Digital Soil Moisture Meter Experiments

Laboratory

• Experiments on soil moisture in the lab can use a digital meter. The controlled conditions of the laboratory enable precise measurement of soil water to be determined. Using ovens in the lab to compare the weight of wet soil with dry is a good way to prepare samples for a digital soil moisture meter. Laboratory experiments on soil moisture remove the soil from the natural environment and are thus more suited to theoretical work in soil analysis. If laboratory experiments with a digital meter are being used to study a plant environment, it is necessary to supplement such experiments with comparative in situ work.

In Situ

• An experiment to determine water content in the soil using a digital soil moisture meter can be performed at the site of the soil. An in-field experiment will have the advantage of preserving the exact soil conditions to which plants and other organisms are exposed. Experiments of soil moisture taken in the field should be done when it is not raining and there is no strong wind. Both wind and rain can corrupt in-field readings of digital soil moisture meters.

Annual Moisture

• Digital soil moisture meters can be placed semi-permanently in a field or lawn to keep a log of soil water change throughout different time periods. For example, a fixed digital meter can be used to experiment on the fluctuations from day to night, month to month and how much water plants are using. To determine plants' water use, keep track of all soil moisture inputs such as rain, irrigation and snow melt and use a digital meter to experiment on the change is soil water during peak plant growing times.

Depth

• Experimenting on soil moisture at different soil depths can also be done with a digital meter. In order to take digital readings at different depths, it is best to be able to have access to an open pit at the soil site, soil samples from different depths or a meter that is attached to a sensor that can record moisture at different depths. Any of these methods of experimentation can help track water throughout the year as it moves in the soil, as well as helping to maintain sufficient soil water for the plants that are growing in that area. Depth experiments with a digital soil moisture meter are especially helpful when studying different rooting depths of plants and how much water is being used by them.