Welcome to EarthScout!
Reference this video when installing EarthScout with a Quick Install Burial Tube. The time to install an EarthScout is 15-20 minutes, depending on the tools you use.
Here is what you’ll need:
- Soil Auger and/or Shovel
- Tape Measure
- Garden Trowel
- Smart Phone
- Burial Tube
- EarthScout
Choose a plant to monitor along the edge of a field, or in the field. Place the burial tube 12 inches from a plant with a small radius of roots, and up to 20-inches away from a plant or tree with expansive roots. This is where you’ll dig the hole.
Being careful not to cut or disturb the plant’s root zone, use an earth auger or shovel to dig a 14-inch wide by 20-inch deep hole. Make the side of the hole closest to the plant as vertical and smooth as possible. Use a garden trowel to remove excess soil from the bottom of the hole.
The Burial Tube lid can be placed on either end of the tube. The slots are cut closer to one end of the tube than the other. This allows you to flip the tube – giving you control of the depth you place the sensors.
Place the burial tube in the hole so the slots are facing the plant and firmly press the tube slots against the side of the hole.
Set EarthScout in the soil next to the tube and use your foot to press down on the top of the metal legs until all 4 legs are secured deep in the soil.
Depending on the EarthScout you purchased you will have one or two soil sensors. Remove the black cap from the metal tines on the soil sensor and store them. Be careful with the cable and sensors. They are scientific instruments that won’t provide accurate data if bent or broken.
Remove the lid from the tube and remove the small cap. Pass the soil sensors through the top of the lid as shown.
Next, open the EarthScout app and compare the serial numbers on your soil sensors to the serial numbers listed on the app dashboard. They should match. If not, call EarthScout.
Take a photo of the serial number on each soil sensor and include the orange and green cord labels. Keep this photo for future reference.
Reference our Outdoor Grow Table to choose the ideal depths to place your sensors. Then, place the sensor with the orange label into the hole at the deepest depth. Or, if you have one soil sensor, place it into the hole at the depth you prefer. When inserting the sensor, push the metal tines into the soil horizontally until the black plastic head hits the soil. NOTE: The black plastic must contact the soil for the most accurate reading.
Measure the depth you placed the sensor in the tube.
Next, we will update the soil sensor names on your app. From the dashboard, tap the Settings cog in the upper right corner. Then tap the Sensors button. Find the soil sensor with the same serial number as the sensor with the orange label. Then, on the app, tap the name of the sensor to change it to the depth you placed it in the hole, such as “Soil Sensor 10-12 inch depth”. Next, place the second sensor with the green label at a shallow depth and update the name in the app. Take a photo of where the sensors are placed in the tube for future reference.
Replace the cover on the tube. Move the soil sensor cables into the cable slot inside the lid. Place the small cap over the hole. Carefully backfill the hole around the tube and pack the soil with the garden trowel so the tube and sensors won’t shift over time.
Cover the burial tube with soil. Then add the marker stakes on both sides of the hole for hole identification. To test your EarthScout, raise the solar panel and open the gray EarthScout box.
Find the black reset button below the battery compartment and press the button. The green light next to the battery will turn on to indicate that soil data was sent to your phone.
Check your app dashboard. The polling data timestamp and sensor data should update after several minutes. Then close the gray box. If the app doesn’t update, give it a half hour. If it still hasn’t updated, contact EarthScout support.
Use this chart to determine the ideal solar panel angle based on your location. Contact EarthScout for our recommended panel angle if you live outside the Americas.
You are now ready to use your EarthScout!
For more training videos, visit www.earthscout.com/education.