I'm looking for the same thing you are, a wireless way to monitor garden temperatures, soil moisture, etc... Measuring soil pH is not a simple thing and I'm not sure that's going to be possible in a wireless and accurate way. If you look at the Amazon reviews for the Flower Power thingy, they are way less than impressive. And it seems that the company may have discontinued it anyway.

A while back I was exploring the Arduino device way for measuring soil moisture. I have some links here that you can check out, there is a huge population of DIY people using the Arduino devices for many different reasons. At the time I didn't find a wireless connection but either I missed it or it will show up, there's just too much interest in Arduino. What I want is something that will report soil moisture directly to my computer...I don't want to go through some silly cloud somewhere and have someone elses interpretation of what my soil moisture means.,

Take a look at these links:

https://www.dfrobot.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=599#.UtDwA1Llb9y

Google "wireless soil moisture meter" and click on the Images tab.

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,37975.0.html

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?PHPSESSID=j82r5ehvr5rlohtr23fvsajik6&topic=13424.15

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/171215654343?\

The forum messages I linked to are old ones. I'm going to investigate current message threads on the same topic.

John

Hi John and thank you :)

I was thinking about Arduino as well. When you say wireless, do you mean transmitting data via a wireless module or just battery operated?

I was thinking of two options: wi-fi enabled or bluetooth enabled. The wi-fi option is a lot more convenient but also a lot more power hungry. I'll have to do some testing to see exactly how much an external battery would last and how often I could send data. Though once or twice a day should be more than fine. I actually prefer the cloud solution (but for actual raw data) because I can compute the data where I need it or send it to my email so I don't have to be tied up to the computer at home.

I don't have experience coding for Arduino, but I did a few home automation projects so I should be able to figure it out. We also have a few great robotics shops that offer free online classes that are pretty easy to understand and they have coding for almost all the sensors they sell.

Thank you for the links, I'll check them out.

I'm gonna order a few sensors this week and play with them a little :)

Jo

Kevin (ewwmayo) has lots of gadgets, quality ones, and knows how to use them. IIRC, he tried few different ones, and even posted about it - you probably read that thread. I just take 'free ride' and keep reading his posts which he shares with us.

I believe that even gritty could be over-watered...but most likely if the ratio of ingredients is out of balance (like too much turface or even bark), and with 'help' of pot sitting in saucer full of water.

If really in doubt if plant needs watering, I would use a skewer test. With small pots it is quite easy to judge by how heavy they are. That won't work with your huge jade...

I can't find the post where Kevin 'reviewed' different gadgets, here are couple with good info (even about the Parrot) - you may have seen them....

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3626520/ewwmayo-mind-clarifying-something-about-your-metering-experiments?n=5

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3545786/succulents-before-and-after-6-months?n=59

rina, thanks for the info :) I had actually seen those posts, but it was a good reminder nonetheless.

John, I am familiar with Al's post. But because I can't find all the ingredients for 5-1-1 or 1-1-1 (and also I am lazy), I chose an alternative and started using lechuza pon which is entirely inorganic and (I assume) and more similar to 1-1-1, that's why I thought about it being hard to overwater. I do have 2 quite large pots, but they're on wheels so that's ok :)

I know PH is very important (all my blue hydrangeas were pink this year ;), but I also know the sensors are not very easy to use. Is there an easier way to measure soil PH?

I've seen professionals use a couple drops of an indicator liquid and compare to a color chart. A bit subjective but that's what the UF extension service uses. I'm in the process of finding out where to get the indicator. I've seen several test kits available, I'm guessing they're along the same line.

For quick check-up of PH you could get some Litmus paper strips (very inexpensive on Amazon), or buy a test kit (bit more $) in any garden center. I am not very sure of the accuracy, but they are used a lot.

Rina, this is probably a silly question, but how do you use the litmus strips to check the soil's pH?

That's what I was about to say... can you even use it on soil?

Jo - The flower power maxes out at a 50% moisture reading so I would say that is normal. The logic is that if your moisture is over 50% then your plant is already over watered.

It's quite accurate in my own gritty mixes (50-80% grit) but you need to keep it in the same pot because the sensor contact area is different from pot-to-pot/mix-to-mix. Some of my pots max out at 40% when watered fully and below 10% usually means the plants really should be watered. Best to look at the moisture trend rather than absolute value.

The ideal moisture does depend on the plant. I let my pots dry out a little, but try to 'water the day before my plant needs it' or wilts/shows signs of drought stress. This helps optimize growth.

Some plants are more forgiving that others to over watering, but you certainly can over water with a fast draining mix. Things like turface, pumice, and even perlite can hold a surprising amount of water. Keeping a gritty mix continuously saturated in cool weather can be deathly.

Rina is absolutely correct about the ratio can be out of balance. My first batch of gritty not very suitable for my plants and I ended up having to repot everything a few weeks later because it just didn't work.

My big tip is not to follow the general suggestions from the device but make your growing decisions based on the numbers/graphs/actual data. If possible!

As for pH measurements, there are many different ways. You can do pour-thru (recommended) or other methods. Generally I find unless you have ingredients that really skew your pH, the overall pH trends toward your water's pH. Perhaps slightly a bit more acidic depending on your fertilizer.

John - I think the reviews on Amazon aren't that great because a lot of people who buy them are confused/conflicted on what they want.

One example is many reviewers ask for always-on wifi monitoring and complain that you have to be within bluetooth range for updates. Do people really need to-the-minute plant monitoring updates? Not really... yet they still bicker about it. It's not like every minute counts - there is usually plenty of time to make smart decisions when growing.

Another common complaint is the price. Soil meters are easy to implement with Adruino, but getting a good PAR DLI meter plus EC and temperature in one package for $70 CAD (or less in USD) is actually pretty good. Getting a single data logging tool with just one of the four sensors costs a small fortune.

There is no way a $70 device can really replace tens of thousands of hours of grower expertise. But in the right hands, a tool can be invaluable for expanding knowledge of the grower that uses it.

There's nothing wrong with using an Adruino and I do have a Raspberry pi running all sorts of things for my home. I have done a lot of programming and have significant electronics/microelectronics/power systems/chemistry knowledge but still find Adruino hard to pick up. It's a whole other hobby on it's own.

Regarding pH meters, I find they are just hard to maintain and store. You have to get the right storage solution and it constantly dries up so I have to keep topping it up. Otherwise it dries out and becomes useless. If you don't use it often then you need to mix up some calibration solution, adjust, and then test your medium.

I would say my approach to growing/learning is pretty different from most people. In my line of work, full understanding of everything is paramount and things must be 100% correct with no exceptions. That carries over into my daily life and I'm a bit surprised my wife doesn't think I'm crazy. =)

Different tools like the Flower Power, EC meter, pH meter, light meters, thermometers, and humidity gauges have all helped me along the way in becoming a much better grower in a fairly short period of time.

To check pH using litmus paper, you need small sample of soil and some distilled water. Mix them together, dip the strip in the solution. It will turn different colors according to pH of the sample - you will compare that to a color guide that comes with the strips. I believe they are just couple of $ on Amazon. Much easier to use, store and much less expensive than pH meters as you can see from post above.

I think it was a bit of a long day and I was kind of cranky. =)

Here is the pour-thru method for pH testing of soils by Cornell University: http://www.css.cornell.edu/courses/260/Media%20testing.pdf

The $10 pH testers off ebay aren't too bad as long as you calibrate them and store properly. After monitoring pH for a few months, I realized my numbers were pretty stable and stopped after that. For people with particular soil or water issues a digital meter would be more suitable. Otherwise if you can get your hands on test strips for cheaper or free that may answer your pH curiosity.

One handy trick with the Flower Power is putting it in my favourite growing areas around the house and outside for at least one day each. It helps in understanding how good or bad each place is. I found it really surprising to see the graph associated with the light of an area throughout the day.

For example, my South windows are the worst due to obstructions and my North windows are best! My loft is a very open and bright area but actually the only good spot is directly under the skylight, rather than along the walls where I had put my plants previously.

If you want to know what the measurement units and ranges for the Flower Power are, you can find them here: https://community.parrot.com/t5/Flower-Power-Knowledge-Base/F-A-Q/ta-p/116417 (halfway down the page)

Plants are able to extract water down to around 15% (depending on the composition) so even if a soil mix looks and feels dry, the plant may still be able the moisture from it.

If you end up picking up the Adruino and end up going ahead with that project please post your results! Anyway, if you have questions feel free to ask away and I can try and help chip in with what I've found.

After looking for the perfect instrument, I decided there are no perfect instruments. Here is how I measure hydration and pH:

For hydration, I use wood plant stakes. They are cheap, long, and strong. Stick one down to the base of a pot, leave it there 15 minutes, and then withdraw it and just feel along the length. It gives you far more information than any instrument, because it lets you evaluate quickly at every level of the soil. Here are some good stakes.

For pH, take some of the soil into a beaker, add distilled water, shake, and allow it to sit for an hour. Then measure pH of the water with pH paper. It's highly accurate and the pH paper is very cheap.