There are some questionable gadgets on the market but this one appears to have the potential to be useful. This 4.5" long piece of terracotta is inserted into the soil and its color is an indicator of soil moisture. Ignoring the price of the product and how much it would cost to have one in each container in your plant collection, how well does it work for the purpose stated?
I guess it might work, but terracotta needs to be really wet to turn dark. If you keep the soil that wet then you’re bound to get root rot. Besides, could it really work as well as your finger? ;) M.
I have doubts about its effectiveness too but since these things have been around for awhile they must be selling. Maybe people buy them as pot ornaments.
they work on the same principle as the moisture meters that you carry around and jab in to the soil, electrical conductivity between to points on the probe (at the tip). they area gadget for fun and entertainment, I cant see a commercial greenhouse using them any time soon.
I have Wormie (got it at Canadian Tire... $1.99 I think) and he works pretty well. He's the same as if the plant were in a terracaotta pot. You know how you can see if the pot is moist just by looking at the outside of the clay pot? Same thing. When Wormie is moist he is darker in spots. However, that being said, you could also poke your finger in your plant soil to get the same info.
