Description
Soil moisture meter
A soil moisture meter ensures that you always water your plants at the right time. At the touch of a button you can measure the humidity at a depth of 20 cm in the pot and thus determine the exact moment when you need to water your plants. One of the most common mistakes made when growing plants in pots with soil is over-watering. The top layer of the earth may feel dry but a few centimeters below the surface the earth may still be very moist. When the soil is too moist, it is difficult for the roots to absorb oxygen. You also run a greater risk of diseases and pests that attack the root system and eventually lead to the death of your plants.
The soil should of course not be too dry. This causes stress for the plant and eventually leads to reduced yield or even death.
The right moisture of the soil is particularly important when you grow on living soil. The carefully cultivated soil life is disturbed when the earth is too dry or too wet. Earthworms that make a major contribution to the structure of the soil and the micro life in the living soil will die when the earth is too dry.
Tensiometer
This soil moisture meter works according to the tensio principle and consists of a water-filled plastic tube with a ceramic head and a sensor. The meter measures the capillary suction voltage of the earth. The dry soil will pull water out of the tube through the porous ceramic head. The drier the soil, the greater this suction power.
The sensor on the end of the tube measures this suction force in millibars. The higher the measured values, the drier the earth.
The Blumat digital tensiometer comes with a table on which you can see exactly at which millibar values watering or irrigating is required.