The $40 soil tester I swore was a gimmick actually saved my fiddle leaf fig

My fiancée bought one of those moisture/light/pH combo meters from Amazon a few months back and I laughed at her for wasting money. I've been keeping houseplants alive for 6 years just by feel and a watering schedule. But after I killed my third succulent this winter, I finally tested my potting mix and it was sitting at a 7.5 pH when everything I was growing needed 5.5-6.5. Now I'm checking spots around my apartment and finding dry pockets I never noticed before. Has anyone else had a cheap tool flip their whole plant care routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantp2825d ago

Did your fiancée catch you eating crow on that yet? My buddy Mike spent two years blaming his cat for knocking over his peace lily before a $15 moisture meter revealed the pot was basically a swamp. Now he tests every single plant before watering and calls it his "humble pie meter.

benclark25d ago

The moisture meter is the real MVP honestly. I switched to a bamboo skewer trick after drowning a snake plant for six months. Just poke it down to the bottom of the pot, pull it out, and if it comes up dark and damp you wait. If it's dry you water. Saved me from killing my zz plant which everyone says is impossible to kill. Your buddy Mike is a genius for calling it a humble pie meter, I might have to steal that one.

brian32825d ago

@grantp28 moisture meters are cheap plant saviors honestly.