We all say over and over water when the tree needs it.

For Christmas my lovely wife gave me a soil humidity meter. I have been surprised that some trees dry out much faster than others. I have not done much with the outside trees, but the inside trees will dry out at different rates. The ficus is bone dry after one day whereas the jabuticaba is still wet enough not to water two days later.

In summer it won't much matter because I will water them every day anyway, but in spring I am going to check them and then know when I need to water.

I use soil humidity meter as well. But only for trees in mostly organic soil. In mostly granular soil they just not give an accurate reading.

Maybe your ficus is planted in higher organic mix and your jabuticaba is in more granular mix? Maybe it is not species dependent as you may think?

Tropfrog wrote:

I use soil humidity meter as well. But only for trees in mostly organic soil. In mostly granular soil they just not give an accurate reading.

Maybe your ficus is planted in higher organic mix and your jabuticaba is in more granular mix? Maybe it is not species dependent as you may think?

I am sure that it is related to the amount of organics. I thought I had them all similar, but it looks like I was wrong. The humidity tester tells me what I need to know.

Four nights ago it was close to freezing. Yesterday and today it is shorts and short sleeve shirts. The humidity is jumping all around and the trees are drying out a lot faster than they have all winter, particularly since the leaves are coming out now. During the winter, water every week or two, except that it rains more often. Now the meter prods me to get back to watering, every two or three days.

I don't water for three or more months in winter. No need to water when the soil is solid frozen. Not to mention the challenge to get the moisture meter into it

Tropfrog wrote:

I don't water for three or more months in winter. No need to water when the soil is solid frozen. Not to mention the challenge to get the moisture meter into it

Slightly different climates.

I think the temperature was below freezing four times this winter, usually -3C or so, but once just before Christmas a whopping -15 three nights in a row. It rains several days then sun for a week or so, which may dry the pots out.

I have two or three azaleas that have had flowers since May and are starting to pop a lot of buds out. Strange climate.

Tropfrog wrote:

Not to mention the challenge to get the moisture meter into it

You do not have hammers?