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Cacti & Succulents

testing soil with skewer

9 years ago

I have been using a wooden skewer for testing moisture in my potted plants. It seems to be working better for me than the moisture meter. I know if there is a few inches of damp dirt on the skewer that the plant doesn't need water.

If only the tip of the skewer is damp & has dirt on it, does that mean I need to water? That tells me that there is still some moisture in the very bottom of the pot. I know that is probably a stupid question but I've lost so many succulents from over watering I'm getting paranoid. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

LilBit7765
9 years ago
How deep are the roots? That matters too. Weren't you going to switch to gritty mix or am I thinking of someone else? Sorry in advance if I'm wrong.
emee
Original Author
9 years ago
I've been using one version of gritty mix or another all the time. Most of my plants don't seem to need water every week except the cactus that are in small stone pots. All my plants are young so roots are not very deep. thanks.
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LilBit7765
9 years ago
Well if the moisture is BELOW where the roots are I would water
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
9 years ago
Yes, I agree, water when the root-zone has dried down sufficiently.

Josh
emee
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks

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