Knowing the wet content of your soil is crucial to be after a watering schedule that benefits your works and does n’t waste weewee . For most plants and lawns , the idealistic wet content is around 25 percentage . Soils productive in constituent material take water longer than sandy soils , while other divisor like heat can cause grease to dry out faster . Testing filth wet can be done by look and feel , or you could use dirt - examination cock for more truth .

How to Test

Whatever soil wet exam you use , the salutary metre to do it is a day after you ’ve water . This makes the grease voiced enough to dig into , and you will get a better idea of how the soil have moisture . If the soil is too wet or too dry , you wo n’t be capable to get a utilitarian reading . apply an auger or shovel to test soil moisture below the surface where plants ' roots are .

Testing by Hand and Eye

A common way to test moisture content is to squeeze some soil in your hand and see what happens . Take some ground from at least 4 inches deep and seek to squish it into a ball . If water comes out of it or it leaves a soaked Gospel According to Mark on your hand a day after you ’ve watered , the moisture is too high-pitched and there is not enough drain . If the grime just collapse into little small-arm , it ’s too juiceless . If the wet is around 25 percent , the soil will work a nut that breaks up well into large pieces . you’re able to also look at the color of a ground sample in an augur to get an idea of moisture penetration . If the top inch or so is light than the low region , this means that the surface has dry but there is still moisture at the roots where it ’s require .

Testing with Heat

Drying out wet dirt in an oven is an excellent fashion to gauge the moisture content . position 1 lb . of soil into a covered , ovenproof container and matter it , then broil it in the oven at about 225 degree F for 24 hours . count the soil again when it ’s ironic and use the difference in weight to calculate the percent of wet that was in it before drying .

Moisture Sensors

wet sensing element are tools that apply electricity to determine moisture content . Most of these devices use probes that are placed into the land . Since water conducts electrical energy , the devices measure the amount of electric resistance to estimate the wet content in the stain . Some moisture sensors are designed for one - clip examination while others can be placed at different profoundness in the soil to take readings over a period of time and give you an idea of how apace the wet substance in your soil alteration .

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