Best plant water meters

(Image credit: Amazon)

published 22 October 2020

The best plant water meters are a great tool for gardeners, informing them, at a glance, when the moisture levels in their plant's soil are getting low. Most consumer-level plant water meters — or hygrometers if you want to get fancy — work on a simple but effective probe and gauge system to visually show when moisture levels are low. We've rounded up a selection of the most popular plant water meters for indoor and outdoor use so that you can select the best system for you.

Staff pick

Sonkir 3-in-1 tester tool kit

Battery-free, comprehensive solution

This is a complete and comprehensive solution for gardeners to get an overall insight into the state of their plant's immediate surroundings. It can analyze not just the soil's moisture content but the ambient light and pH acidity levels, too. It's a dual probe option with a toggle switch to change between the three different settings.

Budget choice

Gouevn plant moisture meter

Affordable option for everyday use

This is a simple but effective solution that concentrates solely on the moisture level of your plant's soil, giving an easy-to-read, near-instant result on a 1 to 10 scale. It boasts a 7.7-inch probe length that's specifically designed to measure water at the root level. It doesn't need batteries and is lightweight and portable.

Great value

Vivosun 3-in-1 soil tester

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use

This dual-probe Vivosun tester can measure your soil's pH range, moisture, and light levels. The display shows pH on a 3.5 to 8 scale, moisture on a simple 1 to 10 level, and relative light on a scale of 0 to 2,000 lux. There's a switch on the unit's head to toggle between each setting.

Simple solution

XLUX T10 soil moisture meter

Easy-to-read display

This is another straightforward, battery-free solution that simply informs you of the current moisture level of any type of soil, whether that's directly on the ground or in a pot or hanging basket. It has a clear 1 to 10 scale display with a red needle to show current water levels. This option measures approximately 7 inches, so can tell you the state of the soil well beneath surface level.

Green gauge

Atree 3-in-1 soil tester kit

Get moisture results in 10 minutes

This soil tester kit from Atree is another easy-to-use, three-in-one option. You simply insert the dual probes in 4 to 6 inches of the soil you want to test, toggle to the setting you want the result for, wait 10 minutes, then see the result on the dial display. As with the other three-in-one solutions we've brought you, this measures light, moisture, and pH levels.

Indoor solution

Ippinka Sustee plant moisture sensor

Two pack for your houseplants

We're bringing you one indoor solution if you need help with moisture levels for your houseplants. This twin-pack of sensor probes is suitable for use in plant pots with a diameter of between 4.7 and 7 inches. They have a simple color indicator to show you when the plants need watering, showing blue when the moisture levels are good and white when your plants need a drink.

Child-friendly

AM Conservation Group MM071-F soil moisture meter

Cute frog-shaped design is ideal for kids

Our final choice is a child-friendly option that is a fantastic way to teach kids about gardening and horticulture. It has a very friendly, frog-shaped design in a bright green finish. This battery-free solution simply measures the moisture levels in soil, giving you a readout on an easy-to-understand scale from 1 to 10.

Get your measure

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These plant water meters will help you to discover the moisture level of your plant's soil. Our overall staff pick, the Sonkir 3-in-1 tester tool kit, will also inform you of the soil's acidity levels and how much light your plant is getting.

If you just want a simple moisture readout, consider the Gouevn plant moisture meter. This option has an easy-to-read 1 to 10 dial display and a long probe that will let you know what's going on below the soil's surface.

Anyone who is going on a growing adventure with little ones might want to look at the AM Conservation Group MM071-F soil moisture meter. This fun, frog-shaped plant water meter will let kids know when it's time to top-off the water levels of whatever they're growing.

With over 10 years of experience writing for popular websites Amy-Mae is a freelance features writer with a focus on writing reviews, how-tos, and buyers guides. She lives near the sea in Devon with her family, two naughty cats, and two much-loved dogs. Her beloved daughter ensures she has very little spare time but if she manages to wrangle any you'll find her on the sofa watching box sets and drinking gin.