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Old September 30, 2007   #1
Thawley
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: SoCal - Zone 10
Posts: 106
Default Moisture Meter: Ideal Reading for Tomatoes???

I'm on my second crop and am taking it a little more seriously than the first. My neighbor and I planted the last crop on the same day, with the same plants from the same source. We have similar soil, though I tilled in some organic mulch. He did not. His crop was phenomenal. Mine just short of a disaster. Mike is botany major, now turned commercial landscape executive. He's got the feel for plants that I have always lacked.

The Moisture Meter seems to me to be a simple tool and something that might be an aid to the ignorant like me. You have a target or idea moisture range in mind and adjust watering to reach it, right? I'm using a drip irrigation system (now covered with paper mulch) that would seem to give me a fairly fine degree of fine tuning, so this should be a cinch. Shouldn't it?

My question is this: Is there one ideal moisture number? If so, what? Are there other variables that would make my ideal moisture level different than the nieghbor's?

The meter's instructions don't list an ideal level for Tomatoes. The lady I got the plants from mentioned such a low number that I was sure I'd never forget, but did. Most of the books suggest some level of restraint about watering. Yet the neighbor's outstanding crop got a thorough soaking 2-3 times a week that was FAR in excess of what I did and measured around 8-9 in my bed...

I am so confused.
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