How to use a moisture probe

What is a moisture probe? The basic Brown soil probe is a 5/8” ball welded to a 1/2” diameter rod, with a T-handle at the opposite end. It was developed to determine the depth of moist soil.

CCC agronomy specialist Autumn Barnes finds quite a bit of moisture in some areas.
…and not so much in others.

How to use it? Grasp the “T”, push the 5/8” ball into the soil. Do not turn or twist it. It will only penetrate to the depth of moist soil, stopping when it hits a region of dry soil or a stone. Sample at several locations. It stops regardless of the mass or determination of the pusher.

Body size and muscle do not influence moisture content!

What does it tell you? The probe shows the depth of plant available moisture.

Use this table to relate probe depth to available moisture. It varies by soil type.

This table and more details are available here.