Different ways to check the soil for moisture

[@cristian-danisacescu7687]

At the beginning I kept asking myself, after seeing videos of 15 -25 minutes: "What could you possibly talk about for so long, it's just plants: water, air, sunlight and sometimes ferts!?!?" Well, in the end I have one thing to say and that is Cheapeu! I actually love your channel and started to love it even more in time, what you are doing and the way you are doing it, your time and dedication! Answering so many whys, explaining the process, covering exceptions, consistency in statements from one video to another, sometimes humor! Great plant technician (I might easily say), great team in structuring the videos! Big thumbs up! Love it, you're the standard.

[@karynmeyer7118]

Merry Christmas and thank you for the video. Do you think you could do a video on “ signs “ your plant is struggling? For example, different types of browning on leaves, build up of salt, copper issues , pests etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again

[@nan0908]

The bamboo skewer suggestion is so helpful! I’ve used it several times lately - my Scindapsus is still not dry enough to water. Even with a couple of yellowing leaves it is hard to resist watering it. But with the bamboo skewer check, I can avoid the temptation with confidence!

[@ashleya6997]

I need to get one of them bc now i want to remove some soil lol. My soil is most but its not quickly drying up

[@norasgrunzeug5387]

Thank you for the tip with the wooden stick. The moment I heard it I thought by myself: So, why didn’t I got this idea between 60 years :D

[@drifamagnusdottir2170]

I learn always something new watching🙌 Thanks from Iceland

[@mntlblok]

5:33 mark. Wonderful. Multiple skewers and a little practice and I may stop drowning my cuttings. Also got a cheap little four-pack of battery operated hygrometers (that also show the temperature related to that heating pad that they're on. Fingers crossed.

[@HinaHeather]

I found also that moisture meter works better in garden soil. Tropical potting mix is too loose to get the right reading.

[@camuchanomellini903]

love all this education about plants THANK YOU.💖

[@spiritualbhakti1189]

Very informational. I love the idea of using wooden stick. You are a genius and a plant saver. Many thanks.

[@cathyspooner7093]

Love your videos you are my favorite you give very good information ty

[@venus2002HW]

Thanks again SPG for another informative video. Merry Xmas to you all and a happy new year. 😊

[@nancya8262]

Great video!! very very helpful. Thank you so much. Your presentation style is great by the way!! I just suscribed

[@karynmeyer7118]

Is watering from the bottom of the pot always better than from the top?

[@rmcgg1510]

Can you please do a video on care for Jade plants and Anthuriums too?

[@sashabyron2654]

Now I know how to properly use a wooden stick to measure moisture. Didn’t know you’re supposed to leave it in the soil for 5-10 minutes.

[@ashleya6997]

I didn't know either

[@SharmaineDORK]

Same! I stuck it in for only 10seconds 😂 now i know

[@barbarawilson834]

I usually lift the plant pot and I can tell when it is light then it’s time to water. I do want to try the stick method with a skewer though. I can compare my method with that of the stick :o). Thank you as always for great tips.

[@rabbitpeng]

Thanks for the knowledge and Merry Christmas to you and your colleagues!

[@writegirl2937]

Great info!

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@SarbariSen]

Fantastic video

[@kwacz]

I almost bought one of those meters, but wondered how accurate they were. Thanks for the information. It seems based on my type of soil and what I am trying to achieve that the moisture meter is not going to be very accurate for my use. I will probably just use my finger or the wooden stick

[@kerryblossfeld4215]

Thank you for your wonderful videos! Would you be able to do one on how to best care for kalenchoes? Thank you!

[@josephdurham4950]

Thx I live in AZ and it's hard since I typically have to water have sun protection a little more than other places and I've been over water some plants. I think the skewers will work well for me.

[@inew3365]

finally found a video on how to know how wet the ground is. have been using a moisture meter for a while but notice that they are not that reliable. thanks!

[@np3004]

Great video! What’s the difference between plant food and fertilizer? Thanks!

[@mjsoskie]

Thank you for the video! I love your channel!

[@tinocattaneo4759]

Grazie per i tuoi consigli molto tecnici

[@pedramghanbarzadegan787]

How does the moisture meter work? Does it have built-in batteries?

[@asianguyinmd]

After I bought the moisture meter and sticked it into different soil, I learned that it won't work with a lot of pumice. I could have saved money if I found this video sooner hahaha. Now getting the bamboo/wooden skewers.

[@jamieanderson5991]

love all your videos, very professional, to the point education for us plant lovers. Thank you!

[@dianeblack8849]

thank you..didn't know I've ruined my water meter..this video is very informative.

[@AB-vb2mm]

Good tip with the sandpapering👍

[@TUMBLZD]

Great methods! especially using stick.

[@andreimandru4800]

Thank you for this review, is very useful. The "finger method" and "look in the pot" are the best, as I think. They permit to seem the plants, understand them better. The good medium soil, I mean the optimal one, is the best way to avoid problems with the roots and to keep plants healthy.

[@scorpnz4433]

Looking under the pot is a good indicator if it needs watering or not, at least for cacti.

[@AzogDefilerFromMordor]

how many punctures done with wooden stick can zamioculcas withstand?

[@podenco2]

I have skewers in mine. Took a while until I found a spot where I could push them down all the way. Carefully trying, without using force. I leave the skewer(s) in all time. When I use themt to gauge how damp the soil is, I stick them back where I removed them. My ZZ is huge, that is why I use several skewers.

[@AzogDefilerFromMordor]

@@podenco2 Thanks

[@mazovifanai2174]

Thumbs up 👍

[@Kohliflie]

So funny.. i weighed my plants last time before and after i watered them, because i pottetd a rooted cutting.. and wanted to make sure, i don't overwater it too soon. Because i plant them in Seramis it is already a different watering then usual. Rooted cuttings can be overwatered quickly, of course, but I thought i must be somehow stupid to start to put my plant babies on scales. Listenting to your tips, makes me feel better and less stupid already :DD

[@larang9318]

super useful. i do use all of the methods you mention but really rely on the meter- bc some plants are too thick to get into. and if you have a lot of plants...using a wooden stick isn’t practical if you need to leave it in for several minutes

[@karynmeyer7118]

Agree with you completely

[@rainbomg]

I actually got a pack of bamboo skewers from ...target? Walmart? One of the those for 1.99, my intention and first attempts were to use them like the toothpick/cake check. It was fine, not super easy to tell tho, I wasn’t confident. I honestly didn’t expect the exact thing I had purchased to come up in his list but, after looking at dowel rods and all over the store the cooking skewers were definitely the cheaper option for an otherwise difficult thing to find. Although I initially balked at the 5-10 minute detail bc I imagined myself standing there and waiting the whole time, I realized that since it was cheaper and easier to get dozens of them at once anyways, plus you don’t want to be moving them from plant to plant and potentially spreading disease, so you’re going to use a new one per plant. I surmise you could just stick one in every plant , and then come back and check at your leisure, and heck, maybe even leave em in there? Idk about that part but- if you put one in every pot first then went and checked em, with a lot of plants I bet that’s 5-10 mins

[@keerthigathangavel3062]

Thanks you for the videos about each individual indoor plants .. I would like you post a video about Ginseng grafted ficus.. I killed a plant 😭 😥 .. I don't want it repeat again ..

[@frency5671]

Thank you!

[@evapektas3832]

I like your videos...

[@elahesh6886]

Thank you for your video. When do you water your plant when using a moisture meter? Do you wait until you read dry? I usually water when I reach moist level but I am afraid about root roth.

[@cincalabcd5776]

Can you please make detail video on wick in pot or self watering concept. People those who travel need that desperately. Thanks.

[@1101naomi]

I have more than 100 plants so the skewer won’t work for me. Using a philodendron as an example, what number on the moisture meter should it be at before watering? Everyone says wait for it to go dry but I’m sure it’s not bone dry right?

[@nelsonfloor7772]

You also have those moister meter with 'paper' inside and a prisma on top that change coller when dry (red), moist (red/blue) or wet (blue). They can stay in de plant for 12-18 months and cost +/- 1-2 euro

[@nikki1442]

Hi, I'm wondering if I should I be worried if I stick a wooden skewer/toothpick into the soil and it will damage the roots of my plants?

[@blessildamaedayo712]

How about if it is in pumice?

[@rehanakidwai]

How about bottom watering .?

[@AB-vb2mm]

I buy normal(expensive) plantsoil and have the feeling the soil changed over the years. I can remember as a teenager my mothers plants soil in the pot showed better when it was drying simply by colour, it got clearly paler and lighter in colour. Today’s earth won’t show it anymore. Maybe years ago it contained more peat moss( is it the right word? German word=Torf)? How about cocos soil? Does it show per colour if it dries?

[@barbhansen5292]

I like the skewer stick and you can get a lot of them for cheap

[@jenniferlee330]

Do you wait for the moisture meter to go dow to 1 on the red before you water or can you water when it’s on red 3 thank you, Jennifer from downunder

[@mikenealon4042]

indoor plant growers in sweden must face difficulties when you need to run the heater, like, four months straight

[@aiartrelaxation]

Love the wooden stick method 😊 I will collect and save my Chinese Chopsticks from now on

[@rmheealegno5673]

When using the moisture meter, how deep you can go?

[@MegaKerija]

I would go 2/3 or where I think the roots are

[@pasiphe]

@@MegaKerija That's how I punctured the tuber of my ZZ. I felt so bad I kept apologising to it.

[@MegaKerija]

@@pasiphe oh dear, Try to push it through the soil gently ,kinda feeling it out

[@SweetQueen77]

Thanks 👏🏾God Jul 🎄

[@tuyenhuynh8034]

Please talk about growing light

[@chris_and_music]

Sometimes o insert my finger 2 inches and it's dry, but when inserting the moisture meter it says moist or wet. I'm so confused 😢

[@dipeshshakya1608]

Please make some videos on peace lily

[@rehanakidwai]

Why my scindapsus leaves curl ?

[@kokilapatel5553]

Merry Christmas🌹from india.

[@lcf4359]

is there any standards to how much moisture does different plants need ... where can I fine those any org. or association

[@chattykathie7129]

I’ve installed a salt based water softener to my whole house, is that bad to water my plants?

[@jakechia2245]

Try putting the moisture meter in pure water. You would be surprise at the reading

[@darkanddandy6898]

I named one of my plants "Plônt" after how you say "plant" even though "plônt" doesn't sound like the way you say "plant" at all.

[@minciNashu]

Sounds French. "Plante"

[@piccadilly171]

I save the wooden stirring sticks that come with cappuccino/coffee. They have a dull, rounded ended that does not damage the roots and they are also a little broader and flat. Damp soil sticks to it and I can also run my fingers along the stick and determine how damp the soil is. They are also great to aerate the soil with (think how the farmer tills the land) and then give the pot a little tap against the surface of table and all the soil resettles neatly in the pot with smaller particles that makes the plant look attractive and neat in its pot.

[@AB-vb2mm]

Is this stick only usable for 1 time? I could imagine it turns dark once sticked in wet soil, so it won’t get pale again for the next time?

[@68sarahL]

It dries. I use the same stick

[@AB-vb2mm]

What’s inch, we’re in Europe!😂

[@richardl772]

25.4mm or 2.54cm.

[@henrycampbell7901]

In Russia you just call everything beer

[@henrycampbell7901]

So its 25.4 beer and 2.54 beer

[@jimp2753]

1 freedom unit

[@dianewest5808]

Try converting it to cm or mm on internet!

[@MrMichaela15]

Bra KZbin sida och bra tips 😇

[@shirara8856]

Forsatt God Jul ! Er det greit at jeg stikke en tre pinne i potten og la den stå der ?

[@chillidog1239]

Ja, det kan du got gøre :)

[@writegirl2937]

I have purchased three moisture meters in 12 months and I have found that they have all stopped working after only one month of usage. 😏

[@maevandorpe6617]

I love my moisture meter

[@zulmabontiffe487]

The water meters are not reliable. Pot heftng and the stick are the very best way. Finger testing doesn't let you know how moist or wet the bottom of the pot is. Bottom watering is what i do and then test with a meter. The roots are at the bottom of the pot or at least below the 2 in. finger method. The stick is the one that works best. I also use leca as it's so easy to grow your plants as well with no problem watering.

[@Lina-hk5gx]

Har du någon kanal på svenska för folket 👋

[@kazuritribe]

I thought number 2 was WAIT... which is what I have to do between watering! Of course WEIGHT is a better number 2!

[@lettyrodrz9940]

But if the planter is too big, my finger is not long enough to go far enough down, I will not be able to check far enough to really know...I guess I will have to use the wooden stick.

[@allonewordcaps]

😊

[@keonryan2470]

So Nice 💘💘💘💘💘💘

[@Austin1990]

I am an engineer with experience in measurement devices. People feel like they are doing science if they see a number. But, such numbers are often garbage. Measuring things is difficult, and companies often exaggerate or even outright lie about how well the numbers on their devices reflect the real world. Moisture meters, fat percentage scales, and such are extremely unreliable due to the underlying physics of how they work.

[@tyronehewitt999]

😉

[@joycelim6942]

👍🙏🇲🇾

[@starabiurwa]

Hey baby, you’re a sweet Swede of course, but we need to see more varied shots of plants in your videos 😘

[@generalawareness101]

Finger method is absolutely no good on large, to very large, or deep, pots.

[@diyhooligan]

Hi Swedish Plantguys, do you have an email address? I’ve been following you for a while now and asked a question but never got a reply =(

[@AB-vb2mm]

Maybe they get 1000 mails per day?

[@khwong4145]

Check their youtube ABOUT tab. They have already mentioned they do not give written answers but do Q&A videos. Your answers may already been answered in those videos else ask again in the comments.

[@henrycampbell7901]

I think u have likebot

[@martimasters7704]

I'm disappointed that you recommend a cheap moisture meter. There's a lot of them for sale on Amazon and other websites. The problem is, most of them are unreliable. If the soil is almost dry, you won't get any reading at all. So, you don't know if the soil is dry or not. Secondly, if the soil is moist, the meter might give you a low reading, and naturally, you think the plant needs water. There's countless reviews of cheap moisture meters where the person has written, "I ended up killing my plant because the meter lied to me and I gave the plant too much water." That said, a moisture meter works by not reading the moisture, but the difference in charge between the meter probe and the soil. In addition to salt in the soil, there's a host of other factors which can screw up a moisture meter. The wooden stick is ingenious and I'm going to use that, in addition to my finger plus lifting the plants which aren't too heavy. My Ostrich fern is in an urn (no lifting that baby) and the Wedding Veil Spirea (my indoor experiment) is also in an urn.