Testing your soil moisture before you water, is right up there with making your own compost + a daily garden walk = one of my top 3 best garden habits.
I cant tell you the number of customers that have come to me downhearted at the state of their gardens and the only thing they needed to sort was how they watered. Get it right and your plants will perform heaps better – less pests, less disease and better crops by far. And it all begins with this simple habit – to test your soil before you water.
For established crops, the tall and the sprawling – test by pushing your finger in. The tip of your finger tells you whether to water or not. Yes, really! All the way down there. I know gardeners who push it out further than this to two fingers deep – go on I dare ya! (I dare myself!) If it’s moist at your fingertip let it be. If it’s dry – water.
For newly sown seed, new transplants, shallow rooters and little guys soils needs to be moist at the topsoil. Test by squeezing a handful of soil together. Open your hand out giving it a small shake as you do. If the soil mostly holds together and a few crumbs fall away then it’s perfectly moist. If it holds its shape and you can infact shape it into something – way too wet. If nothing holds together – way too dry.
How much water do my crops need?
So you’ve done your test and found the soils a little dry – how much water do I need? Enough until your soil is barely moist.
Don’t over think it, ok. Barely moist is a spectrum and you know what dry is and you know what wet is – in between is where you land. Feel the soil when you are confused and huzzah!, all is revealed!
Get into the habit of doing this 2 second test before watering and your gardening life will be transformed – what a difference to the health and vitality of your crops!
Not only will you be watering correctly ergo not over or under watering but maintaining barely moist soil + growing an epic garden, but you’ll be staying in touch with the state of your soil – which is the holy grail of gardening, my friend – mastery awaits!
Test by squeezing a handful of soil together.Open your hand out giving it a small shake as you do.If the soil mostly holds together and a few crumbs fall away then it's perfectly moist. If it holds its shape and you can infact shape it into something – way too wet.
Insert a trowel into the soil, then tilt the trowel to check the moisture of garden plants. You can also insert a wooden dowel into the soil to determine the depth of soil moisture.
The only sure way to tell if soil is contaminated is to sample the soil and have a certified laboratory test it. A certified local soils engineer or professional should be employed to conduct soil sampling.
It is important to note that the majority of flowers, trees, and shrubs require moisture levels between 21% - 40%, while all vegetables require soil moisture between 41% and 80%. NOTE: All vegetables require soil moisture between 41% - 80%.
One of the easiest ways to check if your plant needs watering is to stick your finger into the soil. This gives you a clearer indication of the soil moisture content than simply looking at the surface. You can reach 2-3in into the soil and feel how moist or dry the soil is.
Tensiometers are devices that measure soil moisture tension. They are sealed, water-filled tubes with a porous ceramic tip at the bottom and a vacuum gauge at the top.
Add 1/2 cup of distilled water to one soil sample container, and mix it up with a spoon. Then, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar. If the soil shows a visible bubbling or fizzing action, then it has an alkaline pH.
You can test your own soil using a basic soil test kit from The Home Depot. Inexpensive, easy and accurate, soil tests provide a wealth of knowledge about what's going on under your feet, including the levels of pH, calcium, lime, gypsum and potassium.
Place approximately one tablespoon of soil in palm.Add water a drop at a time and knead the soil to break down all aggregates. Soil is at the proper consistency when plastic and mobile, like moist putty. Sand particle size should be estimated (very fine, fine, medium, coarse) for these textures.
Vinegar is acidic, and mixing it with a base causes a fizzing reaction. Take two tablespoons full of soil from your sample and drop them into a jar of vinegar.If the mix fizzes slightly, then your soil pH is a little on the alkaline side. The more it fizzes, the higher the alkalinity.
Signs of healthy soil include plenty of underground animal and plant activity, such as earthworms and fungi. Soil that is rich in organic matter tends to be darker and crumbles off of the roots of plants you pull up. A healthy, spread-out root system is also a sign of good soil.
Heavily compacted soil is difficult to dig into and can be a sign of unhealthy soil. If you struggle to get a shovel through the dirt, the roots you put in will also struggle to find the air and water they need. In these cases, soil aeration can lead to more effective growth.
You could use a ruler to measure just how far down the moist layer reaches. Another way to check the soil by feel is to get a handful of soil. Give the soil a squeeze to check for moistness. If you squeeze and the soil sticks together then it is moist.
The method is based on removing soil moisture by oven-drying a soil sample until the weight remains constant. The moisture content (%) is calculated from the sample weight before and after drying.
Organic material, such as coconut coir, peat moss, or even compost, will absorb water, retaining moisture that plants can use during dry spells. Organic material also improves the structure, aeration and overall health of the soil, resulting in better long-term success for your garden.
Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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