Plant Communicator, science or hoax? (MySpace 3/26/2008)

Subject	Plant Communicator, science or hoax?
DateCreated	3/26/2008 1:52:00 AM
PostedDate	3/26/2008 1:40:00 AM
Body	The Plant Communicator is a goofy-looking device with two parallel prongs. You shove them into a flower pot. If the Communicator purrs, the plant is happy. I found one for cheap at a thrift-store. And it really works. O.k.  I admit that it doesn’t really measure happiness. It’s a soil conductivity tester - that purrs. Or clicks like a geiger counter, or whines, or screams - depending on how much current can flow between the tips of the two prongs. Even with no instruction sheet, it was pretty easy to figure out how to use. It’s a tool for comparison, not for numbers. You use it to spot the oddballs - such as the pots that are getting missed during watering, or are drying out too fast. Occasionally, a pot screams. Pour on extra water, and the drainage will scream, too. A sign of either too much fertilizer, or salt accumulation from irrigation. Fix is the same - flush until it sounds normal. Likewise, if you want to avoid over-fertilizing, skip the pots that purr with a higher pitch. Don’t confuse these babies with the readily available single prong "moisture meters" with a meter but no battery - the principle is completely different, and many people consider them next to worthless. it really works