The Plant Whisperer
13.9 years ago electronics, planter, water
The author had a problems keeping his plants alive and provided the plants could not call out for help, he fixed this with a little bit of electronics. It will call out when it is dry and needs watering by saying phrases such as, “I’M THIRSTY! WATER ME!”
It is also detects the ambient light level and makes comments on that as well. This was put together with a little knowhow and about $30 worth of parts.
Soil Logic Moisture X-Tend testing and review
14.4 years ago moisture sensor, product review, Uncategorized, water
I was contacted by SoilLogic and offered a free sample of their product Moisture X-Tend. Though I could attempt to describe their product, I will let them do it in their own words…
Moisture X- Tend helps water penetrate the surface of the potted soil easier and remain within the soil root zone up to 4X’s longer than untreated water.
This innovative soil moisture management product helps prevent water from evaporating too quickly or draining past the roots of the plant. Moisture X-Tend is so easy to use — just add and mix the recommended amount directly to our watering can and water as usual.
The specific claim on the bottle that got my attention was that by using the product you can actually water plants 4 times less often. I must say I was a little skeptical about this claim, though I decided to give it a try.
My first attempt was shortly after I brought out a couple of my pepper plants from my grow box. They both were bearing fruit of similar size and overall plants were of very similar size. I started by watering one plant with water and the second with Moisture X-Tend and I observed their physical appearance over a period of time. There was one problem on day two it rained ruining my results.
Having an empty client controlled grow box in my garage equipped with a moisture Vegetronix sensor, I decided this would be a great place to conduct my testing. I watered two identical pots filled with Miracle Grow Potting Mix (without moisture control) with 250ml of liquid. One being purified water, the second with Moisture X-Tend as described in the directions and monitored the moisture saturation over time.
As you can see the Moisture X-Tend started out with a much greater water saturation immediately after the watering and continued to hold the moisture 1.5 times longer than water alone.
Now this 1.5 times is quite a difference between the 4 times claim on the bottle, though in their defense this was from a single application and the FAQ on their website mentions that watering frequency is reduced after about a month of use. I also was using a 4 inch pot and I would suspect that a larger pot would show better results. If there is interest I am considering extending this experiment over a longer period of time to attempt to prove/disprove the 4 times claim that they mention on the bottle.
Though for me this is not practical to use all summer Moisture X-Tend is a great option when you are going away for a few days on vacation and do not have an automated watering solution or are forgetful like me and just get busy and neglect those poor plants for a day (or two) too long.
Tags: water
