestly I just use my finger and give each plant a good lift to feel how heavy the pot is, that's been way more reliable.

noahs824d ago

My buddy Tom bought one of those expensive moisture meters and it told him his cactus was "wet" three days after he watered it. He almost killed the thing because he kept waiting for it to dry out based on the reading. Finally he just stuck his finger in and the soil was bone dry an inch down. The meter was reading like 2 inches deeper where there was still some moisture. He ended up returning it and now he just lifts the pots like the rest of us.