Green Soil Moisture Meters

[Breaktheory]

Hello…

Are these green meters reliable? The soil deep under the tree is still reading an 8 for 3 days after a watering. Should I water a newly planted tree even if soil is reading an 8 - I’ve been advised to just water the heck out of royals.

Thanks!

[Bill H2DB]

   Royals grow in quite wet conditions , in seasonal wetlands , so too much water is not an issue .

Does the soil at the depth that you are measuring feel moist to your fingers ?    Probably ok if it does feel moist .

You can test the actual moisture content , if you have , say , a kitchen gram scale .

Take a sample ( about 200g ) , record the weight , then gently dry it at about 120 deg  , until it  reaches a constant weight .  (Higher temps. may burn off some organics which you don't want to do )

  The loss in weight  , divided by the original weight will give the % of moisture directly .

[Breaktheory]

Thanks I thought it odd to just read constant water - I think my soil is reasonably well draining unless it sits and collects deep under