![Horticulture graduate student Jongyun Kim checks on a plant's soil moisture sensor in UGA horticulture professor Marc van Iersel's greenhouse.](https://secure.caes.uga.edu/news/multimedia/images/35/sensors1-low.jpg)
Save water, save money
Many ornamental nursery growers test to see if their plants need water by sticking a finger in the soil to see if it’s dry. Or, they just water them whether they need it or not. University of Georgia horticulturists have found a better way, one that requires less water, less fertilizer, less money and fewer dirty fingers.