Accurate pH 8, Soil pH and Moisture Meter

This water sensor works fine if all you plan to use it for is potted plants or in-ground plants, trees, etc. where your soil is not the least bit compact. This device worked perfectly for me for about a month. Then I used it to measure the moisture around a newly planted tree. Apparently the soil was not moist enough, or perhaps just compacted too much. When I withdrew the sensor, the entire bottom tip which is where the sensor wires connect, had pulled completely off of the sensor. A very poor design for a sensor in this price range. Had the bottom sensor tip simply been designed to screw into the wand, instead of just been glued, I'm sure I could have used this device for years. I would not recommend this sensor for anything but the lightest and gentlest use. Definitely not for use in outdoor compact soils.

I am using this on my hobby farm for vegetables, fruit and landscape plants both in-ground and in containers. I took readings over much of the 2.5 acres both for moisture and ph. My objective was to see how the meter responded to different soil conditions and irrigation vs. dry areas. In soil amended for blueberries the ph registered 5.8 while in unamended Florida soil it registered 7.0. In containers for tomatoes it registered 8 on moisture even though they looked dry. The plants themselves showed no stress from moisture. In-ground readings in non-irrigated areas with no rain in 5 weeks registered 1 at the 1 inch depth and 2 at 12 inches.I have no other measures of moisture or ph from other sources. So, at best I can conclude is he device showed reasonable differences in moisture and ph levels that matched my anticipated results. It has allowed me to not over water containers which is good. On an absolute scale I do not know if the ph reading are correct. But in soils amended for the acid loving blueberries and azalea it did correctly register my efforts to modify the ph.I get fairly high moisture readings across all irrigation areas which if true will help reduce h2o usage and lower issues with potential fungus diseases.As a relative measure it appears to be a useful device.

1) I would be surprised if there are more than $5 worth of materials. The meter is a completely worthless piece of junk and the needle never moves from the highest reading.2) There is absolutely no communication whatsoever from the seller. They do not respond to inquiries submitted directly or as claims through Amazon.Buyer beware.

This meter is prone to the metal probe breaking off of the cheap plastic meter housing, even in relatively loose soils. I would definitely stay away from this.