My $35 moisture meter was a complete waste of money

Bought one of those fancy 3-in-1 moisture meters off Amazon to help with my indoor plants. Turns out it just reads the top inch of soil and gives totally random numbers. I tested it in dry potting mix and water and got the same reading both times. Stuck with the finger test now, free and way more reliable. Anyone else find a better tool that actually works for checking soil moisture deeper down?

2 comments

2 Comments

taraross13d ago

Ugh yeah those things are garbage. I read that some people swear by the wooden dowel trick - stick a clean chopstick or dowel all the way down in the pot, leave it for a minute, then pull it out. If it comes out damp and with soil stuck to it, the soil is still moist deeper down. Worked way better for me than any of those digital meters I tried.

rileygarcia13d ago

Haha oh man, that wooden dowel trick is genius. I'm still over here poking my finger in the soil like a caveman and hoping for the best.