Reotemp 15 Inch Garden and Compost Moisture Meter, Garden Tool Ideal for Soil, Plant, Farm and Lawn Moisture Testing

MM17 Moisture Meter I use this meter primarily to keep tabs on my lawn irrigation system performance. This evaluation is based on 3 weeks of use. Durable construction: The meter/electronics/battery box is made from 0.1” (10 gauge) thick aluminum - very substantial construction. It has a stainless steel probe, 5/16” diameter x 17” long making it useful for lawn, plant or compost use. I expect little problem with rust or corrosion. And I don’t have to bend over too far to make lawn soil readings. Sensible design: The meter indicator is a dial and pointer style which means it can be read in bright sunlight, unlike the digital LCD indicator types that either wash out in sunlight or cannot be read at an angle other than head-on. The meter face is visible from above the instrument which means you don’t have to lie with your face on the ground to make lawn soil readings. Special feature: User calibration - Ideal moisture content will vary among soil types and the kinds of plant life growing there. So no one moisture meter can tell you what is too “dry” or “wet” for your conditions. The calibration feature lets you determine what the meter should read for conditions you deem to be “good”. To calibrate, I dig a test hole to the depth I want to test and see how well soil sticks to my skin. When I find a spot that looks about right, I probe close to the spot and calibrate the meter to mid scale, leaving enough dial space to indicate plus or minus deviation on future readings. The 1 Yr warranty is better than some cheaper meters. Negative: Made in China. No problems yet, but, just sayin . . . things I can’t see may limit durability. From here, it is my hope that the sensitivity of the MM17 will remain consistent.

I bought seven several year old cherry trees in 5 gal containers and immediately transplanted them into 35 gal containers. With summer coming on I was concerned I might not water them enough and that in reaction I might overwater them. I set up an automatic watering system where the main variables were when, for how long and how many times per day to water them. The moisture meter worked right out of the box and I quickly discovered the soil was extremely saturated near the container sides and bottom, (9 on the scale) but much drier near the root ball (2 - 3 on the scale). I changed the flow pattern to correct this, getting a uniform 4 to 5 reading every where. It didn't take long with the moisture meter to determine the trees liked a reading of 4 on the scale and I set the watering to start their day between 4 and 5, with two early morning waterings, going down to around 3 late in the afternoon before a single watering in the evening to bring it back up to 4 for overnight to keep them comfortable even though not growing then. When I found the surface area was much dryer (2 to 3) than halfway down, (the potting soil in the containers is nearly 14 inches deep) I obtained some large chip size cedar shaving mulch, and the surface moisture came up to the 4 moisture value they really seem to thrive on. The trees have added 14 inches of new growth, nearly tripling in leaf abundance in the five weeks since I got them and I am certain that this is in no small measure due to using this Moisture Meter with its 15 inch probe to find the moisture level the trees like, and be able to easily monitor and maintain it. Kudos ReoTemp! My cherry trees are sailing towards Cherry Blossom Time big-time thanks in large part to your really excellent Moisture Meter that has worked perfectly in my deep potted soils application!! In rating features, absolute Accuracy is not something I could measure, but repeatability of measurement reading, relative Accuracy, for given soil moisture levels is excellent in my uniform soil type application for sure. I am thankful I got it, and most importantly, my cherry trees are thankful too!

I got tired of the always break Home Depot/Lowes models made in China. This is made by Reotemp a high end industrial supplier based out of California. They sell more robust version of this product which I think are made in the USA. This one was made in communist china. I took it apart and while the quality of the components was pretty good, the mfg was not and the calibration screw was not mounted properly but I could still access it and use it. These device use galvanic current action which trips a electromagnet and requires a coarse calibration to use. The Calibration directions are not correct. You should use a two point calibration. First stick the device in water and make sure it reads above full scale and the meter is pegged. Next take a known soil source that you have water thoroughly, such as a pot you have dripped through thoroughly and is truly wet. Then stick the probe in and make sure it reads full scale by adjusting the calibration screw if required. Then take some dry potting soil or other very dry soil and make sure it reads near zero. The mfg sells direct to the public and has wireless versions. These are primarily used, I think for testing commercial compost piles although those use a longer probe. You cant keep this out 24/7 but you can check your compost soil and most soil. The case and probe are pretty rugged but your not going to be able to use it to check hard clay soil due to the fragile electromagnetic. I use it for checking my compost pile but mainly for checking the 200 or so potted plants and numerous garden beds that use compost based soil. You should be aware if you have salty soil this probe will read a higher water content than you have. Real moisture sensors are called tensiometers and cost hundreds of dollars. This is a deal for 35 dollars and the quality should give you a decade or more of use if you don't pound it into the soil. Infinitely better than the made in china garbage you can get at Home Depot or most gardening stores which simply does not work well and dies in short order.

NO SIRVE !!!!! En primer lugar las instrucciones dicen: remover cinta roja Y NIO HABÍA TAL CINTA. Después dicen calibrar usando la muestra de suelo húmedo. Lo hice y NO RESPONDE, intenté varías veces a diferentes humedades y la aguja en el indicador siempre está entre 2y4, NI SE MUEVE, ni se puede calibrar. ME LI DEBEN CAMBIAR!!!!

Works ok. Not as accurate in reading soil moisture as I had hoped. Nice long stem to reach the roots of plants.

Out of the box the meter is already usable (about right for my indoor plants) without calibration. Compare to other cheap soil meters that I've used before, this one is definitely well/over built. The only thing that I don't like it is the battery compartment, after removing the 4 screws, you'll find the battery holder at the back, not easily accessible. It should be rearranged and place in the front.

Despite other reviews saying that they're a waste of time. I found it Very useful in recording my lawn moisture content over a wide area. The instructions say calibration is required when first using (using The screw), but experimenting I found that it was fine straight from the box.

Love this moisture meter. Accurate and easy to use. Worth every penny and gives a nice piece of mind. No more wondering if the soul is wet or not and way above the cheapo ones at home depot. Look forward to buying 3 more and recommending this to every grower and gardener i know. Love it and thank you Reotemp.