The leading cause of plant deaths in the house (or anyplace, really) is overwatering, which stems directly from guessing when to water, not checking. “Oh, I think it’s dry… I don’t know if I should go look…but I think…” Wrong answer. The plant will kill itself either way, as much from being overwatered as underwatered.
A moisture meter eliminate all the guessing. Just poke the little stick into ground, and there you go! Numbers you can count on. That’s far better than sticking your finger in there and using your eyes/brain to try to judge. Your senses is not always right.
How to Use a Moisture Meter
The key is: The exact number doesn’t matter as much as what it means in context. Too-high for a succulent? Perfect for a fern. The chart captures the spectrum: Some plants wants very little (succulents and snake plants), while others are thirstier (like peace lilies and ferns).
Thirsty plant will go limp fast if soil dries out; succulents want the opposite and need dry soil, which they get only when the meter show the lowest zones on the chart. They hold water in their foliage and can wait out long spells between showers and raindrops.
Match the watering regimen with what each plant wants… Not what the calendar dictates. That’s how you avoid dehydrating moisture-lovers…and roasting those that like it dry.
To read your meter accuratley, you have to know how to use it. The mistake most people make is sticking the probe on side of the pot (the part that has dried out first). That falsely indicate the soil is dry when the middle of the rootball might be soaked with moisture. Aim for the middle third of the root ball, halfway down into the soil. This will give you a true average.
Between readings, be sure to wipe off metal probe. Fertilizer salt stick to it, making the conductivity reading inaccurate. Keep the probe clean so you’ll always have honest and reliable data.
After you get your reading, then what? Compare it with plant’s requirements. Do nothing if it’s in the happy middle (like with that pothos). Oddly enough, sometimes doing nothing is the kindest thing you can do for the plant. Continue checking periodically, every few days, and follow its progress. That way you know when it’s thirsty because of changing seasons or light conditions.
The soil will dry out more quicky in summer heat then during winter cold; so you’ll need to adjust watering accordingly. You should of checked earlier if the soil was too bone-dry.
Think about watering as a response to information… Not an unchangeable schedule. Water when the meter tells you it’s time. It becomes like having a translator between you and the plant: no more “do I need to water or not?” questions, just take action based off what the meter says. This is better for plants because we are making fewer guesses and more observations, which improves their health. It transforms watering into a clean, organized process where you know exactly what plant wants.