Every winter I play the guessing game of when to water my houseplants. It's a common problem among many houseplant collectors, as plants need sufficiently less water in the coldest months and it can be hard to judge exactly how often to water them. It makes houseplants prone to overwatering and rotting roots at this time of year, resulting in many that don't make it to spring.
But, there's a fool-proof method I'm using this winter to ensure my indoor plants don't have a watering issue ever again: a smart houseplant moisture meter. These little devices take the guesswork out by notifying you it's time to water your houseplants.
Why use a smart houseplant moisture meter?
One of the most common winter houseplant care mistakes is not getting watering right.
It's an easy error to make as houseplants slow down growth in the colder months, not needing so much water. If you don't adjust your watering schedule accordingly, it can result in soggy soil, causing houseplant root rot, mold on soil, and even attracting common houseplant pests.
At the same time, being too careful and watering sparingly can leave your houseplants dehydrated. Combined with the colder room temperatures of winter, I've watched this cause my houseplants to droop and drop leaves.
That's why I now always check my houseplant soil before watering, using a soil moisture meter (like this one from Amazon).
While reliable, this does require me to manually check the soil and know exactly how much water that specific type of plant needs – when you have over 20 different types of houseplants like me, this can be tricky to manage.
That's exactly why I'm upgrading to a smart houseplant moisture meter (like this one from Amazon).
Not only will it detect the moisture level of my houseplant's soil, it will alert me via an app so I don't have to worry about checking the soil myself.
How does it work?
On a basic level, a smart houseplant moisture meter works just the same as a regular soil moisture meter. It has a moisture probe that sits in the soil and detects when it has dried out.
But, rather than having to check the reading yourself, many smart houseplant moisture meters alert you via an app on your phone, giving you a real-time notification that your houseplant's moisture level has dropped.
On top of this, the readings are much more precise than regular moisture meters which use a scale of 1-10 to determine how wet soil is. A smart houseplant moisture meter rather tells you the percentage of moisture in the soil, a much more accurate way to judge whether it's time to water your plants.
It doesn't end there though, as many smart houseplant moisture meters also have the function to customize moisture levels.
This is a huge perk because using a regular soil moisture meter requires you to still have knowledge of how much water a plant needs, e.g. succulents prefer longer periods of drought than calatheas.
With a smart houseplant moisture meter, you can simply set the moisture threshold for your specific plant so that you are only alerted when moisture has dropped to that level.
And, just as you get soil moisture meters that also tell you about soil pH (like this one from Amazon), there are even some smart houseplant moisture meters that alert you about humidity and temperature.
This is a bonus for the coldest months especially, when it's important to keep houseplants warm in winter to prevent issues like leaf drop and discoloration.
Here are my top picks of the smart houseplant moisture meters on the market:
This smart moisture meter and hub duo allow for instant moisture readings and real-time alerts to an app on your phone. You can also set a soil type and moisture threshold for the specific plants you have.
Not only does this smart moisture meter monitor water levels in soil, it also detects air temperature to ensure your plants are growing in their specific optimal conditions. Connected to an app via Bluetooth, you can check real-time moisture and temperature levels.
This smart moisture meter is 4-in-1, measuring moisture, temperature, humidity, and nutrients in the soil. It connects to a mobile phone app via Bluetooth for instant readings of all of these levels.
FAQs
Can you use a smart houseplant moisture meter outdoors?
Yes, generally speaking, you can often use a smart houseplant moisture meter outdoors. These gadgets are designed to alert you of when your plants need watering, so they can be used outdoors in container gardens and even in the ground. Just make sure to check the manufacturer information for the specific product you have to ensure it can be used outdoors and won't become damaged by adverse weather.
Take a look at our feature on how to care for houseplants in winter for more tips. Other things to bear in mind during the winter months include limited daylight and colder room temperatures, which can both have an impact on houseplant health.
Shop winter houseplant care kit
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