Welcome to the knowledge base. Here you will find more information about the Verdmo app. Read below to find out what setup is best for you.
The Basics
There are a couple of key things to know about Verdmo, and setting it up, and resetting it if necessary. Read below to learn more.
An important thing to know about Verdmo is that it's not always on. It only turns on for a few seconds to take its readings, connect to our server and make sure you get your update. The rest of the time Verdmo is off, saving battery life. For example, if you have an Update Frequency (see below) of 15mins, then your Verdmo will connect every 15mins, and the rest of the time your Verdmo will show as "Offline" or "Disconnected". If your Update Frequency is 6hrs, you will see offline or disconnected for 6hrs.
Resetting your Verdmo may be necessary for a number of reasons. You could have an issue with setup and need to start again, or you've moved and have new Wifi, or you've just bought a new router. Whatever the reason is, you can reset your Verdmo. There is a small button on the inside of Verdmo through the battery opening on the top left. The button is very small, but it's there! To reset your device keep the batteries in the battery holder, but outside of your Verdmo and press and hold the button for around 15seconds. Following this you will have two options. 1) Setup a NEW device. This will start everything from scratch with your Verdmo. 2) Click on the Verdmo you're resetting in the Verdmo app and continue your setup from here (click the "i" button on the top right). This will setup the Verdmo again, but use the same device information, so your history will remain and continue.
Dashboard
The Verdmo dashboard lets you see all of the information you need to water better. The moisture level, guide, temperature and battery level are all displayed. Your superchart shows you the history of your moisture readings.
The moisture level percentage is determined by the calculations made by the three sensors on your Verdmo. This tells you what moisture level your soil is currently at.
The guide is the level at which Verdmo suggests you water. You can change it by visiting the setup tab in the Verdmo app. Find out more about it by seeing the Setup information section below.
Verdmo includes a temperature sensor that measures the temperature at ground level. Here you will get the latest temperature information.
The battery indicator will let you know how the battery in your Verdmo is doing. You will see one of four different levels, Full, OK, Low and Change. Once your Verdmo reads "Change" you should start planning to change your batteries. The time until the battery completely dies will vary based on the battery type, environment and the update frequency you have chosen.
The superchart is a powerful tool that allows you to see all of the moisture and temperature readings your Verdmo has registered. You can see the readings in the following time ranges: 12hrs, 1day, 1week, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year. You can swipe left and right to see different hours/days/months, as well as press and hold to see the readings for a specific time. By pressing the "open window" symbol in the bottom right you can get a full screen view of the superchart so checking your readings is easier and more in depth.
Setup
The setup tab allows you to set your guide level to what makes sense for your lawn, garden or potted plant. You can leave all or just some of the options at default, or customize everything to your needs. Below is an explanation of each option and how it affects your guide level.
Different plant types have different moisture requirements. By choosing one of these options you allow Verdmo to tailor your notifications to your requirements so you water better.
Examples of warm season grasses are: Bahia, Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine and Zoysiagrass.
Examples of cool season grasses are: Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue and Fine Fescue.
Gardens with vegetables require more water then other garden types.
Any type of flower that is in an outside garden.
Small to medium sized plants that feature multiple stems and shorter heights. An example is a boxwood.
Any type of plant that you have potted, indoor or outdoor.
Different soil types hold different amounts of moisture and therefore affect how much moisture is needed in order to properly water your plant. If you know what kind of soil you have choose it in this section in order to let Verdmo more accurately advise when you should water.
Sand holds less moisture and drains quickly meaning you will need to water more often, but for less time than with other soils. Choosing sand will result in a lower guide level because of this. This is also a good choice if you have a silt heavy soil.
Choose this option if you find your soil has a mix of sand and loam.
Loam retains a medium amount of moisture. It does not drain as quickly as sand, but will not become waterlogged as quickly as clay either. If you have a mostly loam soil choose this option.
Choose this option if you find your soil has a mix of loam and clay.
Clay retains the most moisture, but does not drain well. This means you will need to water less, but for a longer time. Choosing clay will result in a higher guide level because of this.
If you are using a soil-less potting mix then choose this option.
The slope of the ground makes a difference to when you should water due to water run off and drainage. By selecting the right choice Verdmo can notify you more accurately when you should water. If you are using Verdmo in a potted plant you can leave the selection as default.
Choose this selection of the soil where you have Verdmo, and the general area around it is flat.
This selection is the best selection if your ground has just a small amount of slope.
If you have a medium slope level on your ground this is the best selection.
Do you have a very steep section of lawn or garden? Then choose this selection so Verdmo can notify you correctly.
Soil density or compaction affects how much moisture your soil can hold, and how quickly that moisture will drain. Soil density increases when the soil is compacted , usually due to weight being placed on it, but also from years of watering. This is one of the reasons why aerating is recommended for your lawn. Picking the right option will allow Verdmo to provide a more accurate guide for your watering needs.
Low density soil is soil that is usually newly laid and/or has a limited amount of stress put on it. Usually this is found in potted plants, or garden/vegetable gardens that have had new soil added to it.
Medium density soil is usually found in vegetable/flower gardens outside and lawns that have been newly done or have not had a lot of traffic on them.
High density soils are usually found in your lawn due to years of walking and machines stress, as well as watering.
The sun can have a major affect on the moisture level in your soil by causing more or less evaporation to occur. Because of this Verdmo allows you to select your sun exposure so it can notify you to water at the right time.
If your lawn or garden is in full sun, meaning there is no shade during the day, then make this selection.
If your lawn or garden gets a good amount of sun, but also some shade throughout the day select this option.
Does your lawn or garden get only a little sun throughout the day? Then this is the selection that should work best.
If your lawn or garden gets no sun, or almost no sun during the day, then this is the best selection.
If you have a greenhouse or plants inside where you control how much sun they receive based on their needs then make this selection.
The above settings provide an outline for creating an accurate guide for your watering needs, however you may find a need to enter a manual guide level. For example the preset options may result in a guide of 32, but you may find a 29 works better for your needs, you can use the manual entry option to do this. Press Manual Entry and you can either press the + or - to adjust the value, or tap and type it in.
By pressing the Reset button all of the Preset Option menus will be returned to their original settings. The button will change to say "Resetting" and will stay this way until your Verdmo is connected. For example, if you have your update frequency set to 1 Hour (see below) the values will reset in 1 Hour.
Settings
The settings tab allows you to change the temperature measurement and the update frequency of the moisture readings.
Choose if you want your temperature to be displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Verdmo allows you to decide how often it updates you with the moisture and temperature readings. The options are every: 15mins, 30mins, 1hour, 3hours and 6hours. Areas such as lawns don't usually show large changes quickly so longer times are recommended. Potted plants and gardens will often show changes more quickly shorter update frequencies may be desired. The shorter the faster the update the frequency, the shorter the battery life. See the chart below:
| Update Frequency | Battery Life |
|---|---|
| 15 Minutes | Up to 3 Months |
| 30 Minutes | Up to 6 Months |
| 1 Hour | Up to 1 Year |
| 3 Hours | Up to 2 Years |
| 6 Hours | Up to 3 Years |
