"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Franz Heymann" wrote
"JennyC" wrote
My local garden centre has closed the garden equipment section
completely
I wanted one of those thingamabobs that show the moisture in the
soil
but
they were out of reach behind the Xmas baubles..........grrrrrrrr

They are about as close to a fraud as it is possible to be without
actually
being one. They effectively measure the electrical conductivity of
the
soil, of which the moisture content is but one contributing cause..
Franz

Possibly true but they do seem to work for me :~)
Do you know of a better / cheaper / more efficient method ?

Small and moderate pots: Feel the weight. One gets used to judging.
Large pots and open soil: Scrabble in it and see if it is moist an inch
or
so beolw the surface.
Franz

I have too many pots in the GH to do that :~)

Well, as long as you regard the moisture meter as just a qualitative
indicator, or an emergency signal, you might as well use it.

Franz