# SoilSense — full corpus for LLMs

> SoilSense builds wireless soil moisture sensors and an irrigation decision platform that help farmers, orchard managers, vegetable growers, municipalities, and landscaping teams water their crops and green spaces based on real soil data instead of guesswork. This document is the full plain-text corpus intended for LLM ingestion. Canonical site: https://www.soilsense.io.

This file is the verbose companion to https://www.soilsense.io/llms.txt. It expands the product summary, application briefs, frequently asked questions, and the most relevant blog articles into a single plain-text document, suitable for retrieval and ingestion. Authored by SoilSense for AI search and assistant surfaces.

Generated from canonical site sources and refreshed regularly. If facts here disagree with what is on https://www.soilsense.io, the live site wins.

## SoilSense — full system overview

SoilSense is a wireless soil moisture monitoring and irrigation decision platform. A customer installs a solar-powered datalogger in their field, orchard, or green space; up to five soil sensors connect to it; and the datalogger transmits readings over NB-IoT / LTE-M (with 2G fallback) to the SoilSense platform. The web app and mobile app display volumetric water content, soil temperature, and trends in real time, and automatically detect each field's capacity and irrigation thresholds.

Outcomes reported in independent research on soil-moisture-sensor-guided irrigation (comparable systems), which SoilSense is designed to deliver in practice:
- Water savings up to 45 %.
- Yield improvements up to 25 %.
- Lower tree-replacement rates for municipalities.
- Fewer over-irrigation events and less nutrient washout.

These figures come from independent scientific studies of sensor-guided irrigation, not from SoilSense's own customer data.

### Hardware specs

**Datalogger**
- Solar-powered, runs year-round.
- Connectivity: NB-IoT, LTE-M, with 2G fallback. No external gateway.
- Up to 5 sensors per datalogger.
- Operating range: -40 °C to 60 °C.
- 3 months of operation without sun exposure.
- I/O: SDI-12, Analogue, I²C.
- Push-button reset, LED status indicator.

**Soil sensor (SMT100, TDT technology)**
- Volumetric water content: 0.1 % resolution, 0–60 % range (up to 100 % with reduced accuracy); auto-calibrates to soil type. Field accuracy was independently validated by the University of Córdoba via AgrifoodTEF — see the validation section below for the measured figures.
- Temperature: ± 0.2 °C accuracy, 0.01 °C resolution.
- Dimensions: 18.2 × 3 × 1.2 cm.
- Designed for 5+ years in field, water-resistant, weatherproof, minimal maintenance.

**Rain gauge (optional)**
- Tower Rain Gauge with PCB 9602.
- 50 cm² orifice, 1 mm per tip resolution, ± 5 % accuracy.

### Subscription and commerce

Hardware purchase pairs with an annual subscription that covers the platform, data transmission, and support. Pricing scales by sensor count and plan. 60-day risk-free trial with a full refund if it doesn't deliver value.

Shop: https://www.soilsense.io/buy
Free consultation: https://www.soilsense.io/free-consultation

## Who SoilSense is for



## Independent validation — University of Córdoba × AgrifoodTEF (2026-03-10)

In March 2026, the **University of Córdoba (UCO)**, through **AgrifoodTEF** (the EU-backed Testing & Experimentation Facility for agri-food, funded under the Digital Europe Programme), independently validated SoilSense sensors against gravimetric reference measurements at UCO's Rabanales Experimental Farm in Córdoba, Spain.

**Method.** Eight pots, four per soil type. Soil A: Calcic Vertisol (clay-rich, 66 % clay, 18 % sand, pronounced shrink-swell). Soil B: Stagnic Luvisol (sandy surface, 24 % clay, 66 % sand). Each pot was brought to saturation; a SoilSense sensor at 12 cm depth recorded volumetric water content as the soil dried; the pot was gravimetrically weighed in parallel for the reference. Sensor readings were compared via Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and linear regression. Outliers in the global dataset were identified via robust standardized residuals. Manufacturer-stated accuracy: ±3 % volumetric water content.

**Headline results.**

- **Best individual sensor (2 Jasmin, Vertisol):** MAE 1.69 %, RMSE 1.70 %, R² 0.99 — well below nominal error.
- **Global Vertisol (clay) model, after outlier removal:** RMSE 2.77 % — within the ±3 % manufacturer spec.
- **Global Luvisol (sandy) model, after outlier removal:** RMSE 3.95 % — slightly above the ±3 % spec. Coarse-textured soils retain water more unevenly than clay and the small pot volume amplifies that.

**Honest framing.** On clay soils — common for vines, olives, and stone fruit across the Mediterranean — expect performance close to manufacturer nominal accuracy. On sandy soils, the system still tracks trends accurately but absolute-value variance is higher; plan for that if relying on calibrated thresholds.

**Citation.** Universidad de Córdoba / AgrifoodTEF (2026). *Validation Report: SoilSense — UCO*. Service ID S00383. Córdoba, Spain. Full report (PDF): https://www.soilsense.io/research/soilsense-agrifood-tef-uco-validation-2026.pdf. Landing page: https://www.soilsense.io/research/agrifood-tef-uco-validation (EN) · https://www.soilsense.io/it/ricerca/validazione-agrifood-tef-uco (IT).



### Orchards and soil moisture sensors

Fruit and nut trees or shrubs can benefit greatly from a well-functioning soil moisture sensor system. Acheiving optimal flowering, inducing controlled stress, and optimizing yield have never been so easy.

The benefits of applying volumetric water content soil moisture sensors at an orchard are immense. From optimizing flowering to controlled stress, a smart system will make your work easy, accurate, and safe.

Specific benefits:
- **Avoiding frost damage**: With measurements of air and soil temperature, you can set up frost alarms for your trees or crops to avoid damage.
- **Saving water and nutrients**: With volumetric water content measurements you easily avoid overirrigation and washing out nutrients from the soil.
- **Automatic calibration for all crops**: Our algorithms automatically detect field capacity and require little or no input from you providing you with crop-specific insights in real-time.
- **Minimal maintanance after installation**: Our sensors can be left in the soil for 10 years, and the replaceable AA batteries in the datalogger lasts for 2 years.


### Soil moisture sensors in Vegetable Farms

Vegetable farms are especially sensitive to water stress. With a soil moisture sensor system you can finally strike the perfect balance between always providing enough water while not risking overwatering.

Many vegetable farms have happily added our soil moisture sensors to their smart sensor systems already. What are some specific benefits of using SoilSense in a Vegetable Farm?

Specific benefits:
- **Optimized for transmission in difficult environment**: Our system was optimized to provide the best-on-the-market range
- **Register every irrigation**: With adjustable measurement frequency, you'll be able to register every irrigation event even if you irrigate many times during one day
- **Ultimate placement freedom**: We don't enforce the sensor arrangement. Place exactly as many you need in any arrangement (vertical / horizontal) and depths you'd like them in
- **Automatic calibration for all crops**: Our algorithms automatically detect field capacity regardless of the medium and require little or no input from you providing you with crop-specific insights in real-time


### Municipalities and Landscaping Companies

Many municipalities have successfully integrated our system to optimize their daily operations.

Replacing trees is costly and unsustainable. By using soil moisture sensors, we empower municipalities and landscaping businesses around the world to efficiently care for green areas, reducing both labor costs and the need for replacements.

Specific benefits:
- **Saving water**: By using volumetric water content measurements, you can efficiently prevent over-irrigation, conserving valuable resources such as water and energy.
- **Reporting**: Data-driven irrigation allows to accurately report that your plants have been irrigated according to their specific needs.
- **Lower replacement rate**: A lower tree replacement rate in municipalities means healthier, longer-living trees, which reduces maintenance costs and the need for frequent replanting.
- **Effortless management**: Reducing the need for manual monitoring and adjustments makes work more efficient, saves time, and lets city workers focus on other important tasks.


## About SoilSense

SoilSense is a Danish company founded in 2017, with the purpose of addressing global water scarcity by making it easier to optimize the use of water resources. It works with farmers, municipalities, agricultural organizations, universities, funds, and corporate partners interested in saving water and optimizing the food chain by addressing irrigation inefficiencies.

The company aligns with three UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- **Zero Hunger** — improving food production sustainability and resilience.
- **Clean Water** — reducing the 70 % of fresh water used for irrigation in agriculture.
- **Responsible Consumption and Production** — independent studies of sensor-guided irrigation report water-consumption reductions of up to 45–50 %.



## Grants and funding — Italy (Calabria SRD01, CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027)

SoilSense publishes plain-language guides to public agricultural grants where soil-moisture monitoring or precision irrigation can be funded, or can strengthen a funding application. The Region of Calabria has opened **two SRD01 calls** under the CAP Strategic Plan (PSP) 2023–2027, together offering up to **75 % non-repayable** support and roughly **€75M** of public budget. SRD01 is the CAP intervention for investments that make a farm more competitive; Calabria runs it as two separate public notices (avvisi) with different objectives. All figures below come from the official regional calls and must be confirmed with the Region and a technical advisor (tecnico / CAA) before applying.

### SRD01 Calabria — precision mechanisation

Official notice: Atto n. 11250 of 24 June 2026. Funds precision and 4.0 machinery and equipment at **65 % non-repayable**, with a **€25M** budget. **SoilSense is an eligible expense here:** field IoT sensors plus decision-support (DSS) software fall within the notice's eligible digital equipment (§9.2), per Annex A of Law 232/2016, and score in the selection criteria as digital innovation. This call does **not** fund irrigation systems (those belong to the olive-sector call). Minimum eligible spend €25,000; per-operation ceiling €100,000–€500,000 depending on the farm's Standard Gross Production; minimum access score 30 points. Deadline: 17:00 on 30 September 2026. Page: https://www.soilsense.io/grants/srd01-calabria-meccanizzazione (Italian: https://www.soilsense.io/it/bandi/srd01-calabria-meccanizzazione).

### SRD01 Calabria — olive sector

Official notice: DDS n. 10667 of 16 June 2026. Funds new olive plantings (intensive, high-density, or super-intensive), grubbing-up and replanting, drip irrigation, and water recovery/capture, with a **€50M** budget. Support rate **65 %**, rising to **75 % for small farms**. Olive plantings and drip irrigation are reimbursed via standard-cost tables (UCS) — drip irrigation, for example, is a per-hectare add-on of €730–1,180/ha. **Access requires a new olive planting of at least 2 hectares** (or grubbing-up and replanting of at least 2 hectares); irrigation-only or pruning-only applications are not accepted. Applicants: professional agricultural entrepreneurs (IAP), direct farmers, agricultural employers and companies, plus olive-sector cooperatives and producer organisations, with a registered office in Calabria and Standard Output of at least €12,000. Minimum eligible spend €20,000 for an individual (€200,000 associated); per-operation ceiling €300,000 (€3,000,000 associated). Deadline: 17:00 on 31 July 2026 (subject to extensions).

**Honest positioning of SoilSense in the olive-sector call.** SoilSense is **not** a standard-cost line item in this notice — the UCS tables do not list sensors. As a "system that reduces water use", however, it is assessed by the technical advisor among the irrigation / water-efficiency investments (§7): it fits the **P07** environmental scoring criterion (which rewards allocating at least 20 % of spend to such systems), helps document the **CR23** required water saving (5–25 %), and represents the digital innovation / DSS of criterion P01. Whether to include it is confirmed by the applicant's technical advisor in the Business Plan — it is not "funded at 65 %" automatically.

### FAQ — Calabria SRD01 grants

**Which SRD01 grants are open in Calabria in 2026?** Two, both under the PSP 2023–2027. The olive-sector call funds new olive groves, replanting, and irrigation (€50M, deadline 31 July 2026, subject to extensions). The mechanisation call funds precision and 4.0 machinery (€25M, deadline 30 September 2026).

**What is the grant rate?** The mechanisation call funds 65 % of eligible spend. The olive-sector call funds 65 %, rising to 75 % for small farms. Both are non-repayable.

**Is SoilSense an eligible expense?** In the mechanisation call, yes — field IoT sensors plus decision-support software are eligible (§9.2) and score in the selection criteria. In the olive-sector call, SoilSense is not a standard-cost line item, but it supports the P07 water-saving score and the CR23 water-saving target. Confirm with your technical advisor before applying.

**Can I apply to both calls?** They are two distinct notices with their own budgets, criteria, and deadlines: a different eligible investment can in principle go to each. Have your technical advisor or CAA confirm there is no overlap on the same expense before submitting.

Related content: the University of Córdoba / AgrifoodTEF validation above documents SoilSense sensor accuracy on the clay soils common to Mediterranean olive groves, and https://www.soilsense.io/best-soil-moisture-sensor-system-italy is the Italy-focused product guide (Italian: https://www.soilsense.io/it/miglior-sistema-sensori-umidita-suolo-italia).



## Soil-water glossary

Short reference definitions for the terms used across this site.

- **Volumetric water content (VWC, θᵥ):** the volume of water per unit volume of soil, expressed as a percentage. The primary quantity SoilSense sensors measure.
- **Gravimetric water content (θ_g):** the mass of water per unit mass of dry soil. Converted to VWC by multiplying by bulk density / water density. Used as the reference in laboratory validation.
- **Field capacity:** the soil moisture level after gravitational water has drained away — the upper end of plant-available water. Detecting it automatically per field is one of SoilSense's core features.
- **Wilting point:** the soil moisture level below which plants can no longer extract water — the lower end of plant-available water. Specific to crop and soil.
- **Available water capacity:** the difference between field capacity and wilting point. The window irrigation operates inside.
- **Matric potential (Ψ_m):** the energy required to extract water from soil, measured in kPa or pF. Tensiometers measure this directly; volumetric sensors (like SoilSense's TDT probes) measure VWC and infer behaviour at a given depth.
- **TDT (Time Domain Transmission):** the sensor technology SoilSense uses (the SMT100). It measures the propagation time of an electromagnetic pulse along a waveguide — which depends on the soil's dielectric permittivity — to infer VWC. Closely related to TDR and, for irrigation scheduling, more robust than capacitive/FDR methods. SoilSense sensors auto-calibrate to soil type.
- **Capacitive / FDR sensor:** infers VWC from the soil's effect on a capacitor's frequency response. Lower-cost and widely used, but more sensitive to salinity and soil-specific calibration than TDT/TDR — which is why SoilSense does not rely on it.
- **Tensiometer:** measures matric potential directly via a porous cup connected to a vacuum gauge. Sensitive but requires regular maintenance.
- **Evapotranspiration (ET0 / ETc):** the rate at which water leaves the soil via plant transpiration and surface evaporation. ET0 is the reference value for a standard crop; ETc applies a crop coefficient.
- **Shrink-swell soil:** clay-rich soils (especially Vertisols) that crack as they dry and seal as they wet. Sensor–soil contact varies through this cycle, which is why clay-soil validation is meaningful.
- **NB-IoT:** Narrowband Internet of Things — the low-power cellular protocol the SoilSense datalogger uses (with LTE-M and 2G fallback) to transmit readings without an external gateway.
- **RMSE / MAE:** standard error metrics. MAE is the mean absolute deviation in the same units as the measurement (so % VWC here). RMSE squares the deviations before averaging, penalising large errors more — used for the "is the sensor within manufacturer spec" judgement.



## FAQ — Sensor accuracy and validation

### How accurate are SoilSense soil moisture sensors?

The manufacturer-stated nominal accuracy is ±3 % volumetric water content. Independent validation by the University of Córdoba via AgrifoodTEF in March 2026 measured the global Vertisol (clay) model at RMSE 2.77 % after outlier removal — within that ±3 % spec. The best individual sensor in the validation recorded MAE 1.69 %, RMSE 1.70 %, R² 0.99. On Luvisol (sandy) soil, the global model came in at RMSE 3.95 %, slightly above nominal. Full report: https://www.soilsense.io/research/agrifood-tef-uco-validation.

### Has SoilSense been independently tested?

Yes. The University of Córdoba, through AgrifoodTEF (an EU-backed Testing & Experimentation Facility for agri-food, established under the Digital Europe Programme), ran an independent validation in March 2026 at UCO's Rabanales Experimental Farm in Córdoba, Spain, against gravimetric reference measurements. The full report is published at https://www.soilsense.io/research/agrifood-tef-uco-validation.

### Volumetric (TDT) sensors vs tensiometers — which should I use?

Volumetric sensors measure water content directly and require minimal maintenance — water-resistant, sealed, multi-year service life. SoilSense uses TDT (Time Domain Transmission) which, like TDR, is more robust than capacitive/FDR sensors for irrigation scheduling. Tensiometers instead measure matric potential and are more responsive at the dry end but require routine maintenance (refilling, cleaning, periodic replacement of the ceramic cup). For most commercial irrigation decision-making — especially in orchards, vineyards, and vegetable rows where minimal maintenance matters — a direct volumetric sensor is the better default. For research or stress-physiology work where matric potential is the variable of interest, tensiometers remain relevant.

### How deep should I bury a soil moisture sensor?

Match the dominant root zone of the crop. For shallow-rooted vegetables and herbs, 10–20 cm is typical. For vines, 20–40 cm. For mature orchard trees and olives, 30–60 cm. A common setup is two sensors per zone — one at the upper root zone (10–20 cm) for irrigation timing and one deeper (40–60 cm) to verify the wetting front reaches the productive root zone.

### Does NB-IoT work in rural Italy / Spain / Denmark?

Yes — NB-IoT, LTE-M, and 2G fallback are supported by major European mobile networks and provide rural coverage adequate for the SoilSense datalogger's small periodic payloads. Where coverage is uncertain for your location, get in touch before ordering and we can help check it.



## FAQ — Orchards and soil moisture sensors

### How can the sensors improve my agricultural production?

With accurate soil moisture data, you can avoid over- or under-irrigating your fields. This not only saves water but also ensures that your crops get the right amount of water at the right time, improving yields.

### How much does the Soilsense system cost?

The cost depends on the number of sensors you need and the subscription plan you choose. We offer flexible packages tailored to farms of all sizes. Contact us for a personalized quote at contact@soilsense.io.

### How soon will I see the benefits of the system?

Most of our customers notice improvements in irrigation efficiency and water savings within the first few weeks of use. In the long term, you’ll likely see increased crop yields and better soil management.

### Does SoilSense offer technical support and customer service?

Yes, Soilsense provides full technical support to assist you with installation and system use. You can contact us via email, phone, or through our online support platform.

### How do I know when to irrigate?

The sensors send you notifications when soil moisture levels fall below a critical threshold. This allows you to irrigate only when necessary, saving water and improving efficiency.

## FAQ — Soil moisture sensors in Vegetable Farms

### How can I monitor the data while in the field?

You can monitor all the data via the Soilsense mobile app, available for smartphones and tablets. This way, you can check soil moisture levels and receive alerts wherever you are.

### How long do the sensors last?

Our sensors are designed to last for a minimum of five years, even under harsh environmental conditions. They are water-resistant and weatherproof, they require minimal maintenance.

### Can I integrate SoilSense with other farm management tools I use?

Yes. SoilSense has an easy-to-use REST API and webhooks. With a personal API key you can read your farms, sensors, and soil data — volumetric water content, temperature, salinity, plant-available water, and rainfall — plus the latest reading from every site. Webhooks push new readings and site changes to your own systems in real time, so your data flows straight into the tools you already use.

### Can I use the sensors for multiple crops?

Absolutely. Our sensors are suitable for monitoring different types of crops, from cereals to vegetables, and even orchards and vineyards. Just place the sensors in representative areas of your fields to get useful data for each crop.

### How much does the Soilsense system cost?

The cost depends on the number of sensors you need and the subscription plan you choose. We offer flexible packages tailored to farms of all sizes. Contact us for a personalized quote at contact@soilsense.io

## FAQ — Municipalities and Landscaping Companies

### What does Soilsense do?

Soilsense provides advanced solutions for soil moisture monitoring through sensors that help optimize irrigation, prevent water waste, and improve plant health, especially in urban green spaces.

### How can Soilsense help in managing public green spaces?

Our sensors provide real-time data on soil moisture, enabling precise, data-driven management for parks, gardens, and other green areas. This helps municipalities save water resources, reduce operational costs, and preserve plant health.

### What advantages do Soilsense sensors offer compared to traditional green space management methods?

Unlike traditional practices based on fixed periodic interventions, Soilsense enables smart irrigation based on the plants' actual needs. This leads to more sustainable management, with more efficient water use and reduced waste.

### What results can we expect from using Soilsense?

Municipalities using Soilsense experience improvements in water resource management, reduced water waste, and lower operational costs. Additionally, using soil moisture sensors contributes to healthier green areas, with stronger, more vibrant plants and trees.



## FAQ — Resources

### What does SoilSense do?

SoilSense provides advanced soil-moisture monitoring through wireless sensors that help optimize irrigation, prevent water waste, and improve plant health — on farms, in orchards, and across urban green spaces.

### What results can I expect from using SoilSense?

Better water management, lower operational costs, and healthier crops. Customers consistently report reduced water use, fewer over-irrigation events, and improved yields.

### How do I know when to irrigate?

The sensors send notifications to your phone when soil-moisture levels fall below a crop-specific threshold, so you irrigate only when the plants actually need water.

### Does SoilSense offer technical support and customer service?

Yes — full technical support is included with every system. We help with installation, calibration, and any questions throughout the season, by email, phone, or our online support platform.

### How soon will I see the benefits of the system?

Most customers notice improvements in irrigation efficiency and water savings within the first few weeks. Yield and soil-health improvements compound over the season.

### How much does the SoilSense system cost?

Pricing depends on the number of sensors you need and the subscription plan you choose. We offer flexible packages tailored to farms of all sizes — see current pricing in our shop, or get in touch for a personalised quote.

### How long do the sensors last?

Our sensors are designed to last a minimum of five years even under harsh field conditions. They are water-resistant, weatherproof, and require minimal maintenance.

### Can I use the sensors for multiple crops?

Absolutely. SoilSense works across cereals, vegetables, orchards, and vineyards. Place sensors in representative areas of each crop to get useful data for every zone you irrigate.



## Articles — customer stories, agronomy explainers, and guides

The SoilSense blog publishes field-tested ideas and customer case studies. The 30 English-language articles below are listed newest first; many are also available in Italian, French, Spanish, Polish, German, and Danish.



### Less Diesel, Irrigation Halved: How a Pear Orchard in Emilia-Romagna Manages Water with SoilSense Sensors

Published: 2026-09-04 10:00. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/less-diesel-irrigation-halved-pear-orchard-emilia-romagna

Massimo Gallerani manages 5 hectares of pears in Emilia-Romagna with a single SoilSense system. The result: irrigation cut from 16 to about 6 hours a week, less diesel, more efficient water use, and better-balanced trees — decisions driven by data, not habit.

**Name:** Massimo Gallerani · **Region:** Emilia-Romagna · **Crop:** Pears · **Monitored area:** 5 hectares with a single SoilSense system

In the heart of Emilia-Romagna's pear country, among rows shielded by anti-hail netting and heavy with fruit ready for harvest, **Massimo Gallerani** manages 5 hectares of pears with a single SoilSense monitoring system. The most concrete change? The way he decides **when and how much to irrigate**.

## From 8 hours twice a week to 2 hours every 3 days

**Q: How has irrigation management changed since you started using the sensors?**

> I've been able to fine-tune irrigation much more precisely: I went from 8 hours twice a week to just 2 hours every 3 days.

The numbers tell the whole story: **from 16 hours of irrigation a week to about 6**, while maintaining — in fact improving — the condition of the trees. It's not just about irrigating less, but about **irrigating when it's truly needed**, with shorter, more frequent events calibrated to the orchard's real water demand.

The monitoring charts show this new regularity clearly: closely spaced irrigation cycles that keep plant-available water consistently within the safe moisture range, avoiding both water stress and excess.

## Objective data instead of gut feeling

**Q: In what other ways have the sensors helped you make decisions?**

> They've removed all doubt in the moments when I would have irrigated out of habit, and in others when I wouldn't have irrigated at all. Now I have an objective figure to rely on, instead of going by feel.

This is perhaps the subtlest but most important benefit of continuous monitoring: **removing the margin of uncertainty** that has always come with irrigation decisions. Habit and intuition remain a valuable asset for anyone who has worked the land for years, but when they're paired with objective, continuous data, choices become more solid — and easier to defend, even through atypical seasons.

## Less diesel, water used more efficiently

**Q: What impact has this had on costs and resources?**

> I've saved on both diesel and water — a benefit that's as concrete as it is practical.

Fewer irrigation hours mean **fewer pumping hours**, and therefore less diesel burned to run the system: a direct saving on costs. On top of that comes **more efficient use of water**, an increasingly precious resource.

## Healthier trees, without the excesses of the past

**Q: And how are the trees responding?**

> Taking other factors into account too, the trees are magnificent. I think in past years they suffered from too much water — something I'm now able to avoid.

It's an observation that comes up often among those who begin monitoring the soil continuously: the problem, more than shortage, was **excess**. Irrigating "out of habit" — with long, infrequent cycles like the earlier 8-hour sessions — can deliver more water than the plant can actually use, with consequences for the roots, soil oxygenation and, over time, the vigour of the plant itself. Seeing the data in real time allowed Massimo to correct this tendency.

The result shows in the numbers: **this is the best harvest in years** — an outcome Massimo probably attributes to other factors as well, but in which more precise irrigation management undoubtedly plays a part.

## Next steps: targeted irrigation into autumn, and preparing for spring

**Q: What are the next steps with the sensors?**

> I'll also use them before winter to keep irrigating in a targeted way, and I'm counting on them to help me get ready for spring — for the iron chelate, for example — so I start from an optimal baseline for irrigation.

Monitoring doesn't stop when the harvest season ends: knowing the soil's water status even through the colder months makes it possible to reach bud break with a clear picture of the starting conditions — useful, too, for planning targeted interventions such as iron fertilization, often decisive for the health of the orchard in the early stages of the season.

## One system, a whole orchard running more efficiently

Massimo Gallerani's experience shows how a single SoilSense system, spread across 5 hectares, can transform the irrigation management of an entire pear orchard: **fewer irrigation hours, less diesel, more efficient water use, and better-balanced trees** — all based on objective data rather than long-established habit.

🌐 Want to see how SoilSense can help you manage irrigation in your orchard?

📧  | 📞 +39 351 396 3183


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### Nourishing the Soil to Nourish the Vine: Regenerative Viticulture Meets Precision Technology in Puglia

Published: 2026-08-13 10:00. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/regenerative-viticulture-meets-precision-technology-noicattaro

In his Autumn Crisp vineyard in Noicattaro, Puglia, Rocco Decaro pairs regenerative, organic viticulture with SoilSense sensors — monitoring soil moisture and temperature at 20 and 40 cm to irrigate scientifically, without waste, for healthy, loose, resilient bunches.

**Location:** Noicattaro (BA), Puglia · **Crop:** Autumn Crisp table grapes · **Grower:** Rocco Decaro

There's a simple but radical principle guiding **Rocco Decaro**'s work in his Autumn Crisp vineyard in Noicattaro, at the heart of Puglia's table-grape country: **nourish the soil to nourish the vine**, not the other way around.

It's an approach that turns the logic of conventional viticulture on its head — a logic usually focused on acting directly on the plant through synthetic chemistry. Here the road is a different one: **regenerative, organic agriculture**, where the soil isn't a mere physical support but a living ecosystem to rebuild and safeguard.

## A vineyard that works with microbiology, not against it

Choosing to give up synthetic chemistry and invasive tillage wasn't only an agronomic decision — it was a genuine vision. The work in the field is built on:

- **Consortia of beneficial microorganisms (EM)**, to reactivate the soil's biological life
- **Zeolites**, to improve soil structure and its capacity to hold water and nutrients
- **Organic matter**, to rebuild natural fertility over time

The aim is to recreate a system in balance, where the plant finds everything it needs in the soil, without external forcing.

## Precision technology in the service of the land

A regenerative approach doesn't mean giving up scientific tools: it means using them to **listen to the land more closely**. That's where SoilSense sensors come in — installed **20 and 40 cm deep** in the vineyard since last year, to monitor the soil exactly where most of the root system sits.

> "SoilSense sensors are essential for constantly monitoring soil moisture and how the soil responds, letting me manage irrigation scientifically — without wasting water and in complete harmony with the system I've built."

The chart below, taken from the SoilSense platform, shows this principle in action: **plant-available water** (top) rises sharply with each irrigation and then draws down gradually, while the **volumetric water content** of the soil (bottom) follows the same rhythm at two depths (20 and 40 cm). The green band marks the **safe moisture range**: every irrigation is calibrated to bring the soil back into that band, with nothing wasted.

**Soil temperature**, tracked at the same two depths, tells the same story of stability: smaller, more gradual swings than the air temperature above, the signature of a living, well-structured soil that shields the roots from climatic extremes.

Alongside the soil, the platform also keeps an eye on the microclimate above the canopy: a datalogger in the vineyard continuously records **air temperature** — a complementary reading that helps interpret the plant's heat stress and relate the weather to how the soil responds.

Continuous soil-moisture monitoring makes it possible to:

- **Irrigate only when it's genuinely needed**, avoiding wasted water
- **Understand how the soil** — brought to life by the biological work — responds over time
- **Make decisions based on hard data**, not estimates or habit

In a regenerative system, where soil health is the heart of everything, having objective, continuous feedback on the soil's water response becomes a valuable tool for validating — and refining — agronomic choices.

## The result: a healthy, loose, resilient bunch

The alignment between agronomic vision and precision water management translates into a tangible result, visible right in the bunch: a **healthy, loose, resilient** structure — the mark of well-managed water and nutrition.

But the goal, as Rocco Decaro is quick to point out, goes beyond simply producing fruit:

> "Our goal isn't simply to produce grapes, but to offer the consumer an authentic, healthy fruit — the child of a living soil that is respected and cared for."

## Living soil, living data

This story captures what it really means to bring regenerative and precision agriculture together: two approaches that might look distant at first glance, but that in fact reinforce one another. Work on the soil's microbiology makes the ground more receptive, better able to hold water and nutrients; constant monitoring makes it possible to measure — and therefore value — that work, guiding every irrigation decision without waste.

The result is a fruit that carries with it the story of a land that is cared for, observed, and respected, day after day.

🌐 Want to see how SoilSense can help you optimize irrigation in your vineyard?

📧  | 📞 +39 351 396 3183


---

### SoilSense joins the EIT Food Accelerator Network

Published: 2026-07-14 10:00. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soilsense-joins-eit-food-accelerator-network

We've joined the EIT Food Accelerator Network, Europe's programme for sustainable food innovation. Here's what EIT Food is, and why a mission to help growers use every drop of water wisely made it a natural fit.

SoilSense has joined the **EIT Food Accelerator Network (FAN)**, the pan-European programme — supported by the European Union — that helps agrifood startups build the technology behind more sustainable, water-smart, and resilient food systems. We're glad to be part of it.

## What is EIT Food?

EIT Food is Europe's food innovation initiative, backed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Its goal is a food system that is healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient — and it works towards that by connecting startups, researchers, farmers, universities, and industry from across the continent.

The Accelerator Network is EIT Food's programme for agrifood startups. Over three months, across six specialised innovation hubs in Europe, it pairs young companies with expert mentoring, pilot projects alongside industry partners, and direct access to investors and corporate networks. The 2026 hubs focus on the themes shaping the future of food — from water-smart agrifood systems to future-resilient agriculture and digital, autonomous farming.

## Why we joined

From day one, SoilSense has had a simple mission: help growers give their crops exactly the water they need — and not a drop more. Fresh water is the most precious input in agriculture, and around the world farmers are being asked to grow more with less of it. We build [soil moisture sensors](/buy-soilsense) and a dashboard that turn what's happening below ground into a clear, colour-coded signal, so irrigation decisions are based on what the soil actually needs rather than guesswork or a fixed schedule.

That mission maps almost one-to-one onto what EIT Food is trying to accomplish. Water scarcity, climate resilience, and sustainable production aren't side topics for the network — they're the headline. When a programme dedicates entire hubs to water-smart and future-resilient agriculture, it's working on exactly the problems we get out of bed for. Joining felt less like a new direction and more like finding a community already pointed the same way.

## What it means for the people we build for

Practically, the programme gives us three things we care about:

- **Sharper technology.** Mentoring and pilot projects help us validate and improve what we ship, so the product in a grower's field keeps getting better.
- **A stronger network.** Access to Europe's agrifood researchers, industry partners, and investors helps us reach more farms — and learn from the people closest to the soil.
- **Shared momentum.** Being part of a cohort of like-minded founders, all working on sustainable food, is a reminder that this is bigger than any one company.

None of that changes who we work for. Every bit of support we take from EIT Food is aimed back at the same place it always has been: the grower standing in the field, deciding whether today is a day to irrigate.

## What's next

We'll be taking part in the programme through 2026, and we'll share what we learn along the way. If you're a farmer, a researcher, or a fellow startup who cares about growing more food with less water, we'd love to [hear from you](/contact).

To the EIT Food team and our fellow cohort — thank you for having us. Let's go build a more resilient food system, one field at a time.


---

### How to Integrate SoilSense Soil Moisture Data Using Our API and Webhooks

Published: 2026-06-22 10:00. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/integrate-soil-moisture-data-api-webhooks

A practical guide to connecting SoilSense to the tools you already use — read soil moisture data with our REST API and receive live readings via webhooks.

Most soil moisture sensor systems are a walled garden: your data goes in, but getting it back out for your own tools is an afterthought. SoilSense takes the opposite view. **SoilSense provides an easy-to-use REST API and real-time webhooks, so your soil moisture data can flow into any system you already run** — farm-management software, BI dashboards, irrigation controllers, or a simple spreadsheet.

This guide walks through how to connect SoilSense to your own systems, with practical examples for both pulling data on demand and having it pushed to you the moment it arrives.

## What you can access

With your data open, the readings your sensors collect become building blocks you can use anywhere. Through the API you can read:

- **Volumetric water content** (soil moisture) at every sensor depth
- **Soil temperature** and **salinity**
- **Plant-available water (PAW)** — the metric that actually tells you when to irrigate
- **Precipitation** from connected rain gauges
- Your **farm** and **observation sites**, their configuration, and the full measurement history
- The **latest reading** for any site, for live status checks

It is the same data you see in the [SoilSense dashboard](/product/dashboard), available programmatically.

## Step 1: Create an API key

The API uses simple API-key authentication. Create a key in your SoilSense account settings and treat it like a password — keep it secret and out of client-side code and public repositories.

Every request carries the key in an `x-api-key` header. That is the whole authentication story: no OAuth dance, no tokens to refresh.

## Step 2: Make your first request

With a key in hand, a request is a single line. Here it is with `curl`, fetching your farm details:

```bash
curl https://api.app.soilsense.io/api/farm \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOILSENSE_API_KEY"
```

The same call from JavaScript:

```js
const res = await fetch("https://api.app.soilsense.io/api/farm", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SOILSENSE_API_KEY },
});

const farm = await res.json();
console.log(farm);
```

Every endpoint follows this exact shape — only the path changes. `GET /api/farm/sites` lists your observation sites and their IDs; from there, `GET /api/site/{siteId}/observations/latest` returns the newest reading, `/observations` the full history, and `/precipitation` the data from connected rain gauges. The [API reference](https://api.app.soilsense.io/docs) documents every endpoint with its exact parameters.

## Step 3: Work with the data

Responses come back as clean JSON, so you can drop them straight into whatever you are building. A latest-reading response looks roughly like this:

```json
{
  "timestamp": 1640995200000,
  "rssi": -75,
  "data": {
    "top": {
      "volumetricWaterContent": 25.5,
      "temperature": 18.5,
      "plantAvailableWater": 75.2,
      "salinity": 0.45
    }
  }
}
```

Readings are grouped by sensor depth (`top`, `mid`, `midBot`, `bot`), with `timestamp` in milliseconds since the epoch and moisture values as percentages. From here it is ordinary code. Append the row to a database, post it to a Slack channel when PAW drops below a threshold, write it to a Google Sheet, or forward it to your irrigation controller. Because the full history is available too, you can backfill a dashboard or export everything into a data warehouse whenever you like — your data is never locked in.

## Get data pushed to you with webhooks

Polling the API on a schedule works, but for live integrations it is wasteful. Webhooks flip the model around: instead of you asking for data, SoilSense sends it to an endpoint you control the moment something happens. There are two kinds.

**Telemetry webhooks** deliver new sensor readings as they arrive — the right choice for live dashboards, automated irrigation, and alerting.

**Attributes webhooks** fire when an observation site is created or changed, so your own records stay in sync without anyone re-keying anything.

You register one webhook URL in your device settings; SoilSense appends `/telemetry` and `/attributes` to it, so you expose one route for each. Each event arrives as an HTTP POST with a JSON body. A telemetry payload carries a timestamp and a flat set of values:

```json
{
  "ts": 1640995200000,
  "values": {
    "volumetricWaterContent_top": 25.5,
    "plantAvailableWater_top": 75.2,
    "irrigationStatus": "ok"
  }
}
```

Handling it is as simple as any other route:

```js
app.post("/telemetry", (req, res) => {
  const { ts, values } = req.body;
  // e.g. store the reading, update a dashboard, trigger irrigation
  saveReading(ts, values);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});
```

### Verifying webhooks are genuine

Because a webhook endpoint is a public URL, you should confirm each request really came from SoilSense. When you set a secret on your webhook, SoilSense signs every request with **HMAC-SHA256** and sends the signature in a `SoilSense-Signature` header, formatted as `t=,v1=`. It signs the timestamp and the raw request body joined by a dot — `.` — so you recompute the same HMAC on your side and compare:

```js
import crypto from "node:crypto";

// SoilSense-Signature: t=,v1=
function isFromSoilSense(rawBody, signatureHeader, secret) {
  const parts = Object.fromEntries(
    signatureHeader.split(",").map((kv) => kv.split("=")),
  );

  // SoilSense signs the timestamp and the raw body, joined by a dot.
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac("sha256", secret)
    .update(`${parts.t}.${rawBody}`)
    .digest("hex");

  const received = Buffer.from(parts.v1, "hex");
  const computed = Buffer.from(expected, "hex");
  return (
    received.length === computed.length &&
    crypto.timingSafeEqual(received, computed)
  );
}
```

Two details matter. Verify against the **raw** request body — the exact bytes SoilSense sent, before any JSON parser re-serializes them — or the hashes will not match. And use a constant-time comparison (as above) so the check itself does not leak information. For extra safety against replays, reject any request whose `t` timestamp is more than a few minutes old.

## What you can build

A little glue code connects soil moisture data to the rest of your operation:

- **Farm-management software** — bring soil moisture and plant-available water into the platform where you already plan irrigation.
- **Automated irrigation** — start, stop, or fine-tune controllers from live readings and drying alerts.
- **BI and reporting** — feed dashboards, spreadsheets, and reports for water-use accounting and compliance.
- **Custom alerts** — route readings into your own notification, automation, or analytics pipeline.

## Security and rate limits

A quick checklist before you ship an integration:

- Keep your API key server-side and out of version control.
- Verify webhook signatures with HMAC-SHA256 and reject anything that fails.
- The API applies per-key rate limits — 20 requests per second, 600 per minute, and 10,000 per hour, enforced together. Every response includes `RateLimit-Remaining` and `RateLimit-Reset` headers, and going over returns a `429`. Batch historical pulls and lean on webhooks for anything that needs to be live.

## Start building

Open data is the difference between a sensor you read once a day and a system that quietly powers the tools you already rely on. If you want to connect SoilSense to your own stack, everything you need is ready:

- Read the [full API and webhooks overview](/product/api)
- Dive into the [API reference and examples](https://api.app.soilsense.io/docs)

Have a specific integration in mind? [Get in touch](/contact) — we are happy to help you get the most out of the API and webhooks.


---

### 10 questions to ask before you buy a soil moisture sensor

Published: 2026-05-28 10:00. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/10-questions-before-you-buy-a-soil-moisture-sensor

A buyer's checklist for any soil moisture sensor vendor. Each question pinpoints where research-grade soil measurement parts company with marketing — and what a good answer should sound like.

The question isn't *do I want soil moisture sensors?* — most growers we talk to are past that. The question is *which sensors will actually tell me whether to irrigate today, in my soil, on my crop, without a service contract attached?*

When we lined up [six of the most-discussed wireless soil moisture systems](/best-soil-moisture-sensors) against these criteria — reading their own public spec sheets, manuals, and the peer-reviewed sensor literature — we noticed something consistent: the gap between a research-grade soil measurement and a polished marketing brochure almost always shows up in the same two or three answers to the same ten questions. Ask these in a sales call and you'll know within ten minutes which side of that gap a system sits on.

We built this list from the inside — these are the things we'd ask if we were buying, not selling.

## How to use this list

Send the list to any vendor (us included) and ask for a written answer to each one. Watch for two patterns. The first is hedging — "depends on your soil," "we'd recommend a site visit," "our agronomist team can scope that for you." Sometimes those answers are honest. More often they mean *we don't ship that feature and we don't want to say so.* The second is specificity — a good answer cites a sensor class, a peer-reviewed accuracy band, an installation time in minutes, a price in euros. Vague answers are the data point.

## At a glance

Of the six systems we compared, SoilSense was the only one that answers yes to all ten. The rest of this post is what each question actually means — and how to tell a real answer from a brochure.

## The 10 questions

### 1. What is the sensor's underlying physics?

**What to ask:** Is the probe TDR/TDT class, or capacitance / FDR / ADR class?

**What a good answer sounds like:** A direct technology name and a published field-accuracy band. TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) and TDT (Time Domain Transmissometry) are the tightest field-accuracy class in peer-reviewed comparisons — and they hold up at higher soil salinity. [Capacitance, FDR, and ADR sensors](/blog/soil-moisture-sensor-technologies-an-overview) are cheaper but typically drift to ± 2-5 % VWC after factory calibration, and they get worse as soil EC rises unless you site-calibrate every sensor.

**Why it matters:** Sensor physics sets the ceiling on every other claim. A "smart" platform built on a low-accuracy probe is a polished interface for noisy data — and the noise is exactly what an irrigation decision is most sensitive to.

SoilSense uses TDT — the same physics class as research-grade TDR.

### 2. Does the probe sit buried in undisturbed soil, or does water run along its surface?

**What to ask:** Is this a buried sensor, or a stick-style / screw-in / access-tube probe?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "Buried, with the sensing volume in undisturbed soil." Stick-style, screw-in, and access-tube probes have a known geometry problem: rain and irrigation water can channel down the device's own surface (preferential flow), biasing readings high. Peer-reviewed work on access-tube installations documents up to ± 5 % VWC bias and irrigation flux errors of up to 50 mm/day from this effect alone. Even METER Group — who sell access-tube probes — warns about it in their own installation literature.

**Why it matters:** If your sensor is wetter than the soil around it after a rain event, every downstream calculation (field capacity detection, refill timing, water budget) inherits that bias.

SoilSense sensors are buried — water reaches them through the soil, not down their casing.

### 3. Does the system auto-calibrate field capacity and refill points from my own field's history?

**What to ask:** Where do the system's "irrigate now" / "soil is full" thresholds come from?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "We detect field capacity and refill point automatically from each field's irrigation and rainfall time-series — no soil samples, no lab work, no per-soil manual setup." A weaker answer cites factory defaults ("we use generic thresholds for sandy/loam/clay") or, more often, a paid agronomist service ("our team will calibrate each site for you, included in the package"). The agronomist option works, but you're not buying a sensor at that point — you're buying a consultancy contract priced as a sensor.

**Why it matters:** A field-capacity threshold that's wrong by 3 % VWC will tell you to irrigate days early or days late. On a high-value crop or in a dry season, that's the difference between the system paying for itself and not.

SoilSense learns the thresholds from your field's own behaviour over the first weeks of deployment.

### 4. How does data get from the field to the cloud?

**What to ask:** Does the datalogger have cellular built in, or does it talk to a separate gateway I have to install, power, and maintain?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "Direct cellular — NB-IoT, LTE-M, or 2G — straight to the cloud per device." A weaker answer is "LoRaWAN with a gateway included" — fine in theory, but it means you're installing, powering, and weatherproofing a second piece of hardware, and you're dependent on LoRaWAN coverage for whichever provider the vendor partnered with. If that coverage doesn't exist in your area, you're now buying a private gateway and a base station.

**Why it matters:** Every piece of network infrastructure you own is a piece of network infrastructure you have to debug at 6 a.m. when the data stops coming.

SoilSense ships with cellular built into every datalogger. No gateway.

### 5. How long does installation actually take — and who has to do it?

**What to ask:** Can I install this myself, and how many minutes per site?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "Push-in installation, about 10 minutes per site, no tools beyond a shovel." Weaker answers involve an auger, a drill, a soil-slurry technique, a dealer site visit, or a "professional services" line item on the quote. Some are unavoidable for deep multi-meter profile probes (a real use case, just not a small-farm one). For everything else, an install that needs a technician is an install that adds two-figure costs every time you add a site or move one.

**Why it matters:** The install cost is paid every time you scale. A system that takes 10 minutes per site is a system you can deploy across a 20-hectare farm in an afternoon; a system that takes a day per site is a system you call a dealer about.

SoilSense is push-in. You can walk a field and install as you go.

### 6. Can one device read soil moisture, soil temperature, electrical conductivity *and* rainfall together?

**What to ask:** What does one datalogger actually measure, and what do I have to add on?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "All four — moisture, soil temperature, EC, rainfall — on one device, one timestamp, one app screen." A weaker answer is moisture-only, with an upsell path to a separate weather station for rain and a separate EC probe for salinity. That's two installations, two subscriptions, and two clocks to reconcile when you're trying to figure out why a reading spiked.

**Why it matters:** EC tells you about salinity and fertilizer leaching. Soil temperature tells you about germination windows and nutrient uptake. Rainfall, measured at the field rather than 15 km away at the nearest weather station, is what makes the moisture trace actually interpretable. Stitching them together from separate devices is not the same as having them arrive in one timestamped row.

SoilSense puts all four on one datalogger.

### 7. Can I place sensors at the depths my crop actually roots at — including below 30 cm?

**What to ask:** What's the deepest sensor placement the system supports?

**What a good answer sounds like:** "Configurable per site — you choose the depths, we recommend based on crop." A weaker answer is a fixed ceiling at 30 or 40 cm. That's fine for shallow-rooted vegetables; it's useless for tree crops, vines, and deep-rooted vegetables whose feeder roots sit well below the cap. If the system can't see where the plant is drinking, it can't tell you when the plant is thirsty.

**Why it matters:** Depth matters more than the spec sheet usually admits. A vineyard whose roots reach 80 cm is not a 30-cm-sensor problem with a 30-cm-sensor answer.

SoilSense supports configurable depth placement, including below 30 cm.

### 8. Does the app answer "should I irrigate today?" in plain language?

**What to ask:** Show me the home screen of the mobile app. What's the first thing a non-agronomist sees?

**What a good answer sounds like:** A phone-readable yes/no, a status colour, a "you have N days until refill" — built so one person on one screen makes one decision. A weaker answer dumps a multi-line graph and expects the user to interpret it. Powerful dashboards are great for service agronomists; they're a wall for the farm owner who wanted to know whether to turn the tap on.

**Why it matters:** A sensor system that requires interpretation is a sensor system that requires a human in the loop — usually the vendor's human, on retainer. The whole point of buying the system is to *not* need that human for daily decisions.

SoilSense is intentionally minimal: open the app, see the answer, close the app.

### 9. Is pricing public and per-device, or do I have to "contact sales"?

**What to ask:** Send me a price for one datalogger, three sensors, and a year of subscription. Now send me the same for ten dataloggers.

**What a good answer sounds like:** A number you can find on the public website, with every add-on (rain, EC, additional sensors) priced on the same page. A weaker answer is "contact sales for a custom quote" — which usually means the price depends on how big you look, what country you're in, and which dealer your enquiry routes to. Public pricing isn't a courtesy; it's what makes a small farm able to compare two systems without scheduling two sales calls.

**Why it matters:** Opaque pricing protects margin against the buyer's ability to comparison-shop. That's the entire reason it exists.

SoilSense is €25/month per datalogger billed annually, with every add-on priced on the product page.

### 10. Will you take the system back if it doesn't earn its keep?

**What to ask:** What happens in month two if I decide this isn't working on my fields?

**What a good answer sounds like:** A genuine money-back trial — at least 30 days, ideally longer — with a clearly stated refund process. A weaker answer is a "satisfaction guarantee" with conditions buried in a contract, or no refund policy at all. Vendors who won't stand behind their own data quality in the field don't offer this.

**Why it matters:** A trial is the vendor's own statement of how confident they are that the data will hold up in your soil, with your crop, in your climate. If the answer is "we're not confident enough to refund you," that's the answer.

SoilSense offers a 60-day risk-free trial. Full refund if the system doesn't earn its keep.

## Take this list to the people selling you sensors

If a vendor can answer all ten questions clearly, with specifics — accuracy bands, install times, prices, depth ranges, refund terms — you're probably looking at a system built by people who use it in the field, not just market it. If three or more answers are hedges, that's the data point you needed.

We compared six of the most-discussed wireless soil moisture systems on these same criteria, using each vendor's own public spec sheets and the peer-reviewed sensor literature. The full comparison, with cited sources, lives at [Best soil moisture sensor systems for agriculture in 2026](/best-soil-moisture-sensors).

If SoilSense looks like the right fit for your fields, [see the product page](/product) — or just start a [60-day trial](/buy-soilsense) and let your soil tell you.


---

### Optimizing Nutrition: The Key Role of Soil Temperature and Moisture

Published: 2026-02-24 15:18. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/optimizing-nutrition-the-key-role-of-soil-temperature-and-moisture

A practical guide to SoilSense data: learn to cross-reference temperature and PAW to manage nutrition. From biological awakening to preventing root asphyxia, turn every alert into an agronomic decision.

In precision agriculture, the efficiency of nutrient inputs depends not only on fertilizer quality but also on the environmental conditions that enable its uptake. Constant monitoring of **soil temperature** and **moisture (PAW%)** is the only way to ensure the soil's "biological engine" is running at full capacity

This is why our sensors show real-time soil moisture and temperature at your chosen depths, allowing you to visualize and decide the best time and method for intervention. By using this visibility, we can map soil activity along a rising temperature scale:

### The Biological Window: When the Soil "Works"

The activity of microorganisms responsible for mineralization follows very specific thermal and hydric curves. Using **SoilSense** data, we can identify the main phases of soil status:

**Latency Phase (< 10°C / 50°F):** At these temperatures, mineralization stops and microbial activity is inactive. In this context, irrigation is discouraged as it would not be utilized by the plant-soil system.\
\
**Biological Awakening (10–18°C / 50–64°F):** As temperatures rise, biological awakening begins, releasing essential nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (N-P-K). This is the ideal technical window to plan nutrition.\
\
**Optimal Activity (18–28°C / 64–82°F):** Microbial activity peaks, ensuring maximum root uptake. To support this metabolic effort, it is essential to maintain **PAW ([Plant Available Water](/blog/understanding-plant-available-water-paw-to-optimize-irrigation-management)) between 60% and 75%**.

### Managing Thermal Criticalities: Above 30°C (86°F)

When soil temperature exceeds 30°C, the strategy must change radically to avoid crop damage:

**Dry Condition:** The plant enters thermal stress and responds by closing its stomata. In this case, **short irrigation cycles** are necessary to mitigate stress.\
**Saturated Condition (Danger):** If the soil is saturated with water and the temperature is high, **root asphyxia** occurs due to a lack of oxygen. In this critical state, an immediate **STOP to irrigation** is mandatory.

### Conclusion: The Soil Does Not Lie

Optimizing nutrition means moving beyond habit and acting when the soil is bio-chemically ready to receive. **SoilSense** sensors are designed to be your eyes beneath the surface, transforming theoretical thresholds into certain, visible data on your dashboard.

We invite you to test the system not just as a technological tool, but as a support to validate your agronomic choices directly in your field. Observing in real-time how your soil responds to thermal variations, or identifying the exact moment microbial activity moves from latency to awakening, allows you to experience firsthand the effectiveness of management based on your farm's biological reality.

Seeing the difference between soil that "breathes" and soil under stress allows you to prevent asphyxia before it becomes irreversible damage. It is time to give your land a voice and discover, together with SoilSense, the full potential your soil has yet to express.

**Ready to observe what is happening at your plants' roots?**

Related reading: [why measuring soil electrical conductivity (EC) matters](/blog/why-measure-electrical-conductivity-ec-in-soil) and [how soil moisture sensors prevent fertilizer leaching](/blog/using-soil-moisture-sensors-to-prevent-fertilizer-leaching).

Contact us contact@soilsense.io


---

### Soil Monitoring and Water Saving: Agribo’s Experience with SoilSense Sensors

Published: 2026-01-28 13:21. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soil-monitoring-and-water-saving-agribos-experience-with-soilsense-sensors

Agribo explains how soil monitoring and data-driven irrigation make it possible to save water without reducing yields, combining agricultural tradition with technological innovation.

Agribo is a family-run agricultural company that, despite its growth and the involvement of several collaborators, continues to carry forward a tradition built on hard work, experience, and passion.

Their story is told by **Raffaele Bodano**, fourth generation at the helm of the company, together with **Giacomo Marras**, a phytochemistry specialist and trusted technical partner responsible for crop protection, nutrition, and irrigation management.

In an increasingly complex agricultural landscape—where water availability can no longer be taken for granted—Agribo decided to take a step forward: **accurately monitoring soil moisture to irrigate only when necessary and in the most effective way**.

## From Tradition to Innovation: Why Agribo Began Monitoring the Soil

The need arose from a very concrete challenge: the prospect of a significant reduction in available irrigation volumes due to restrictions imposed by the local Water Management Authority.

“The goal was to find a monitoring system that would allow us to save water in a controlled way, without causing any loss in production.”

In other words, saving water—yes—but without putting yields at risk.

This led Agribo to search for a technology capable of transforming irrigation from a routine habit into a **decision driven by real field data**.

## Choosing SoilSense: Evaluation, Comparison, and Technical Support

During the selection process, Raffaele involved Giacomo, a technical professional already deeply integrated into the farm’s management, with expertise ranging from crop nutrition to irrigation strategies.

“Together we studied the system and compared it with other solutions on the market. In the end, we chose SoilSense because it best matched our actual needs.”

This decision was the result of hands-on evaluation and comparison. The objective was clear: **a tool that could be easily applied in the field and provide concrete, actionable insights**.

## Continuous Data, Better Decisions: Benefits After the First Months

After the first few months of use, Agribo identified a key advantage: **continuous data availability**, enabling more accurate decisions about:

- irrigation intervals
- duration of irrigation events
- the optimal timing for intervention

Previously, irrigation was managed using a fairly uniform approach across different areas, mainly based on sprinkler type. Data analysis, however, revealed something crucial: **soil behavior can vary significantly even over very short distances**.

“We noticed substantial differences due to soil type, which can vary even between nearby areas.”

For this reason, Agribo placed dataloggers in homogeneous soil zones, allowing them to identify different irrigation needs even between adjacent plots. The result is **a more targeted and less standardized approach**, leading to more efficient water use.

## A Shared App That Supports Teamwork

Another major advantage is the ability to collaborate more effectively. Giacomo, for example, uses the app as a guest user and can monitor daily activity:

- rainfall events
- irrigation cycles
- soil response over time

“I can see everything that happens throughout the day… the tool is extremely effective.”

This highlights an important point: SoilSense is not just a data collection system, but a **shared decision-support tool**, enabling faster and more precise technical advice.

## Beyond Water: Electrical Conductivity Monitoring for Precise Fertilization

Agribo did not stop at monitoring soil moisture alone. An **electrical conductivity sensor** was also installed, with the clear aim of improving fertilization management.

The benefits are twofold:

- preventing fertilizer from remaining too close to the surface, where it is less effective
- avoiding leaching too deep into the soil, beyond the reach of plant roots

The result is **greater nutrient efficiency and cost savings**, as each intervention becomes more precise and truly beneficial to the crop.

## Advice to Other Farmers: “Test It in the Field”

When it comes to new technology, the same question always arises: *will it really work on my farm?*

Agribo’s answer is straightforward: **test it in the field**.

“One of the factors that led us to choose this system was the possibility to test it at an affordable cost by renting it.”

The rental option is seen as a tangible advantage, allowing farmers to experiment without making an immediate long-term investment—and, most importantly, to verify whether the system truly fits their soil conditions and crops.

## Combining Technology and Tradition with SoilSense

In **Quartu Sant’Elena**, Agribo demonstrates how a fruit and vegetable farm with four generations of history can successfully integrate innovation and agronomic expertise to operate more efficiently. Thanks to **SoilSense sensors**, Raffaele and his team rely on continuous data to decide **when and how long to irrigate**, adapting irrigation schedules to real soil variability and optimizing fertilization through conductivity monitoring.

A practical and effective solution for **saving water and agricultural inputs**, while maintaining high production quality.

🌱 To learn more about Agribo, visit their Facebook page: *[Agribo – Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054487748844\&locale=da_DK)*

🌐 Want to discover how SoilSense can help you optimize irrigation?

📧  | 📞 +39 351 396 3183


---

### Regenerative Agriculture in Denmark: SoilSense Soil Moisture Sensors at Godis Grønt

Published: 2025-11-28 10:16. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/regenerative-agriculture-in-denmark-soilsense-soil-moisture-sensors-at-godis-gront

Discover how Godis Grønt uses regenerative farming practices and SoilSense soil moisture sensors to optimize irrigation, save time, and build a resilient, biodiverse organic vegetable farm.

At **Godis Grønt** in Denmark, Fredrik Sahlin and his team are building a **certified organic farm&#x20;**&#x72;ooted in regenerative principles: **integrating vegetables**,**&#x20;animals**, an&#x64;**&#x20;trees**; **minimizing soil disturbance**; and maintaining **year-round green cover**. They supply families and local restaurants through direct sales, strengthening the connection between growers and eaters.

We spoke with Fredrik about his approach to **regenerative farming**, th&#x65;**&#x20;goals** guiding his work, and ho&#x77;**&#x20;SoilSense supports irrigation decisions**.

#### Tell us about Godis Grønt.

> Godis Grønt is &#x61;**&#x20;certified organic mixed vegetable farm**. We’re building it as a regenerative farm with polyculture, alley-cropping with trees, holistic grazing, small grains, and vegetables as our main crop.\
> \
> **We sell directly to consumers and restaurants**: we supply restaurants, plus 200 families who buy shares of our production in advance and pick up their harvest throughout the season. In this way, t**hey can see the way we farm**, our approach and the results: there's **more life in the soil**, and there’s a lot of **biodiversity** on our fields.\
> \
> This direct relationship is really important to us, it's an **educational aspect** that helps people understand the approach to regenerative farming.

#### What is important for you in the way you run your operation?

> We hav&#x65;**&#x20;three core goals**.\
> \
> **First**, we want this to be **a wonderful place to work**, not just environmentally sustainable, but mentally too. People should feel happy, motivated, and engaged here, with fair pay and working hours that allow space for life outside the farm.\
> \
> **Second**, we want to **build community&#x20;**&#x61;round farming and cooking. We host dinners, field tours, and spaces where families can share recipes and connect.\
> \
> **Third**, we want to **grow regeneratively**. I see regenerative agriculture as **a toolbox**: minimal soil disturbance, year-round green cover, integrating animals into crop rotation, stimulating soil microbiology. **It's a welcoming approach** because you can start with one tool and build from there: I hope that when farmers try just one practice and see good results, it can become a gateway to experimenting with more.\
> \
> Here **at Godis Grønt, we want to use all the tools**: growing regeneratively is very important to us.

#### What challenges were you facing with irrigation?

> **The weather is just getting more and more extreme**. When it's dry, it's dry for longer, and when it's wet, it's really wet for longer. We just need to be prepared for extremes all the time.\
> \
> You have ambitions of being in touch with all the fields and all the crops all the time, but the to-do list is just endless. **So that’s why we tried SoilSense**.

#### How did SoilSense change your irrigation management?

> We have **SoilSense systems** both **in the field** an&#x64;**&#x20;in the greenhouse**.\
> \
> **In the field, it helps us know when we should irrigate**. **In the greenhouse**, where we're physically there all the time as it’s very labor intensive, **it helps us adjust and keep moisture levels stable**, otherwise they can fluctuate quite a lot.\
> \
> **Having enough water for vegetables is so critical**. Now I can just take out my phone and see: should I irrigate now or can I wait? Where on the priority list should I put it? It's been really helpful to know exactly when.

## Simplifying Farm Management with SoilSense

At Godis Grønt, regenerative farming meets practical technology: **SoilSense** gives Fredrik and his team th&#x65;**&#x20;real-time soil data&#x20;**&#x68;e needs **to make confident irrigation decisions**, freeing up time to focus on the bigger vision: building a thriving, biodiverse farm that feeds and connects the local community.

🌱 Learn more about Godis Grønt at [godisgront.dk ](https://godisgront.dk)or [@godis\_gront](https://www.instagram.com/godis_gront/?hl=en)

�&#xDF10;**&#x20;Interested in how SoilSense can help you optimize your irrigation?** Contact us at contact@soilsense.io / +45 31672669.


---

### Sommerstedet: Orchard Care with Smart Irrigation Monitoring

Published: 2025-10-13 11:23. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/sommerstedet-orchard-care-with-smart-irrigation-monitoring

At Sommerstedet, an orchard in Denmark, SoilSense provides real-time soil monitoring and remote irrigation management, helping 2,000 apple trees stay healthy and productive.

At **SoilSense**, we work with farms of all sizes and backgrounds.

One of them is Sommerstedet, a small organic orchard in Denmark run by Michael Telling.

We recently spoke with Michael about the story of Sommerstedet, what it’s like to run it alongside a full-time career, and the challenges and solutions he has found along the way.

#### Tell us about Sommerstedet.

> We planted the orchard in 2022, and we now have 2000 apple trees across1.5 hectares, selling mainly to the hotel industry as well as selected retail outlets.\
> \
> **We specialise in single-varietal apple juice**, as we sort the apples by type, so you can truly taste the unique character of each variety.

#### What made you decide to start an orchard?

> It was purely an interest of mine. I wanted to use a completely different part of my brain compared to my office-focused daily work. It’s a hobby, but also a learning experience: understanding the land, caring for the trees, and **figuring out how to make the orchard thrive**.

#### What challenges were you facing before regarding irrigation?

> One of the **biggest challenges** when you’re completely new to agriculture is learning how to read your crops: **knowing when they need water**, or if they’ve had too much, like it happened last year in Denmark.\
> \
> Often, by the time you notice signs of **water stress** in the trees, it’s already too late for the fruit.

#### How did SoilSense change your management of irrigation?

> Before, I would check roots or dig into the soil to gauge moisture levels. It was time-consuming and impossible to manage while traveling.\
> \
> With **SoilSense**, I get notifications on my phone and can adjust irrigation remotely. I travel quite a lot, so keeping control of the need for irrigation and being able to access that remotely **has been a huge advantage**. I can see how much rainfall we’ve had before deciding whether to\
> supplement with irrigation.\
> \
> Now, even while abroad, I can manage everything from my phone.\
> \
> **My life has become so much easier.**

#### What would you recommend to a grower facing similar challenges?

I can tell them **SoilSense has been a really good investment for me**.\
\
If anybody wants to discuss or learn from my experience, they are welcome to reach out.

#### Simplifying Orchard Management with SoilSense

With the support of smart monitoring tools like **SoilSense**, Michael runs an orchard that produces **premium** organic fruit while keeping operations **manageable** and **efficient**.

🌱 Learn more about Sommerstedet at [sommerstedet.dk](https://sommerstedet.dk) and Instagram:\
[sommerstedet6560](https://www.instagram.com/sommerstedet6560/?hl=en), or contact Michael directly at michael@sommerstedet.dk / +45 2279 8181.

🌐 Interested in how SoilSense can help you optimize your irrigation? Contact us at contact@soilsense.io / +45 31672669.


---

### Why You Should Measure Soil Moisture Through Winter

Published: 2025-09-24 13:20. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/why-you-should-measure-soil-moisture-through-winter

While crops may be dormant, your soil is anything but asleep. Modern soil moisture sensors have revealed that winter soil dynamics are far more active and important than we previously understood.

While crops may be **dormant&#x20;**&#x69;n winter, **your soil isn’t**.\
\
Beneath the surface, water, salts, and nutrients continue to move, and how you manage them now **will shape your crop performance in spring**. With modern soil moisture and EC sensors, you can track these changes in real time and make **cost-effective, data-driven decisions**.

## Why Winter Monitoring Matters: The Science and Practice

### Preventing Salt Accumulation

Winter **rain alone isn’t always enough to flush salts out of the root zone**.\
\
In some soils, water doesn’t infiltrate deeply, leaving salts to build up just below where roots will grow. **By the time spring arrives, plants can already be stressed&#x20;**&#x62;efore the season even begins.\
\
With sensors,**&#x20;you can monitor soil EC (electrical conductivity)** and see whether salts are actually being leached. This allows you to **decide if and when** a targeted leaching irrigation is needed.\
\
➡️ **Result:** less yield loss and **stronger, healthier plants** in March–April.

### Waterlogging and Root Protection

Overly wet soils create **real risks for crops**.\
\
Prolonged saturation leads to oxygen depletion, **fungal pressure**, and **root rot.**\
\
**Soil moisture sensors alert you** when soils stay saturated for too long, giving you the chance to act before the damage is done.\
\
➡️ **Result:** fewer plant losses, lower crop protection costs, and **healthier soil structure**.

### Smarter Fertilization

Winter rains can wash away nutrients applied in autumn.\
\
With soil moisture monitoring, you can check whether nutrients remain available or if they’ve been lost. T**his insight helps you avoid unnecessary fertilizer applications in spring**.\
\
➡️ **Result:** less waste, more **targeted fertilization**, and reduced nutrient runoff.\
\
**And there’s a financial bonus:** Knowing already in February how your soil and nutrients are doing **allows you to estimate fertilizer and water budgets and purchases with much greater precision**.

### Building Historical Data

Every field behaves differently when it comes to infiltration, retention, and drainage. By adding winter data, you complete your soil’s **seasonal moisture curve** and strengthen your **long-term decision-making**.\
\
This historical dataset helps you:

- Compare different years and rainfall patterns
- Identify fields with declining infiltration due to compaction
- Anticipate spring soil conditions
- Manage risks like drought, heavy rainfall, and salinity more precisely

➡️ **Result:** each year your management improves, you become more precise and **face fewer surprises**.

## Why Winter Monitoring Is More Important Than Ever

Climate variability is making traditional seasonal predictions **less reliable**.\
\
Warmer winters can lead to increased evaporation and earlier soil drying. Extreme precipitation events can overwhelm soil infiltration capacity. Drought conditions can leave soils significantly under-recharged heading into spring.

Winter soil monitoring isn’t extra work: it’s a **cost-effective investment**.\
\
The data you collect during winter months provides the foundation for smarter irrigation decisions, better soil health management, and more efficient resource use throughout the entire growing season. By preventing salt stress, protecting roots, avoiding wasted fertilizer, and building a long-term soil record, you save money, conserve water, and reduce risk.

Your soil doesn't sleep through winter, and neither should your monitoring system!

## Technology Made Simple: Your Winter Monitoring Strategy

SoilSense makes winter monitoring practical for every grower:

- **Real-time data straight to your phone** with automatic alerts.
- **Easy installation** without drills or special tools.
- **Superior accuracy** with advanced high-frequency sensors, designed for **precise&#x20;**&#x73;oil moisture measurement
- **Multi-parameter tracking,** including soil moisture, temperature, and EC, perfect for **tracking salt leaching** during winter months.

Whether you’re managing orchards or row crops, SoilSense helps you see what’s really happening underground, so you can make decisions with confidence.


---

### Agricola Schianchi: Smart Planning for Sustainable Organic Agriculture

Published: 2025-06-30 10:14. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/agricola-schianchi-smart-planning-for-sustainable-organic-agriculture

Agricola Schianchi is an organic farm that integrates traditional agricultural wisdom with soil monitoring technologies to ensure quality and sustainability.

In modern organic agriculture, success is measured not only in harvests, but in how we respect the land to build a sustainable future.\
\
This is the philosophy that inspires **Agricola Schianchi**, a family-run fruit and vegetable farm that cultivates 12 hectares using certified organic methods, dedicating itself to the production of vegetables and cereals while respecting consumers, producers, and the environment.

#### Can you tell us about your farm and how you got started?

> We were 'born' in 2018 on the fields that our grandparents passed down to us, after whom we named the company. My brother Alessandro and I manage it - we have degrees in architecture and engineering respectively. We chose this path out of passion, a sort of calling to the land cultivated by our grandparents and nurtured by our parents, who 'accepted' and supported all of this.

#### When did you decide to become farmers?

> I'd say we already knew our path when we were 10 years old, when my brother and I would fantasize about what we would grow. Then high school and university degrees in construction topics didn't derail our path, but I think they made it more conscientious.

#### What principles guide your agricultural approach?

> For me, planning linked to environmental and economic sustainability is very important. Everything must, let's say, stand on its own. In agriculture, a mistake is most often resolved the following year. Plan, prevent, simplify.

#### What would you say to yourselves if you could go back to the moment when you started farming?

> Don't plant too much thinking you'll make up for losses with quantity. Plant the right amount and take care of it the best you can.

## Building a Sustainable Future

Agricola Schianchi's philosophy of "plan, prevent, simplify" finds a valuable ally in precision technology. Using SoilSense for soil monitoring, their planning becomes even more accurate: real-time data on soil parameters allows them to prevent problems before they manifest and make more informed and timely agronomic decisions.\
\
We are proud to support farmers like the Pizzarotti brothers who, by combining agricultural knowledge passed down through time with precision tools like SoilSense, demonstrate how organic agriculture can be a conscious entrepreneurial choice, where smart technology amplifies environmental and economic sustainability.\
\
🌱Visit their website at [www.agricolaschianchi.it](http://www.agricolaschianchi.it) or buy their products [here](https://www.agricolaschianchi.it/#come-acquistare-i-nostri-prodotti).\
🌐 Want to join the SoilSense network? Contact us at .


---

### Tensiometers vs. SoilSense: A Smarter Way to Track Soil Moisture

Published: 2025-05-09 10:37. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/tensiometers-vs-soilsense-a-smarter-way-to-track-soil-moisture

Compare tensiometers vs. SoilSense to discover a smarter, low-maintenance way to monitor soil moisture and improve irrigation decisions based on real-time, field-calibrated data.

Understanding when to irrigate is one of the most critical — and often most challenging — aspects of land management. For years, tensiometers have helped growers monitor soil moisture levels by measuring the tension with which water is held in the soil. But while the concept is sound, it comes with some hidden complexity.\
\
Let’s take a closer look at **how tensiometers work, where they fall short, and how SoilSense offers a more modern, scalable alternative**.

## 🌡️ Tensiometers Have Been Used for Decades — and for Good Reason

Tensiometers measure soil water tension in units like kPa or centibars. These values indicate how tightly water is held in the soil — in other words, how much effort plants need to extract it. It’s an intuitive concept: low tension means water is readily available; high tension means the soil is drying out.

Farmers and researchers have used tensiometers for decades to make more informed irrigation decisions, especially in high-value crops or experimental setups.

### ⚠️ Key Limitations:

- **Soil-type sensitivity**: This is the biggest challenge. A tension reading of, say, 60 kPa might indicate drought stress in sandy soil — but in clay, it could still mean there’s plenty of moisture. **You need to know your exact soil type, often even at different depths**, to interpret the numbers correctly.

* **Maintenance burden**: Tensiometers must be filled with water, sealed properly, and checked regularly for air bubbles. In freezing conditions, they can crack or lose functionality altogether.

- **Manual or expensive digital reading**: Unless paired with a data logger (which adds cost and complexity), tensiometers **must be read in the field**.

So while tensiometers can be accurate, they require constant maintenance and detailed soil knowledge to deliver useful insights.

## 💡 SoilSense: Smart, Calibrated, and Effortless

SoilSense takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of relying on generic tension values and soil-type guesswork, it learns from the **specific soil it's installed in**.

**1.&#x20;**&#x54;he sensor is installed in the soil — **no water filling or sealing required**.

**2.&#x20;**&#x41;s the soil goes through a natural wet-dry cycle (e.g., after rain or irrigation), **the system automatically detects [field capacity](/blog/what-is-field-capacity-and-why-is-it-important)** — the point at which excess water has drained and the soil holds as much water as it can.

**3.&#x20;**&#x46;rom there, **it calculates the range of plant-available water&#x20;**(PAW) and begins tracking how much water is left in the soil in simple percentage terms (% volumetric water content).

**4.** SoilSense then **defines a refill zone** — the range where you should begin planning irrigation —**&#x20;based on current soil conditions**, not on assumptions or outdated reference values.

**5.** **You receive real-time**, location-specific **recommendations** for when to irrigate — no interpretation or manual reading required.

All of this is **delivered to your phone&#x20;**&#x6F;r computer, and the system is powered by solar energy. Once installed, it requires virtually **no maintenance**.

## 🧠 Always Up to Date — No Guesswork Required

Because **SoilSense defines moisture zones based on real, field-calibrated data**, it reflects actual plant needs rather than generic thresholds. And unlike static tools, **it continues to learn and adapt over time**. If soil conditions change due to compaction, organic matter, or land use, SoilSense recalibrates automatically.

Here’s **how it compares**:

Tensiometer ReadingSoilSense Moisture LevelRecommended Action0–10 kPa (Saturated)Above field capacityNo irrigation – soil is draining10–30 kPa (Field capacity)~80–100% of PAWIdeal conditions – no action needed30–60 kPa (Refill zone)~40–80% of PAWMonitor – plan irrigation soon&gt;60 kPa (Dry/stress)Below 40% of PAWIrrigate – soil moisture too low

## ✅ The Bottom Line

Tensiometers have played an important role in precision agriculture — but they depend heavily on your expertise and daily attention to remain useful.

SoilSense removes that burden. It adapts to your soil, not the other way around — and gives you **precise, actionable insights&#x20;**&#x77;ith minimal effort. Whether you manage multiple fields or just want to simplify irrigation decisions, [SoilSense](/product) offers a more scalable, intuitive, and dependable solution.

New to choosing a sensor? It's worth comparing the [main soil moisture sensor technologies](/blog/soil-moisture-sensor-technologies-an-overview) and reading the [ten questions to ask before you buy one](/blog/10-questions-before-you-buy-a-soil-moisture-sensor).


---

### Smart Irrigation in Chile: How SoilSense Is Transforming Water Management in South American Agriculture

Published: 2025-03-24 15:32. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/smart-irrigation-in-chile-how-soilsense-is-transforming-water-management-in-south-american-agriculture

In this interview, farmer Felipe Rodríguez shares how SoilSense's all-in-one, cost-effective solution helps optimize water use, cut energy costs, and boost crop health.

In agriculture, knowing exactly when to water can make or break a harvest.\
\
Felipe Rodríguez, an experienced farmer and SoilSense distributor for Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, has tried many soil probes over the years, most of which felt overcomplicated and incomplete. Then he discovered SoilSense.\
\
“**Farmers are looking for simple, easy-to-understand solutions that can operate in the field. SoilSense points in that direction**,” explains Rodríguez.\
\
In this interview, Felipe shares why he sees SoilSense as the most cost-efficient and accurate tool for smarter irrigation, helping farmers across South America grow healthier crops.

#### Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work in agriculture?

I am Felipe Rodríguez, General Manager of Agricola Santa Inés de Chile. I am a farmer. I started the plantations in 2009 with walnut trees, followed by avocados and strawberries.

#### Why did you choose SoilSense?

I’ve been working with soil moisture probes for more than 10 years.

The first ones I installed were extremely complicated. I always felt that using these probes required a high level of training, and not everyone could interpret the data easily.\
\
That's what drew me to SoilSense. **The system is incredibly easy to use**, making it simple to determine exactly when to irrigate. Everything is now on my phone, and my entire team receives irrigation alerts through WhatsApp.

#### What irrigation-related challenges do your customers face?

Walnuts are very susceptible to root fungus, and poor irrigation can lead to tree loss. During the fruit growth period, we also can’t fall short on water, or the fruit won’t reach the desired size.\
\
**Agriculture is a business of timing and opportunity**, and tools like this help make the right decisions at the right time.

#### From your experience, what are the long-term benefits of using SoilSense?

With rising energy costs and water scarcity, monitoring irrigation has become essential. **SoilSense is much more affordable than other options**, yet the results are just as good.\
\
The more monitoring points you have, the better you can manage water use and reduce energy costs, which are a significant part of production costs in Chile.

#### Compared to other irrigation solutions you’ve worked with, what are the biggest advantages of SoilSense?

I see 3 great advantages:

1. **It is easy** to understand how much and when to water.
2. **It is very simple to install** by yourself, with no special tools or expertise required, perfect for relocating with seasonal crops like strawberries.
3. **It has low implementation costs**, as no special networks or additional equipment are needed for the system to function. Just turn on the datalogger, and you are online.

#### How does SoilSense compare to other technologies available?

**There is no solution similar to SoilSense in Chile.**\
\
In general, irrigation probe suppliers work together with companies that provide the connectivity and software to operate them. **SoilSense is an integrated solution**—probes, datalogger, software, and irrigation recommendations. You can’t find this on the market.

## Discover How SoilSense Can Optimize Your Irrigation Management

By providing an all-in-one solution that's both affordable and user-friendly, SoilSense has helped Felipe and many other farmers across South America make better irrigation decisions, save water, and grow healthier crops.\
\
Interested in learning how it can work for your operation?\
Get in touch at 📞 +45 31672669 or 📧  to get started, or reach out to Felipe at 📧 .


---

### AI in Agriculture: SoilSense Launching Feature to Simplify Irrigation

Published: 2025-03-03 13:32. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/ai-in-agriculture-soilsense-launching-feature-to-simplify-irrigation

SoilSense's new feature takes precision irrigation to the next level, making water management smarter, more efficient, and simpler than ever.

### Supporting Farmers with a New Feature For Precision Irrigation

At SoilSense, we’re committed to making irrigation smarter, simpler, and more efficient for farmers worldwide.\
\
Now, we’re taking a major step forward with our latest precision irrigation update.

Our new **AI Assistant** analyzes real-time field data, combines it with weather forecasts, and provides clear, actionable recommendations—so you always know the best course of action for your crops.

### How This New Feature Benefits Farmers

Unlike other AI-driven agricultural solutions that rely on satellite imagery or remote sensing, SoilSense **integrates AI directly with TDT o TDR (Time-Domain Transmission) soil moisture sensors**. This means:

✅**&#x20;Real-time, hyper-local data** directly from your fields, rather than broad estimations.\
\
✅ **Precision irrigation decisions**, optimizing water use at the root zone level.\
\
✅ **More accurate recommendations** compared to AI models based on remote sensing alone.

This intelligent assistant is seamlessly integrated into your dashboard, making it easier than ever to get instant insights. Whether you need guidance on irrigation, best agricultural practices, or agronomy-related questions, the AI Assistant is here to support you every step of the way.

### Introducing the Future of AI-Powered Precision Irrigation

With this latest update, we're taking precision irrigation to the next level. By combining real-time analytics with AI-driven insights, we're making water management easier, more efficient, and more adaptable than ever before.

**[Subscribe to our newsletter today](https://mailchi.mp/soilsense/newsletter)** and get updates on the official launch.


---

### Get Your SoilSense System Ready for the Growing Season

Published: 2025-02-05 17:03. URL: https://www.soilsense.io/blog/get-your-soilsense-system-ready-for-the-growing-season

Make sure your SoilSense system is ready for the growing season with this quick and easy checklist.

The growing season is one of the busiest times of the year

As it approaches for our customers in the Northern Hemisphere, now it’s a good time to make sure your SoilSense system is ready. A quick check now can help ensure everything runs smoothly when you need it most.

### Already Installed? Just Check the App!

If your system is already installed, the quickest way to ensure everything is working smoothly is to check the SoilSense app. If the app is receiving updated data, you’re good to go and no further action is needed!

If you’re not receiving data, follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the location and check that the devices are turned on.
2. If they are off, turn them on and check the app again.
3. If you’re using the SoilSense system with the gateway, replace your device’s battery and try again.

If the issue persists, don’t hesitate to contact us at .

### Need to Move Your SoilSense System to a New Location?

Simply move your system to the desired spot and follow this easy guide to update its location in the app.

### Haven’t Installed Your System Yet?

If you haven’t set up your system yet, don’t worry! Setting up the system takes only 10 minutes and basic tools. Follow our step-by-step video tutorials and begin collecting valuable data for your fields right away:

### Get Ready for the Growing Season with SoilSense

By making sure your system is fully operational before the growing season, you can optimize your irrigation start date and enhance crop health while saving resources. Let’s get you the most profitable and sustainable growing season yet!

If you have any questions, we’re here to help! Reach out to us at [support@soilsense.io](mailto:support@soilsense.io) for further guidance.


## All blog articles (English)

- [Less Diesel, Irrigation Halved: How a Pear Orchard in Emilia-Romagna Manages Water with SoilSense Sensors](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/less-diesel-irrigation-halved-pear-orchard-emilia-romagna) — Massimo Gallerani manages 5 hectares of pears in Emilia-Romagna with a single SoilSense system. The result: irrigation cut from 16 to about 6 hours a week, less diesel, more efficient water use, and better-balanced trees — decisions driven by data, not habit.
- [Nourishing the Soil to Nourish the Vine: Regenerative Viticulture Meets Precision Technology in Puglia](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/regenerative-viticulture-meets-precision-technology-noicattaro) — In his Autumn Crisp vineyard in Noicattaro, Puglia, Rocco Decaro pairs regenerative, organic viticulture with SoilSense sensors — monitoring soil moisture and temperature at 20 and 40 cm to irrigate scientifically, without waste, for healthy, loose, resilient bunches.
- [SoilSense joins the EIT Food Accelerator Network](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soilsense-joins-eit-food-accelerator-network) — We've joined the EIT Food Accelerator Network, Europe's programme for sustainable food innovation. Here's what EIT Food is, and why a mission to help growers use every drop of water wisely made it a natural fit.
- [How to Integrate SoilSense Soil Moisture Data Using Our API and Webhooks](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/integrate-soil-moisture-data-api-webhooks) — A practical guide to connecting SoilSense to the tools you already use — read soil moisture data with our REST API and receive live readings via webhooks.
- [10 questions to ask before you buy a soil moisture sensor](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/10-questions-before-you-buy-a-soil-moisture-sensor) — A buyer's checklist for any soil moisture sensor vendor. Each question pinpoints where research-grade soil measurement parts company with marketing — and what a good answer should sound like.
- [Optimizing Nutrition: The Key Role of Soil Temperature and Moisture](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/optimizing-nutrition-the-key-role-of-soil-temperature-and-moisture) — A practical guide to SoilSense data: learn to cross-reference temperature and PAW to manage nutrition. From biological awakening to preventing root asphyxia, turn every alert into an agronomic decision.
- [Soil Monitoring and Water Saving: Agribo’s Experience with SoilSense Sensors](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soil-monitoring-and-water-saving-agribos-experience-with-soilsense-sensors) — Agribo explains how soil monitoring and data-driven irrigation make it possible to save water without reducing yields, combining agricultural tradition with technological innovation.
- [Regenerative Agriculture in Denmark: SoilSense Soil Moisture Sensors at Godis Grønt](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/regenerative-agriculture-in-denmark-soilsense-soil-moisture-sensors-at-godis-gront) — Discover how Godis Grønt uses regenerative farming practices and SoilSense soil moisture sensors to optimize irrigation, save time, and build a resilient, biodiverse organic vegetable farm.
- [Sommerstedet: Orchard Care with Smart Irrigation Monitoring](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/sommerstedet-orchard-care-with-smart-irrigation-monitoring) — At Sommerstedet, an orchard in Denmark, SoilSense provides real-time soil monitoring and remote irrigation management, helping 2,000 apple trees stay healthy and productive.
- [Why You Should Measure Soil Moisture Through Winter](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/why-you-should-measure-soil-moisture-through-winter) — While crops may be dormant, your soil is anything but asleep. Modern soil moisture sensors have revealed that winter soil dynamics are far more active and important than we previously understood.
- [Agricola Schianchi: Smart Planning for Sustainable Organic Agriculture](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/agricola-schianchi-smart-planning-for-sustainable-organic-agriculture) — Agricola Schianchi is an organic farm that integrates traditional agricultural wisdom with soil monitoring technologies to ensure quality and sustainability.
- [Tensiometers vs. SoilSense: A Smarter Way to Track Soil Moisture](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/tensiometers-vs-soilsense-a-smarter-way-to-track-soil-moisture) — Compare tensiometers vs. SoilSense to discover a smarter, low-maintenance way to monitor soil moisture and improve irrigation decisions based on real-time, field-calibrated data.
- [Smart Irrigation in Chile: How SoilSense Is Transforming Water Management in South American Agriculture](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/smart-irrigation-in-chile-how-soilsense-is-transforming-water-management-in-south-american-agriculture) — In this interview, farmer Felipe Rodríguez shares how SoilSense's all-in-one, cost-effective solution helps optimize water use, cut energy costs, and boost crop health.
- [AI in Agriculture: SoilSense Launching Feature to Simplify Irrigation](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/ai-in-agriculture-soilsense-launching-feature-to-simplify-irrigation) — SoilSense's new feature takes precision irrigation to the next level, making water management smarter, more efficient, and simpler than ever.
- [Get Your SoilSense System Ready for the Growing Season](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/get-your-soilsense-system-ready-for-the-growing-season) — Make sure your SoilSense system is ready for the growing season with this quick and easy checklist.
- [Why Choose SoilSense? Expert Insights from an Agronomist](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/why-choose-soilsense-expert-insights-from-an-agronomist) — Etmond Shkembi, an expert agronomist with 30+ years of experience, shares his insights on how SoilSense provides real-time data on soil moisture, temperature, and nutrients.
- [Agronomists’ Top Strategies for Irrigation and Water Management in Sustainable Agriculture and Urban Green Spaces](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/agronomists-top-strategies-for-irrigation-and-water-management-in-sustainable-agriculture-and-urban-green-spaces) — In this blog post we share insights from one of the contributors, agronomist Simone Fiorentino, who delivered a detailed analysis of how the current climate crisis is impacting both natural and urban ecosystems.
- [Getting Started with SoilSense Sensors](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/getting-started-with-soilsense-sensors) — Discover SoilSense sensors: easy to install, intuitive to use, and designed to optimize irrigation, improve crop health, and reduce costs.
- [Using Soil Moisture Sensors to Prevent Fertilizer Leaching](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/using-soil-moisture-sensors-to-prevent-fertilizer-leaching) — Learn how soil moisture sensors can prevent nutrient loss by tracking water movement and detecting over-irrigation.
- [Why measure Electrical Conductivity (EC) in soil?](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/why-measure-electrical-conductivity-ec-in-soil) — Measuring Electrical Conductivity (EC) in soil reveals important insights about salinity, nutrient availability, irrigation needs, and more.
- [SoilSense and Ambito: Together for Public Green Spaces](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soilsense-e-ambito-insieme-per-il-verde-pubblico) — After years of working alongside Italian municipalities, SoilSense is partnering with Ambito — a partner that shares our mission: making the management of urban green spaces easier, more efficient, and more sustainable.
- [Supporting Municipal Green Spaces with SoilSense](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/supporting-municipal-green-spaces-with-soilsense) — In this post, Linda Vollbehr from Køge Kommune shares how SoilSense has helped her team save water, work hours, and make smarter irrigation decisions for their green areas.
- [Soil moisture sensor technologies: An overview](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soil-moisture-sensor-technologies-an-overview) — In this blog post, we break down five common sensor types: Time Domain Transmissometry (TDT), Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR), Watermark Sensors, Tensiometers, and Capacitance Sensors.
- [Understanding Plant Available Water (PAW) to optimize irrigation management](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/understanding-plant-available-water-paw-to-optimize-irrigation-management) — Accurate Plant Available Water (PaW) insights are a game changer for making informed irrigation decisions that improve crop yields and conserve water.
- [What is Field Capacity and why is it important?](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/what-is-field-capacity-and-why-is-it-important) — Knowing how much water your soil can hold is really important for watering plants the right way and saving water. This concept is called "field capacity". But what exactly is field capacity, and why does it matter?
- [Moving a sensor and archiving data](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/moving-a-sensor-and-archiving-data) — Guide on how to re-locate a sensor, and to create and view archived data.
- [SoilSense plant health - the easiest way to work with soil moisture data](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soilsense-plant-health-the-easiest-way-to-work-with-soil-moisture-data) — SoilSense plant health is a new feature to give you an easy overview of the health of your crops, read this article to understand how to use the powerful tool
- [Precision irrigation. A simple guide to saving water and avoiding overwatering your crops.](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/precision-irrigation-a-simple-guide-to-saving-water-and-avoiding-overwatering-your-crops) — Here's a simple solution that will make sure you never lose any more water over-irrigating your crops.
- [Matric potential and volumetric water content. Which one should you use on your farm?](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/matric-potential-and-volumetric-water-content-which-one-should-you-use-on-your-farm) — One of the hardest questions to answer in measuring soil moisture is: matric potential or volumetric water content, which one should you use?
- [Soil moisture sensors or satellite data? Why remote sensing won't replace sensors anytime soon.](https://www.soilsense.io/blog/soil-moisture-sensors-or-satellite-data-why-remote-sensing-wont-replace-sensors-anytime-soon) — Why use soil moisture sensors instead of satellite data? The answer is simple: accuracy.

## Contact

- Email: contact@soilsense.io
- Phone (Denmark HQ / international): +45 31672669
- Phone (Italy — Italian-speaking sales): +39 3513963183
- Phone (Poland — Polish-speaking contact, Michał): +45 91 94 45 49
- Shop: https://www.soilsense.io/buy
- App: https://app.soilsense.io
- Free consultation: https://www.soilsense.io/free-consultation

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