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.

I see it different, slow speed isn't always the fix if the probe tip tension or workholding is the real issue causing those false triggers.

Same thing happened to me with Money Heist. I watched the first episode dubbed and it felt like a cheesy soap opera, switched to Spanish audio and suddenly the show had actual tension.

Yeah, those drying times are written by optimists in a desert.

Yeah Dave really set you up for a hard lesson there.