Soil moisture card

Who it’s for

Agronomists, precision farmers, and irrigation managers ask “is the soil wet enough to skip the next irrigation run, or dry enough that the crop is under stress?” They need a single number that maps directly to a field decision.

What it does

A sensor reading 52% shows a blue icon and value — Optimal — so an irrigation controller can confirm the zone is adequately watered. The same card shows red at 12% — Dry — and dark blue at 75% — Saturated.

• Color-coded icon and value across four soil-moisture bands from Dry to Saturated
• Last-updated timestamp showing how long ago the reading arrived
• Shows one sensor’s data; it does not chart moisture trends or compare multiple probes

How to set up

Data keys

Key	Role	Type	Description
soilMoisture	Main value	Timeseries	Volumetric water content in %; change the key name to match your device’s telemetry key

The widget ships with a simulated function datasource key labeled Soil Moisture, so it draws random values until you point the datasource at a device and rename the key.

To point it at your own device: open the dashboard in edit mode, open the widget’s Datasources, pick the entity or entity alias, and replace the function key with the key your device reports.

The card shows the value in % with no decimal places. If the key has never reported, the card displays the label and icon with an empty value, not an error.

Value ranges

Range (%)	Level	Color
0–20	Dry	Red
20–40	Low	Orange
40–60	Optimal	Blue
60–100	Saturated	Dark Blue

How to customize

• To use your own soil-moisture thresholds — edit Icon color ranges and Value color ranges; set the same boundaries in both so the icon and the number always agree.
• To change the icon — set Icon to any Material or MDI icon name.
• To hide the label, icon, or timestamp — turn off Show label, Show icon, or Show date.
• To switch to an absolute timestamp — turn off Last update ago in the date format settings.
• To match your dashboard’s fonts — set Value font and Label font.

Tips

• Keep Icon color ranges and Value color ranges on the same boundaries so the icon and the number always show the same band.
• The optimal range (40–60%) reflects typical field capacity for loamy soils; sandy soils drain faster and may need a lower Optimal ceiling, while clay soils retain water longer and may need the Saturated threshold raised.
• Pair this card with a rainfall card and a ground temperature card to distinguish irrigation-driven moisture from natural precipitation or winter freeze effects.