The SparkFun Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor measures moisture without metal corrosion, tracks depth for consistent readings, and signals when plants need water.
Tired of your soil moisture sensors corroding after just a few weeks in the dirt? This SparkFun capacitive version of the Qwiic Soil Moisture Sensor solves this exact problem. Instead of relying on exposed metal leads that degrade over time, this breakout measures moisture levels using a capacitive plate safely embedded within the board, and managed by the CY8CMBR3102 Capsense® Express™ controller. This design makes it much more corrosion-resistant, ensuring a significantly longer lifespan for your connected garden and agricultural projects.
Measure Twice, Water Once Soil moisture levels change drastically depending on how deep you measure. To help you get the most accurate data possible, we added a convenient ruler directly on the PCB with both Imperial and Metric units (inches and millimetres, respectively). This allows you to track the exact depth of the sensor, ensuring your readings remain consistent across different pots or after replanting.
Visual Alerts & Qwiic Integration Sometimes you just need to know if a plant needs water at a glance. The Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor features a blue STAT LED tied directly to the controller that can be programmed to act as a visual indicator when moisture drops below your custom threshold.
Finally, all communication is handled via I2C through our plug-and-play Qwiic Connect System, meaning no soldering is required! We have also provided code packages for both the Arduino IDE and MicroPython that walk you through calibrating the sensor for different soil compositions, ensuring you receive accurate data to keep your plants happy.
