EasyBloom Forum

My wife and I have finally started to spruce up the house with some gardens, and being a "techie" when I saw the EasyBloom I had to get one. My very first reading was for a Fuchsia in a hanging basket... We were thumbs up on everything but water, it's reported as "Too Wet!" I'm in St. Louis Mo (Zone 5b) and we purchased the plant this year for outside while it's nice and then inside for the winter. Since it's a store bought plant, I'm guessing re-potting is in order. I have several books on Gardening, but all have differing opinions on soil. Is there a "one size fits all" soil for most decorative plants (commercial potting mix, vs. "do it yourself", etc.)?? In case you need this info: Plant view page: Moisture Data = Solid blue for 24 hours Sunlight, temp, and humidity all "good"

Hey Scott...Plants have different needs when it comes to what is going on in the soil. Having said that I would also like to point out that for your average/everyday plant, chances are the plant will thrive in a soil that drains well while holding some moisture. I know that may sound like a bit of a paradox (well-draining and moisture retaining), but I can explain what that means. Water will not pool on top of a well-draining soil or growing medium. If a soil does not hold onto moisture well (think a very sandy soil), the soil will be dry very quickly. So a well-draining soil that retains some moisture won't let water pool, but will remain moist for a long period of time. Many potting mixes offer this, plus they will be infused with some nutrients from the start so you won't have to fertilize. Scotts Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix is a very good potting mix. It is infused with some fertilizer that will help promote healthy growth for your plant. If you would like to increase the rate of drainage with your potting mix, you can also purchase some horticultural sand, pumice pebbles or perlite. Mix any of those products with your potting soil before you repot your plant.

I would also like to point out a little something about taking measurements of soil moisture. I came across this very issue in my graduate work as well...there's no real way to get around it. Measuring soil moisture works on a different timescale from the other environmental factors. For sunlight, temperature and humidity a 24-hour period will give a good indication of the average environmental snapshot for those readings. For soil moisture, it takes a bit longer. I would also recommend allowing EasyBloom to take readings for a full irrigation cycle (fully saturate the soil and then let it dry out before watering again). This will give a better depiction of what's going on in the soil. I hope this was helpful and I wish the best of luck with sprucing up the ol' garden! Cheers. --Robby

Thank you for your reply's! I will experiment a bit with the soil moisture sensor. One thing I've noticed that is that the soil in my yard is very nearly all clays, you could very easily make mud bricks just by forming and drying, hence the soil retains a moist "nastyness" about it while sometimes the plants wilt and "beg" for water because the soil is holding onto it and won't let go. Thanks again!