Saood, I'm new here and not expert on this but one post I read said to use thin wood skewers, the kind used for cooking, to test for soil moisture deep down in the container.

Hope that helps.

TYG

Thanks TYG

Yes, I have used the wood skewers. My real question is how deep? What if the first 2-3 inch is dry but below is still moist?

The general recommendation seems to err on the dry side but at times generalization can be dangerous :) and that is why I put up this post.

Good question. I think its Ok if the top couple of inches of soil are dry to touch but my understanding is that soil should be damp down in root zone, not soaking wet. I have not tried the skewer method but it makes sense to try and detect soil moisture in this way. I plan to try this next year.

Moisture meters aren't very reliable with porous, fast-draining container soils. They work better with peaty, dense soils (which of course, we are trying to avoid) or in-ground plantings.

If you are worried about shallow roots drying out, you can give your plants a little sip with distilled water (which won't add to the salt content accumulation). Personally, i would wait until it dries out a little more farther into the pot.

Good question. I think its Ok if the top couple of inches of soil are dry to touch but my understanding is that soil should be damp down in root zone, not soaking wet. I have not tried the skewer method but it makes sense to try and detect soil moisture in this way. I plan to try this next year.

Ox, I too had the feeling that the more porous mix that I now have with 1:1 perlite:ready potting soil, is giving a lower moisture reading than it actually is since the mix now is not so compact to catch hold of the meter probe.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Poke your wooden skewers all the way to the bottom of the container.

Josh