The positioning of the station is fundamental to ensure that accurate data is collected.
Prerequisites
Choosing the area
A few prerequisites must be followed:
You should install the Soilcrop in an area where the soil type and tillage practices are representative of your plots.
Choose an area that falls within the average doses delivered by your irrigation system.
💡 Preferably place your capacitive probe on the first irrigated plot of the watering cycle, as this facilitates control.
Choose an area where the crop is homogeneous and representative of the plot (variety, health condition, vegetation state, growth stage, density, etc.).
💡Avoid field edges and be careful not to disturb the existing crop too much during the installation of your capacitive probe, as this could alter the representativeness of the measured zone.The quality of the network that allows data to be sent from the station to the application must be adequate.
Adapt your Soilcrop to your irrigation system
The goal is to ensure that the applied dose replenishes the soil with water for the duration of the watering cycle.
🚿 Sprinkler and drip irrigation
It is preferable to place the probe halfway through the diameter of the sprinkler's emission radius, between the driest and the wettest point.
💡 Placing the probe at the periphery of the dropper's influence area allows monitoring of the variations in the size of the wet bulb.
☸️ Pivot and reel sprinkling
For convenience, we recommend placing the probe outside the pivot or reel's wake and in the pivot's second tower.
Adapt your Soilcrop to your crops
The Soilcrop soil probe should be close to the root system to accurately estimate water consumption. However, it should also be in a representative vegetation zone to effectively account for the quantity of water infiltrated into the soil.
Example:
🌾 Cereals: on the row
🥔 Potato: 8-10cm from the tuber
🌽 Maize: 8-10cm from the row
🍇 Vine: on the row
Process
Installing your capacitive probe will be easier if the soil is already moist.
🚨 It is crucial not to leave any space between the soil and the probe. Having an appropriately sized soil auger and not digging too deep ensures you don't create an air pocket, which would compromise the quality of the measurement.
To install your Soilcrop:
Activate it in the app
💡 It will be automatically connected in test mode.
2. Dig a hole: Use a 40mm soil auger to create a hole reaching a depth of 65cm.
3. Remove soil and place it in a bucker: Repeat until you reach the desired depth.
4. Prepare pralinage: Mix the removed soil with 1 to 2 liters of water in a bucket to create a pralinage.
⚠️ Ensure that the mixture is sufficiently pasty to adhere properly to the Soilcrop and establish good contact between the soil and the sensor.
5. Fill the hole: Gently pour the pralinage into the hole until it fills approximately half of the depth.
6. Insert the probe: Carefully insert your Soilcrop capacitive probe without applying excessive force. You should observe the slurry rising to the surface.
7. Seal the hole: Complete the installation by filling the remaining portion of the hole with the slurry, ensuring it surrounds the edges of the Soilcrop.
8. Install the grey box on a poll and turn it on.
9. Connect the Soilcrop probe and the box. Screw the connector until it stops.
10. Check the values are coherent in the app, if so validate it.
If not, you will have to redo the installation process from step 5.
💡When validating the installation your station will now operate in field mode.
Video
Still having questions?
If you still have questions regarding your installation, we are here to help you.