XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor for Smart Garden — Know When to Water Your Plants
XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor is a capacitive soil moisture sensor built for smarter gardening. Powerd by XIAO ESP32-C6, it integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant.
Not long ago, my ginger sprouted, so I planted it in a pot with high hopes. But within weeks, it wilted completely—and I was clueless why. Was the soil too damp or bone-dry? I guessed at watering but couldn’t save it. It turns out that plants don’t shout “I need more water!”… But with the right tool, their soil moisture needs can scream for help.
Meet this XIAO Soil Mositure Sensor! It can let your plants “speak”—telling you when to water. Powered by the XIAO ESP32-C6 and built for seamless integration with Home Assistant, this smart little device helps you track soil moisture status in real time. This gadget aslo hides other surprises that’ll wow gardeners and redefine how you bond with your plants.
Highlight Features — Build for Real Gardens
🧠 Plug-And-Play for Newbies: After simple setup, just press the button and then a LED shows soil moisture status.
🛡️ No Fear of Side Splashes: 3D-printed enclosure is splash-resistant from the sides.
🔋 No wiring required: Runs on a single AA battery.
💧 Durable & Rust-Free: Resin-coated capacitive probe resists corrosion.
♻️ Safer for Soil & Planet: Sealed probe prevents corrosion and harmful leaks.
🌱 Adapts to different Plants and Soil: Long probe monitors moisture at 0–8 cm root zone and supports customizable calibration.
Effortless Plant Care With Seamless Home Assistant Integration
- Visualize the Status of Automatic Updates: Powered by an XIAO ESP32-C6, this sensor comes with a pre-flashed ESPHome firmware, offering a native compatibility with Home Assistant. It tracks moisture around the clock. You’ll see updates on the soil moisture status and battery consumption on your Home Assistant dashboard.
- Creat Automation in Your Garden:
Want more control? With full ESPHome integration and an open-source design, you can customize everything—from data intervals to sleep logic—using YAML. Our comprehensive Wiki walks you through the process. Connect an auto water pump, and Home Assistant will automatically trigger watering whenever dryness is detected—even at night, keeping your plants healthy 24/7. Learn more about automation project on Hackster.
Other Soil Monitoring Solutions from Seeed Studio
Plants grow in diverse settings, so no single soil sensor fits all. From hobbyists to agri-tech pros, each needs different levels of cost, power, connectivity, and durability. So besides this new XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor, we aslo offer other products to meet different scenario requirements, including Grove – Soil Moisture Sensor and SenseCAP S2104 – LoRaWAN® Soil Moisture and Temperature Sensor.
- Grove – Soil Moisture Sensor: Resistive sensor features cost-effective, plug-and-play and staeter-friendly. Perfect for proof of concept and prototyping.
- SenseCAP S2104 – LoRaWAN® Soil Moisture and Temperature Sensor: Based on FDR, a battery-powered IP66 wireless soil moisture(0 ~ 100% (m³/m³) and temperature( -40 ~ 85℃) sensor features waterproof, freezingproof, compatible wirh worldwide LoRaWan® networks and simple configuration. It’s industry-ready and supports up to 10 years of battery life, suitable for large–scale smart farming, smart yard, and environment monitoring solutions.
Four Types of Soil Moisture Sensors: How Do They Compare?
Soil moisture sensors come in various forms, but the most common technologies fall into four categories: resistive, capacitive, FDR (Frequency Domain Reflectometry), and TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry). Each uses a different measurement principle and is suited to different levels of accuracy, cost, and durability.
| Technology | Resistive | Capacitive | FDR | TDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principle | Measures soil conductivity (resistance) | Measures dielectric constant (via frequency or AC signals) | High-frequency dielectric constant measurement (frequency domain) | Measures signal delay in high-frequency pulse (time domain) |
| Accuracy | Low | Medium–High | High | Very High |
| Cost | Low | Medium | Medium–High | High |
| Corrosion Resistance | Prone to corrosion | Good (non-corrosive) | Excellent | Excellent |
| Best Use Cases | Education, short-term projects | Smart gardening, DIY projects | Precision agriculture | Scientific research |
For reliable, long-term use in smart gardening, go with capacitive or FDR sensors—they’re accurate, durable, and low-maintenance. For quick prototyping or education, resistive sensors are a low-cost option. TDR suits high-end research where maximum precision is needed.
Ready to Enhance Your Smart Garden?
We are excited to announce that this XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor has been released on our official website Bazaar and our AliExpress Store, and it only costs $9.9! So don’t hesitate, place your order now!
Whether you want plug-and-play ease or love to tweak with ESPHome, this XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor gets along perfectly with Home Assistant and becomes not only just a sensor, but aslo the start of smarter gardening. 🌱
Other XIAO Gadgets for Home Assistant
XIAO Smart IR Mate isn’t our first XIAO gadget designed for Home Assistant automation — we’ve previously developed a range of sensors, actuators, and displays for various smart home scenarios. Click the images below to learn more. 👇
XIAO 7.5″ ePaper Panel
XIAO 6-Channel Wi-Fi 5V DC Relay
XIAO 2-Channel Wi-Fi AC Relay
XIAO 2-Channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter Bundle Kit
XIAO 60GHz mmWave Human Breathing and Heartbeat Sensor -MR60BHA2
XIAO 60GHz mmWave Human Fall Detection Sensor-MR60FDA2
XIAO Smart IR Mate
ReSpeaker Lite Voice Assistant Kit
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