Okay, so the other day I decided to get a bit more serious about my indoor plants. I’ve got this fiddle leaf fig that’s been looking a little sad, and I suspected I might be over or under-watering it. I’d heard about these three-way soil meters, so I figured I’d give one a shot.
Getting Started
First things first, I grabbed one of these meters. It’s a simple little gadget, nothing fancy, with a couple of probes and a dial on top. I’d check the instructions if necessary. The dial has three scales: one for moisture, one for pH, and one for light.
Testing the Soil
I started with the moisture test. I gently pushed the probes into the soil around my fig, about halfway down the pot. You don’t want to jam it in there and damage the roots. I made sure the probes were clean first – just wiped them down with a cloth.
After a few seconds, the needle on the dial moved. It landed right in the middle of the “moist” range. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t overwatering after all. Good to know!
Checking the pH
Next, I switched the little toggle on the meter to the pH setting. I left the probes in the same spot. The needle swung over to around 6.5. From what I’ve read, fiddle leaf figs like slightly acidic soil, so that seemed about right.
Measuring the Light
Finally, I flipped the switch to the light setting. Now, this one’s a bit trickier. The meter measures light intensity, not necessarily the right kind of light for plants, but it gives you a general idea. I held the meter up near the leaves, facing the window. The reading was pretty low, which surprised me. I thought that spot got decent light.
Putting It All Together
So, here’s what I learned:
- My fig’s soil moisture was okay.
- The pH was in the right ballpark.
- The light was probably too low.
Based on that, I decided to move my fig to a brighter spot, a little closer to the window. I’m also going to keep an eye on the moisture levels with the meter, just to make sure I don’t accidentally dry it out in its new, sunnier location.
Honestly, using this little meter was super easy, and it gave me some actual data to work with, instead of just guessing. It is helpful for me!
