The Blumat Digital is an accurate soil-moisture sensor, providing valuable information to help you dial in your watering practices. Perfect Control Over Watering It is not always easy to estimate the moisture content of large pots simply by looking at the soil or sticking your finger in. This Blumat Digital sensor takes the guesswork out of watering and setting up irrigation systems. You'll know if your plants need water and how much to water them. Once you start using the Blumat Digital, you'll wonder how you managed without it. Accurately dial in your irrigation system or hand watering regime. Using tensiometer technology, this dramatically out-performs cheap moisture meters. Stop guessing if plants need water, and consistently deliver the perfect amount! Never have an under or over-watered plant again. Keeping your soil at the ideal moisture level provides the plants with a constant supply of water and keeps soil microorganisms functioning to the best of their ability. Allowing potting soil to go from wet to dry interrupts the water supply to the plant, causing stress and can reduce growth. Dry soil will also cause soil microbes to go dormant, which is particularly damaging to organic gardening where we rely on soil microbes to cycle nutrients by breaking down organic matter to provide nutrition to the plant. Keeping the soil in the optimum moisture range provides rapid growth, healthy soil and therefore healthy plants! How it works The Blumat Digital uses tensiometer technology to show when your soil needs watering, all at the touch of a button. A tensiometer measures the ‘suction power’ of your soil, providing you with readings to determine how easy it is for the plants' roots to access water. The Blumat Digital tensiometer works best when left in one place. You will have a stable reading 12 hours after inserting into the soil. They are not designed to be moved around regularly. How to use Blumat Digital Soak the grey tube with ceramic cone in water for at least 15 minutes. Use water that has been boiled and left to cool to minimise the oxygen content. Fill the tube with water but do not reattach to the digital display head yet. Press and hold the "On" button for several seconds until "000" or "---" is displayed whilst not attached to the cone. reattach the head to the tube, Insert the Blumat Digital into the soil and wait at least 30 minutes. Press the "On" button, digital reading will be displayed. Note: You may find the Blumat Digital for a more accurate reading, wait 12 hours after inserting into the soil. For light-loving, fast-growing, fruits flowers and vegetables in organic living soil, the following readings are ideal: 50-80 mbar for establishing young plants. 40-70 mbar for early vegetative growth. 50-80 mbar for late veg and flowering/fruiting. 60-90 bar for late flowering/fruiting. These numbers are a guide and can vary dependent on the plant species and environmental growing conditions. Fully saturated soil also known as field capacity, will register around 26 millibar on the Tensiometer. Maintaining a consistent optimum moisture will help keep the biology and plants happy. (High value = Dry; Low value = Wet. A reading of 0 millibars is equivalent to a fully saturated sensor, achieved when the ceramic cone of the meter is in a cup of water. A reading of 750 millibars is equivalent to dry soil with little to no moisture content.) It is important to avoid getting the Digital top part wet. If using outdoors, or in hand watering situations where the Blumat Digital may get watered over, use with the Blumat Digital Protection Cap. Specifications Measurements in mbarMeasurement range: 10-750 mbarLow battery indicatorBattery included (3V CR2302)Measurement depth: 19cm
