how to properly use a wooden dowel? please help me out! :)

msugrl2010

10 years ago

hey guys!

well my trees have been doing really well all summer, and I've officially brought them inside for the winter, and I can already see that I'm going to have to water them a lot less. This may be a dumb question, but how exactly do you guys use a wooden dowel when trying to figure out the moisture level? I've tried before, but it's really hard to push it into the gritty mix, so I can only get it about 2 inches in, and I've read to do it where the roots are, but I feel like I might damage the roots if I do it like that because it's hard to push it into the mix in the first place and I'd have to use some force to really get it in there.

Any advice on how the rest of you do it with gritty mix would be much appreciated, and pictures would be great too :D

MSUgrl2010

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Comments (2)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years ago
The dowel needs to be of a very small diameter....somewhere between a pencil and a wooden skewer... and then sharpen the tip into a point with a knife. The point will greatly reduce the resistance.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 13:57
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years ago
Yes, I like to use those slim kabob skewers with a point.
As you press the skewer into the mix, turn it back and forth so that it wiggles its way down. Don't worry about damaging a few roots :-)

When you draw the skewer from the mix, place your fingers on the mix and pull the skewer up between your fingers to keep the mix in place.

Josh