Fertometer - Soil Nutrient Meter
What does the Fertometer® do?
The Fertometer measures the level of nutrients in the soil of your potted plants and uses a light to indicate feeding requirements.
Insert the Fertometer’s probe into the soil and press the button. A yellow light indicates that your plant requires feeding. A green light indicates that your plant has sufficient nutrients in the soil. Do not add fertiliser if the red light shows. In short: the Fertometer makes it possible for you to provide the ideal conditions for your plant.
For whom is the Fertometer® intended?
The Fertometer is ideally suited to lovers of luscious and healthy potted plants with plenty of flowers.The correct level of fertiliser is essential and can be accurately established. No more 'guesswork'!
Which plants can the Fertometer® be used for?
You can use it for all potted plants*, both indoor and outdoor plants. Common potted plants are geraniums, surfinias, fuchsias and numerous small plants such as marigold, petunias and verbenas. The Fertometer is also eminently suitable for use with indoor varieties such as the ficus, begonias, cyclamen and hibiscus, and even for exotic plants such as palm trees, bamboos and bananas.
* Plants that have been potted up and have developed adequate root systems (not seedlings or cuttings)
The Fertometer is not recommended for orchids and plants which thrive on poor soil such as heather.
Which nutrients are measured?
The Fertometer measures the available nutrients and translates the result immediately into advice for fertilisation. Nutrients are mainly nitrogen, and others like phosphorus and potassium.
How to fertilise potted plants?
You can buy any type of fertiliser in special garden stores or supermarkets. Follow the instructions for use on the cover. Check your plants with the Fertometer on a regular basis.
How does the Fertometer® work?
The Fertometer uses the process of electrolysis and is also referred to as an EC-meter(Electrical Conductivity) in technical terms.
The Fertometer works on the same principles as a plant. Like the roots of a plant, it absorbs nutrients from the soil. By measuring the quantity of the absorbed substances, it can be determined whether there are sufficient nutrients left in the soil. These absorbable nutrients are called ions and consist mainly of nitrogen, the principal nutrient for plants during the growing season.
All ions are involved in the measurement, so as to get a good indication of the amount of fertiliser in the pot. It is, though, not possible to recognise from the measurement if a plant is lacking other elements such as potassium or magnesium.
An EC-meter reads and interprets an electrical current. This interpretation could be visually represented by an analogue or a digital display. In the case of the Fertometer, a clear and simple indication of the result has been chosen using three lights.
Definition of the measurements used
Measurements are expressed in EC-values (Electrical Conductivity).
These EC-values, measured in mS/cm (milli-Siemens per centimetre), are converted to three digital values that have been designed for ease of use: in what we shall call the ‘green band’, sufficient nutrients are available. In most cases, the potted plants are lacking in nutrients and results will be in the ‘yellow band’.
In some descriptions of EC-values other units are used. American practice uses dS/m (deci-Siemens per meter) or mmhos/cm (milli-mhos per centimetre). 1 S is equal to 1/ohm, the inversion of ohm (mho).
EC is the conductivity of an electrical current through one centimetre of medium. In this case, the medium is soil. Per definition, one should obtain a reading of 1mS/cm, if the medium’s salt content measures 620ppm (parts per million). Another much-used scale is g/l (gram per liter), 620ppm = 620mg/l = 0,62g/l.
Temperature dependency
The EC-measurement is dependant on temperature. The Fertometer is set at a standard of 20°C. Results are the most accurate if obtained around this temperature. Lower temperatures will result in lower EC-values, whereas higher temperatures will lead to increased values (2.2% per °C).
Accuracy of measurement
The accuracy of the Fertometer depends mainly on the quantity of water contained in the soil. If the soil is 100% saturated, the result will be the most accurate. Up to 70% saturation, they will still be reliable, but if the soil is drier, the results are no longer usable. The conductivity of the soil will be impaired. To be confident that the soil is adequately wet, water the plant 30 minutes before use.
The accuracy of the measurements is not affected by the electronics or the analogue/digital transformation
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