Description
A battery powered connected sensing probe which measures ‘soil moisture’ and electrical conductivity (EC) of your soils nutrients.
SoilQuality is compatible with iOS and Android handsets.
Dimensions: 22cm x 2cm x 2cm
How is soil moisture measured by SoilQuality?
SoilQuality moisture measurement is given inAbsolute Volume Ratio(AVR), which is the ratio between the volume of water divided by total volume of Soil + Water after mixing both.
At 70% AVR moisture the soil becomes extremely close to a liquid and not adequate for plants growing in soil. Therefore, SoilQuality has been designed with full scale at 70% and provides AVR Soil Moisture measurement between 0 to 70%; above 70%, the reading will remain at 70%.
‘Soil Sensing Probe’ should be gently cleaned with disinfectant alcohol if moisture reading doesn’t reach 70% in water.
EC Measurement and Soil Nutrients
SoilQuality measures the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of soil.
On moist soil, at a given temperature, the EC of soil is relative to the amount of nutrients in the soil: an increase of the nutrient produces an increase in Soil Electrical Conductivity.
To capture nutrients in the soil, a plant needs water so minerals can be dissolved in water and be available as nutrients to the plant. In dry soil a plant will not be able to grow and capture any nutrients. Soil EC is also affected by the soil moisture: when the soil is dry, the EC greatly drops even if there’s minerals in the soil. Therefore, theSoil EC gives a good relative indication of the available nutrients to the plant.
Temperature is also a factor that will affect the soil’s EC level. Most EC agricultural standards are given at 25°C. The higher the temperature the higher the EC. As a rule of thumb, the EC of water increases by 2 to 3% for each increase of 1°C.
Comparison of Nutrient level in time or between different soil samples should be done based on the same moisture level and temperature.
When mixing a soil with a water solution, it is important to note that the resulting EC of the soil will be according to the EC level of the water solution combined with the mineral level of the soil and the moisture level of the mix of both.
EC Measurement in water or buffer solution
Although SoilQuality has been designed to measure EC of moist soil, it can also measure EC of water, buffer solutions and other liquid solutions, however the following precautions should be followed:
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Protective cap should be removed.
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During measurement, the moisture level will be saturated at 70%, this is normal
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The ‘Soil Sensing Probe’ should be fully immersed; half immersed ‘Soil Sensing Probe’ will result in a half reading
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Measured EC value should be compared with reference EC value of the water solution or buffer solution given as the current temperature of the liquid measured
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The ‘Soil Sensing Probe’ should be gently cleaned with disinfectant alcohol if EC reading doesn’t match with expected value