How do you use a Moisture Meter?

I picked up one of these today and I'm not sure how to interpret the Plant Watering Guide that came with it. It's made by HoldAll. Anyone familar with this tool?

We have a moisture meter which we've had for sometime, so I have NO idea what kind it is. The tip of the metal rod has a sensor ( I guess ) and I stick it down as far as I need to. My meter just has "wet" and "dry" w/ a needle that goes one way or the other, or sometimes its jussst right.

My meter has numbers 1 - 10. 1-2 is very dry; a 10 is saturated. When my plants are down to a 5 or 6 their OK but much below that it is time to water again. Of course it varies by a plant's need for water.

It helps me a lot as looking at the soil and feeling it doesn't help me much.

I have a brookstone expensive one. It never is reliable. My finger works pretty well and airates the pot.

I'm just really surprised at the readings I'm getting. It appears I've been overwatering way too much for years. What's really hard, is to put your trust in the meter. Some of my pots are going 4 or 5 days when I use to water either every day or every other day.

Sofer, mine is cheap, but appears to be working.

I had a couple of things that I was overwatering. Started useing the meter and they are doing a lot better.

What I noticed was the plants I overwinter. Just because they look dry on top doesn't mean they need water. I used to lose a lot more plants in the winter before I started using the moisture meter.

The moisture meter is one of my favorite tools. I used to kill plants from watering too much. I now have beautiful begonias thanks to the moisture meter. After using it awhile you'll usually learn the water needs of your plants and won't have to use it all the time. What surprises me is that some plants just don't get dry as fast as others, I don't know if its the composition of the soil or it the plant "drinks" more water. Anyone else have that experience?

definitely!

I noticed that the dahlias in pots get dry faster than my geraniums. Same soil composition, different plants.

Newbie here - sorry if my questions seem ignorant - but they are! I'm just now getting into gardening, really haven't done anything before.

So, with a moisture meter, I see how it is used to determine if it is time to water or not. But can you use it to show *how much* to water, as well? Do you leave it in the ground while you're watering, and then stop when it hits the right level? Or what?

This sounds like exactly the thing I need. Any particular type / brand recommended?

I water with gallon milk jugs so I kinda get a feeling for how much I put on each plant; you learn as you go.

Digi - It just tells you how moist the soil medium is, not how much and, no, you don't leave it in the ground. It's the potted plants I have trouble with and I usually overwater them. With pots, I usually water until I see some water coming out the bottom of the pot. In the garden, I usually give enough water until I see the water slightly pooling. It's just something you learn. If leaves start turning yellow, the plant is getting too much water. If the plant is wilted, it may need water. Some plants will look a little wilted in the afternoon and perk up once the heat of the day starts ebbing. Those plants don't need water. Stick your finger in the ground or pot about an inch or so, if it feels dry, water. If it feels cool and moist, don't. I don't like sticking my finger in dirt because of my nails.

I picked up my moisture meter at Home Depot. The brand name may be Hold All, but I'm not sure.

The main idea behind the moisture meter is to let you see how moist the area around the roots is. The top of a pot may look and feel dry, but there may be plenty of moisture at the root level. As others have said, it is a trial and error thing, but if you go by the root level moisture instead of the surface level moisture, you just about can't go wrong. Remember, plastic pot will retain moisture longer than clay pots. This can be good or bad. The clay pots "breathe" better than plastic pots or glazed pots, which is good for the roots since they need the oxygen, but require more watering. The water level you need to know is at root level, not the surface.

Hang in there and you will get familiar with the readings and plant response so that you won't really need to check as often.
ginni