Successfully growing your plants in your greenhouse requires the perfect conditions – the perfect temperature and the perfect level of humidity.
But if you have no means of measuring these conditions in your greenhouse, you are unable to know if anything needs tweaking, and without this knowledge, you can risk upsetting the careful balance, and worst case scenario fail to produce your desired crops.
The solution, of course, is to get yourself a greenhouse thermometer and hygrometer. Lucky for you, there are some really great ones out on the market today. We’ve been checking them out, and after much deliberation, we were able to handpick a shortlist of our top few favorites to show review for you here today.
But first we’re going to talk about the different types of meters, to help you decide what type might be best for you.
Which Type Of Meter To Go For?
Digital Greenhouse Thermometers And Hygrometers
Sure, an analogue thermometer and hygrometer usually work out cheaper than a digital one, but there really isn’t much in it, so we would 100% recommend that you choose a digital one over an analogue. Believe me, it’s worth it.
One of the things that’s great about digital greenhouse thermometers is that they can give you the highest and lowest temperatures that your greenhouse has seen, and this is great, because in many climates, there can be a huge difference between the heat and midday and the chill in the middle of the night.
Moreover, you can often get greenhouse thermometers that are also hygrometers, so you won’t have to buy two separate devices, when one can do it all for you. You get all the information you need on one display.
They’re very affordable, too, with some costing as little as just $10 or so.
Wi-Fi Greenhouse Thermometers
The next step up from a regular digital thermometer and hygrometer is one that works over the Wi-Fi. That way, you don’t need to head out to the greenhouse every time you want an update on how things are going.
These gadgets will send data to your smart devices over your Wi-Fi through an app, and some can even alert you via a push notification when there’s an issue.
Greenhouse Weather Stations
Or if you really want to keep on top of the weather conditions both inside and outside the greenhouse, the next option is to go for an entire weather station, which not only monitors temperature and humidity, but also other parameters as well.
These often cost hundreds of dollars, but you can also get ones that cost about as much as a Wi-Fi greenhouse thermometer.
Now, this is a great thermometer and hygrometer that can not only give you temperature and humidity readings through an app over your Wi-Fi, but it also happens to work with Amazon’s Alexa. This means that you don’t even have to look for your smartphone every time you want to get a reading, you can simply ask Alexa.
The app is available on both Android and Apple devices, and you can set up smart message alerts, so if the temperature or humidity falls below or above a certain level, you’ll be informed instantly.
The temperature readings are accurate to +/- 0.3 degrees centigrade, while the humidity readings are accurate to +/- 3% RH.
You also get 2 years’ free cloud storage, which can show all your data in the form of a graph anytime you want to view it. And there’s also 20 days’ on-board storage available, too.
Pros
It comes with Alexa already built-in
Sends notifications when there’s an issue
Get readings without going to the greenhouse
The sensor is both accurate and sensitive
You get 2-years worth of cloud data storage
Cons
There have been a lot of mixed reviews from customers
Now, this is a Wi-Fi based thermometer and hygrometer that you can rely on. It has been met with excellent customer ratings and reviews on Amazon.
The compatible app is freed to download and is available on both iOS and Android. And if there’s a problem with the temperature or humidity of the greenhouse, you can get a notification sent to your phone right away.
The Swiss-made sensor provides very accurate and reliable measurement. And it has a long line of sight, able to transmit the data up to 325 feet, so you can get readings even when you’re on the other side of the house.
Pros
Excellent customer ratings & reviews
Get readings sent straight to your phone
Receive notifications when there’s an issue
Very accurate and reliable measurements
Cons
The exact accuracy of the device is missing from the online product description
If you want an all-singing, all-dancing gadget with all the features you could ever need, then you should definitely check out this weather system. If it wasn’t for the hefty price tag, we would have made it our number one pick.
Not only does it measure both temperature and humidity, but it also measures solar radiation and UV, barometric pressure, wind speed, rainfall and more.
And that’s not all – it also works with an AI-powered app to make predictions about the upcoming weather for a more accurate local forecast than you will ever get from watching the news.
The sensor can transmit data wirelessly up to 1000 plus feet, and the data can be linked to dozens of smartphone apps.
And if all that’s not enough, the sensor is solar-powered, so it will never need recharging or new batteries.
If you haven’t got $50 to spare for a Wi-Fi thermometer and hygrometer, then this is your next best option, and is excellent value for money.
The star feature of this weather station is how it is also a barometer, and this gives the gadget the ability to predict the weather.
The display is very clear and easy to read, even in the dark, because it’s backlit.You can use it to compare the conditions both inside and outside the greenhouse, so you can better judge how the inner conditions are affected by the conditions outside.
The sensor is rechargeable, and a full charge will last for an entire year.
Pros
Affordable & reasonable price tag
Clear, easy to read backlit display
Accurately predicts the weather
Cons
There have been a lot of mixed reviews from customers
If you don’t want to spend too much money, and are particularly budget conscious, then this might be the gadget for you. It’s a basic digital thermometer and hygrometer with a very clear and easy to read display, no frills. And when this article was written, the price was set at just over $10, which is a bargain.
You can set it up to display the temperature in either Centigrade or Fahrenheit, whichever you prefer. And it’s a large display that’s very easy to read.
It’s also particularly accurate, with readings accurate to +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit, and +/-3% RH, and the readings are updated at a rate of once every 10 seconds.
It can also be used as a soil thermometer, if you would prefer to use it that way.
