Gardman Soil Moisture Meter
9 reviews · Statistics
Reviews
Maybe not working now!
I bought it from Bunnings about nine months ago and worked fine until now. Watered a plant then inserted the meter said it was dry. Tried other plants that should be moist but again showed dry. Does it have a battery?
... Read moreDoesn't Work
Brought mine from Bunnings and the needle never moved no matter how wet the soil was, the needle just sat on dry so I returned it and got another one (same brand) and that one didn't work either. I thoroughly watered my plant, stuck the needle in for a couple minutes and it read dry. Back to Bunnings tomorrow.
... Read moreNo problems at all
I’ve had mine for about 5 years, take no special care with it, and it seems to still read accurately and is quite sensitive. I use it for indoor and outdoor plants with a variety of pots. I’ve even left it in the rain a few times and works fine.
... Read moreTip broke off on the first day
I bought this for about $12.50 from Bunnings. I used it 3 times in my garden and the 3rd time it came back out with the all-important tip missing. It seemed to give reasonably accurate readings for the few minutes that it worked.
... Read more
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Does literally nothing
Just as the title states; Doesn't matter what level of moisture is in the soil or what the soil type is, the needle doesn't move. Put it in a cup of water, the needle doesn't move. Honestly don't know how people get this to give any readings, let alone accurate readings.
... Read moreAmazing!
I love this product - no over watering of pot plants anymore! This product takes the worry out of when to water your plants.... I was always worried about how much water my plants needed... This productncan really tell the difference between dry, moist and wet. Can’t recommend this product enough.
... Read moreDon't waste your money,you get what you pay for
Very unreliable,in very wet water logged soil only reads "moist" unless cleaned with fine wire wool always reads "dry" Only glad I did not pay $50 as advertised on EBAY.only $12 in Bunnings.You obviously have to pay more for something that works. Initially it worked ok,but not for long,wast of money
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Seems to work ok
Didn't think that the product would be all that accurate given the price but to my surprise it seems reasonably accurate albeit day one. I feel as long as the probe is kept clean it should continue to give a fair indication of the soil moisture of my indoor pots.
... Read moreUnreliable
I bought this gadget from Bunnings to use on my pot plants that are in full sun most of the time. I find it gives a reading of really wet on some pots, such as a smallish hanging terracotta pot containing chives and the like. I can't believe that some hanging pots consistently read wet when they have been in blazing sun all day. I have another big terracotta pot containing a gardenia plant that frequently shows to be dry.
I did read on another website (think it was Amazon) that although the instructions say to wipe each time, that the prob
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Questions & Answers
How do i understand the readings
It's a very simple gauge that goes from dry, to moist, to wet. You should be able to see in the picture.
The only things you need to know are is the soil very dry or is it very wet. Both of these option can kill plants if they persist - the one by starvation, the other by drowning! If you keep the gauge reading round about the middle of moist, everything should be ok. Remember that plants really need moisture roughly to the horizontal extent of their foliage, so don't just test near the main stem. Also, note that the vertical distribution of moisture is not necessarily continuous. So it is possible to have the top couple of centimetres bone dry - but that doesn't matter because you are watering the roots which are deeper - and then you can have lots of moisture around the roots. So you always need to have the needle deep enough to overcome any such discontinuity. You'll soon get the hang of it; and, of course, the right depth varies between plants. If you're still not confident, stick a cane into the soil, wobble it a bit and pull it out. Put a finger into the hole and see if the feel of moisture coincides with the reading on the gauge. I've had one of these things for years and use it regularly to test how far out from the main stem the soil is moist. It's never broken or given a false reading, but I am careful about not bashing it into stones - of which I have many!
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