Sensoterra Single-Depth User manual

1www.sensoterra.com |
Grow more, waste less...
Single-Depth
Soil moisture
sensor
USER GUIDE

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor2
Welcome
Welcome on board and thank you for joining
us! In this guide we will help you getting started
- from successfully installing your sensor to
getting data out of the ground.

3www.sensoterra.com |
Contents
Overview 4
Download the app 6
Choosing your location 7
Ensuring good connectivity 8
Choosing soil type 11
Choosing unit of measure 13
Registering the sensor 16
Activating the sensor 17
Installing - Soft soil 18
Installing - Hard soil 19
Good sensor placement 20
Consistent soil readings 21
Moving a sensor 26
Storage and disposal 27
Support 29
Notes and warnings 31
1Preparation 3Data
4Maintenance
2Installation
Accessing the data 22
Understanding the data 23
Adjusting setpoints 25

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor4
Overview
What’s in the box
What is not in the box:
Single Depth sensor(s)
User manual
1
Preparation
Rubber hammerSmartphone!

5www.sensoterra.com |
1
Preparation
Proper installation
The sensor should be installed so that the blue head is
sticking out of the soil.

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor6
Download the
Sensoterra app
Download and install
the Sensoterra app
from the App Store or
Google Play on your
smartphone. Create
an account or log-in.
You will need the app
for registering sensors
when you install them
in the eld.
Download the app
1
Preparation

7www.sensoterra.com |
1
Preparation
The eld you like to monitor can consist of geographic
features like slopes, valleys and changing soil types. These
features might inuence the soil moisture levels through-
out the eld. Consider placing sensors in different places
to get a broad overview of the eld you monitor.
Example of a eld with soil variety
Choosing your location
Soil type C
Soil type A
Soil type A
Soil type B
Soil type B
Soil type C

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor8
1
Preparation
Ensuring good connectivity
Sensoterra sensors communicate over the LoRa
network. This means the data is rst sent from
the sensor to a gateway, which then forwards the
data to the cloud via an internet connection. In
some countries and areas, telecom providers have
gateways available for your sensor to connect to.
If you are installing your own gateway, the basic
rule is to nd free line of sight from the sensor
antenna to the gateway antenna.
Objects like houses, barns, big trees, big vehicles
in the line between sensor and gateway could
obstruct the signal. Try to get the gateway antenna
up as high as possible to get a look over the elds
and think about the location of the objects when
choosing the locations of the sensors.

9www.sensoterra.com |
1
Preparation
Terrain that is hilly creates signal shadows over the eld.
Placing the gateway at the highest point of the hills could
reduce the signal shadows. The sensors should be placed
on the side of the hill that is facing the gateway. Buildings
and large structures can also obstruct the signal. Avoid
placing them in the signal shadow or place your gateway
elsewhere.
Terrain
Gateway
Farm
Shadow
area
Field

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor10
1
Preparation
Crops could create a very dense canopy containing
a lot of water, which might limit the signal. If the
sensor struggles to connect, try moving it slightly
away from the crop so the sensor gets free access
to the open sky.
In areas with poor connectivity, it can help adding a
little more space between the sensor head and the
ground. Always make sure the sensor is stable in
the soil and not wiggling around.
Crops that limit the signal
Installation depth
Poor
connectivity Recommended Improved connectivity Too high

11www.sensoterra.com |
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
South Field
Sensor 12B
Clay loam
30
46
Volumetric (%)
Operational
Location
Friendly name
Soil
Setpoint low
Setpoint high
Unit
Status
1
Preparation
Choosing soil type
When installing the sensor in the app there is an
option to pick soil type. It is important to choose
the closest soil type available. This will improve
the accuracy of the measurement from the sensor.
Sensoterra calibrates the sensor measurements for
many different soil types to make the data you view
in the app, web monitor and the push notications
you set up more useful.
For more information
visit the soil cali-
bration section on
www.sensoterra.com

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor12
1
Preparation
Use the soil triangle to determine which calibration is
closest to your soil type:
The sensor will work in all soil
types, but if the calibrated soil
is very different from your own,
your data might be offset.
SAND
LOAMY
SAND
SANDY LOAM
SANDY
CLAY
CLAY
CLAY LOAM
SILTY
CLAY
SILTY
CLAY
LOAM
SILTY LOAM
LOAM
SILT
SANDY
CLAY
LOAM
10
90
100 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
90
100
20 0
30 70
40 60
50 50
60 40
70 30
80 20
90 10
100
clay
clay loam
sand %
clay %
silt %
loam (green-
house soil)
clay loam silt
peat
loamy sand
sand
sand
(planting soil)
sand
(tree soil) 2
sand
(dunes soil) 1
sand
(dunes soil) 2
sand
(tree soil) 1
saline clay
We continuously add
new calibrations,
please visit our soil
calibration section for
the latest information:

13www.sensoterra.com |
1
Preparation
Choosing unit of measure
The Sensoterra app and monitor can show data
in two ways: Volumetric Moisture Content and
Sensoterra Index.
The volumetric soil moisture content of the soil is
expressed in the app as Volumetric (%). It is simply the
ratio of water volume to soil volume. The volumetric soil
moisture percentages allow for careful management of
soil moisture levels in your soil.
Volumetric Moisture Content (%)
* Saturation point = maximum volume of water that the soil can hold
Volumetric soil moisture content (percent values)
22%
63%
83%
PEAT
28%
53%
55%
CLAY
2%
10%
40%
SAND
4%
17%
38%
LOAMY SAND
Saturation
point*
KEY:
Too dry
Healthy
Too wet
Solid soil
fraction

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor14
1
Preparation
Complete saturation (pF0)
Field capacity (pF2)
The maximum amount of water
the soil can hold
Permanent wilting point ±2 (pF4.2)
Wilting point (pF2.5–pF3)
The point at which plants begin
to wilt permanently through drought
Oven dry soil (pF7)
pF7 0
1
2
3
3.3
6.6
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
pF4
Limiting
Healthy
Too Wet
Too Dry
Productive
pF2.5
pF2
pF0
Sensoterra Index scale is based on pF data and focuses on
the ‘Too Dry’, ‘Too Wet’, and the ‘Plant available water”
(or Healthy) zones and spreads the three zones over a 0 to
10 scale. The 0 and 10 values represent oven-dry soil and
complete saturation of the soil, respectively.
The Sensoterra Index is a simplied soil moisture score
that allows you to determine soil health at a glance, as
well as making it easy comparing data from sensors in
different soils.
Sensoterra Index (SI)
For more info on units of measurements, visit:
support.sensoterra.com

15www.sensoterra.com |
1
Preparation
This example shows two graphs expressing Volumetric
%. It looks like the sandy soil is very dry (around 5%)
compared to the planting soil (around 25%):
Below is the sama data expressed with Sensoterra Index.
It now becomes clear, that relative to the soil type,
both soils are mostly in their healthy zones with
SI values above 3.3:
Volumetric Moisture Content (%) Example:
Sensoterra Index (SI) Example:
Planting soil
Sand
Planting soil
Sand

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor16
2
Installation
Registering the sensor
QR code
To register your sensor, rst select a suitable
location in the eld where you want to install your
sensor. Once you are there, open the app and
select “add a new device”. The GPS location of
your phone will be stored so you can easily nd the
sensor again. Follow the guidelines in the app.

17www.sensoterra.com |
2
Installation
Activating the sensor
Flip it!
Wake the sensor by ipping the sensor upside down for 2
seconds. Normally, the sensor makes a measurement once
every hour. By ipping it upside down, the sensor tried to
get a connection faster.
After 1 hour check the Sensoterra app or the web
monitor for soilmoisture data. In certain cases, it may
take up to 48 hours for the rst data point to appear in
the Sensoterra app or monitor site. This process is to
ensure the best possible connection on the LoRa network.

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor18
Installing the sensor
Soft soil
The blank metal pins on the sensor stem
are the measurements points. These need
to be in full contact with the soil for a good
measurement. Install the sensor in the soil. If
the soil is soft, you can push the sensor fully
into the ground.
2
Installation

19www.sensoterra.com |
Installing the sensor
Hard soil
If the soil is too hard for you to push
the sensor all the way, use a rubber
hammer until only the sensor head
is sticking out of the soil. Make
sure you hit the sensor in the
center of the head. Do not use
a steel hammer!
2
Installation
Prefer a video?
Watch here:

| Single-Depth soil moisture sensor20
2
Installation
Good sensor placement
The connectivity of the sensor can be affected by the crop
canopy. Ensure that the sensor gets a clear view of the
sky. If connectivity worsens as the crop grows, try moving
the sensor slightly further away from the canopy.
1. The sensor is next to the
crop, but not fully covered
by the canopy.
2. The sensor is placed
right under a dense canopy.
1 2