A successful start in gardening – measuring is knowing

Each plant has its own optimal growing conditions. With this multifunction tester you can check the four most important parameters (fertility, amount of light, soil moisture and acidity).

• The fertility gives a picture of the total amount of fertilizer in the soil.
• The amount of light indicates where to plant the plants according to whether they need full sun, shade or part shade.
• The soil moisture has several purposes. Every plant needs a certain amount of water. The water is not only used for dissolving and transporting fertilizers, but plays a role in photosynthesis which is essential in the growing process of the plant.
• The acidity (pH value) of the soil has an effect on the absorption of the nutrients. Acidic soils can be neutralized by adding the right amount of lime.

Read the manual below carefully and completely before using the device.

Parts of the device:

• 3 measuring probes at the bottom of the device
• Slide switch with 4 positions on the right side of the device
• Display with 4 reading scales
• Light sensor at the top of the device

Preparation:

• Wipe the probes with the cleaning cloth provided.
• Remove the top 2 to 3 cm from the soil to be measured. Turn the soil to a depth of 12 to 13 cm.
• Remove plant remains, stones and other hard objects. They can permanently damage the device and influence the result.

Perform a measurement:

Select the parameter you want to measure: fertility, amount of light, soil moisture or acidity.

Measuring the fertility:

• Moisten the pre-treated soil with distilled water into a homogeneous mud.
• Set the slide switch to position 1 'Fertility'.
• Place the measuring probes in the pre-treated soil so that the housing protrudes approx. 2,5 cm above the surface. Do not place the device immediately next to the stems or roots of plants. For pot plants, place the device about halfway between the stem and the edge of the pot.
• Read the value on the corresponding scale of the display next to the wording 'Fertilizer'. This scale goes from 'too little’(too few nutrients) to  'too much' (too many nutrients).

When fertilizing, keep in mind that some plants have low and others high nutritional requirements. The tester only gives an indication of the overall nutritional status and does not provide a measurement of all the elements separately.

Measuring the amount of light:

• Set the slide switch to position 2 'Light'.
• Point the light sensor directly at the light source while keeping the device at the height of the crop. Make sure there are no obstacles between the light sensor and the light source.
• Read the amount of light on the corresponding scale of the display ('light'). As indicated on the left of the scale, the value must be multiplied by 1.000.

The result is given in footcandles. Multiply this number by 10,7 to know the value in lux.

To calculate the total amount of sunlight throughout the day, multiple measurements can be made per day.

Example:
Sun rises at 7 a.m. and goes down at 7 p.m.
Measurement 1 at 9 a.m.: result measurement 1 x 4 hrs = light quantity between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Measurement 2 at 1 p.m.: result measurement 2 x 4 hrs = light quantity between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Measurement 3 at 5 p.m.: result measurement 3 x 4 hrs = light quantity between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Total amount of light throughout the day = sum of the 3 above results

Measuring the soil moisture:

• Set the slide switch to position 3 'Moisture'.
• Place the measuring probes in the pre-treated soil. Do not place the device immediately next to the stems or roots of plants. For pot plants, place the device about halfway between the stem and the edge of the pot.
• Read the value on the corresponding scale ('Moisture') of the display. This scale goes from 'dry' to 'wet'.

Measurement of acidity:

• Moisten the pre-treated soil with distilled water to a homogeneous mud.
• Set the slide switch to position 4 'Acidity'.
• Wet the probes. Polish the probe on the right with the cleaning cloth provided. Do this only with the right probe.
• Place the measuring probes in the pre-treated soil up to the plastic housing. Do not place the device immediately next to the stems or roots of plants. For pot plants, place the device about halfway between the stem and the edge of the pot.
• Wait one minute.
• Read the value on the corresponding scale of the display ('pH').  This scale goes from 9 (alkaline) to 0 (acidic).

After the measurement:

• Remove the probe from the ground after each measurement.
• Remove soil residue and other contaminants after each measurement and clean the measuring probes with the cleaning cloth provided before each measurement or when storing the device.
• Don't leave the device in the ground for a long time.

Interpretation of the results:

Each plant has its own specific needs for fertilization, light, moisture and pH. The tester gives an indication of these parameters. Go to www.atesa.be and have a look at the extended plant list of values for each parameter.

Special cleaning cloth:

• The enclosed cleaning cloth is specially designed to clean the metal probes of the device. Other types of wipes can permanently damage parts of the device and/or affect the measurement values of the device.
• Clean all probes with the cleaning cloth after each use.
• Extra wipes are available from the supplier of the device.

Safety:

• Keep out of the reach of children and pets.
• Use and storage: between 0°C and 35°C.
• Store the device in a dry place and in its original packaging.
• Never use the device in frozen or rocky soils or liquids.