Warning: Bought a $40 moisture meter for my lawn and it was completely useless

I picked up a moisture meter off Amazon last month to try and dial in my watering schedule. The thing kept reading dry no matter how much I watered a patch near the back fence. Turns out the soil there is so compacted the probe couldn't push through more than an inch. I did a simple test where I soaked a potted plant and stuck the meter in and it still showed low. So I grabbed a shovel and dug down 6 inches and the soil was damp as could be. The meter only works for loose dirt not the hard ground most of us have in our yards. Has anyone else found a better way to check soil moisture without wasting money on those things?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenhenderson19d ago

Has anyone else tried the finger test and just accepted that you'll end up with dirt under your nails? I stuck my hand in the ground like I was digging for buried treasure and honestly that gave me a better answer than any gadget I've bought. At this point I'm starting to think my moisture meter is just a fancy paperweight with a screen.

the_spencer19d ago

Fancy paperweight with a screen" that's a good one. But honestly you're probably overwatering if the finger test says dry and the meter says wet, meters tend to read low when soil is compacted.