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YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light) — digital soil meter product photograph on a plain background
YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light) — digital soil meter

Digital Soil Meter

YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light) Review

★★★☆☆ 3.2/5

our editor rating how we score

4.3/5 from 3,187 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.

$28–$36

Typical price · Spot readings across four measurements

Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.

One of its four functions is genuinely valuable for lawn timing. Another should not be trusted for the decision our articles send you to a lab for.

Our Verdict

The reason to consider this is the temperature reading. Pre-emergent timing is set by soil temperature rather than the calendar — our timing table exists because the right week moves by roughly ten across the country — and a probe that tells you when the top two inches have held 55°F is the difference between an application that works and one that misses by a fortnight. The moisture reading is a useful bonus. Now the part we are not going to skip: do not use the pH function to make a decision. Combination consumer meters are widely unreliable on pH, and our fertilizer and soil articles specifically call for a laboratory soil test, which also returns phosphorus and potassium and the actual lime recommendation — none of which this can give you. The light meter is a curiosity that is occasionally handy when assessing shade. So: three stars because you are paying a four-function price for one function that matters, one that helps, and one you should ignore.

✅ Pros

  • Temperature reading is the one measurement lawn timing genuinely turns on
  • Moisture reading answers the watering question at the same time
  • Backlit display is readable outdoors, unlike analogue dials in bright sun
  • One probe instead of three separate instruments

⚠️ Cons

  • pH readings on combination meters are unreliable — a lab soil test is what our articles ask for, and this is not a substitute
  • Costs more than a dedicated soil thermometer that does the important job better
  • Battery-powered, with the usual dead-in-the-shed failure
  • The light meter is close to a novelty for lawn purposes

Product type

Digital Soil Meter

Active ingredient

None — digital probe reading temperature, moisture, pH and light, backlit LCD

Price range

$28–$36

Coverage

Spot readings across four measurements

Best for

Measuring soil temperature for pre-emergent and seeding timing, with moisture as a bonus

our editor rating

3.2 out of 5

Where This Product Matters

Matched against each state's actual disease, weed and pest pressure.

🌾 Centipede🌾 Bermuda🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Zoysia🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Late February on the coast to mid-March in north Alabama — the earliest pre-emergent window of any state we cover

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Largely beside the point: crabgrass and the summer annuals that drive pre-emergent programmes in the lower 48 are not the problem here, and a pre-emergent applied on a mainland schedule is money spent on an absent weed

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Zoysia🌾 St. Augustine

Application window: Mid-February for summer weeds, and again late September for winter weeds germinating in the overseed

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Centipede

Application window: Early March in the south to early April in the Ozarks at soil 55°F

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bermuda🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Mid-January (Los Angeles/San Diego) to late February (Sacramento/Bay Area) — before the last winter rains water it in for free

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Late April to early May as soil reaches 55°F

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — mid-April along the shoreline, into early May in the hills; forsythia dropping its blooms is the local cue

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Zoysia🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — typically mid-March in Sussex and late March to early April in New Castle County, with a second application six to nine weeks later because one pass does not cover a Delaware season

🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Bahiagrass🌾 Zoysia🌾 Bermuda🌾 Centipede

Application window: Early February (Orlando/Tampa) to early March (Panhandle); South FL applies year-round for tropical weeds

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Centipede🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Mid-February (Savannah/South GA) to early March (Metro Atlanta), with a second application about eight weeks later — the state is long enough north to south that one date cannot serve it

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Centipede

Application window: There is no single spring flush to time against — warm-season weeds germinate through much of the year, so pre-emergent here is a repeated programme on label intervals rather than a February or March decision

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — usually April in the Treasure Valley, May in the north and at elevation. Cool-season turf here grows fastest when soil sits at 55 to 65°F, which is the same signal

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Late March at the Ohio River confluence to late April in Chicagoland — the widest single-state spread in the Midwest, and the reason calendar-based advice fails here

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Zoysia

Application window: April, on soil temperature — and Purdue's note is that any nitrogen in a pre-emergent product should be slow-release, capped at 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Mid-April to early May at soil 55°F — a narrow, late window compared with the states south of here

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Zoysia🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — typically late March to mid-April moving northwest, with a second application six to eight weeks later in the wetter east

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Zoysia🌾 Bermuda🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Mid-March in the Jackson Purchase to early April in the mountains at soil 55°F — and over Inner Bluegrass karst the barrier is worth splitting into two applications, because the ground drains faster than the label assumes

🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Late February to mid-March, before soil warms past 55°F — the earliest window of any state we cover

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — mid to late May on the southern coast, June inland; north of Bangor crabgrass pressure is often low enough that the honest answer is to skip it

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Zoysia🌾 Bermuda

Application window: Mid-March on the Eastern Shore to mid-April in the mountains — forsythia bloom is the traditional Maryland signal (soil 55°F)

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Mid-April on the coast to early May in the Berkshires at soil 55°F — forsythia is the working signal here

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Late April (Metro Detroit/South) to mid-May (Up North), as soil reaches 55°F

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Mid-May, as soil warms — the season opens later here than anywhere else we cover

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Centipede🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Zoysia🌾 Bahiagrass

Application window: Late February on the coast to mid-March in the north

🌾 Zoysia🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Bermuda🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Late March in the Bootheel to mid-April along the Iowa line — soil 55°F moves south to north across about three weeks

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches, which is generally May and can be late May at elevation — and crabgrass pressure in much of Montana is low enough that this is a decision rather than a default

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — usually late April in the south-east, into mid-May in the north and west

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bermuda🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: February in Las Vegas to April in the northern high desert

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — late April to early May on the Seacoast, and up to three weeks later in the north; crabgrass pressure itself falls off with elevation

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Mid-April in the south to early May in the northwest, as soil reaches 55°F

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Crabgrass and summer annual pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — February to early March in the southern valleys, April to May in the north. The state spans two months on this decision

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Mid-April (Long Island/NYC) extending into early May (Buffalo/Upstate), as soil reaches 55°F

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Centipede🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass

Application window: Early to mid-March in the Piedmont, when soil temps approach 55°F — earlier along the coast

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches, usually mid to late May — and crabgrass pressure here is genuinely lower than in the states to the south, so this is a decision rather than a routine

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Late March along the Ohio River to late April in the Lake Erie snow belt at soil 55°F — a month of spread across one state

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bahiagrass

Application window: Early March in the south to early April in the panhandle at soil 55°F; on western sand, split the rate rather than trusting one pass to hold

🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Late February to March west of the Cascades — the earliest cool-season window anywhere, because the valley barely stops growing

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Mid-April around Philadelphia to early May on the northern plateau at soil 55°F — three weeks of spread across fifty miles where the ridges rise, which is why a neighbour's timing is not yours

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent once soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — usually the second half of April on the bay and coastal towns, into early May inland

🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Early March on the coast to late March in the Upstate, before soil warms past 55°F

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches, generally mid-May — and pressure is lower here than in the corn-belt states, so it is a judgement rather than an annual purchase

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass

Application window: Early March in Memphis to late March in Knoxville — soil 55°F sweeps west to east

🌾 Bermuda🌾 St. Augustine🌾 Zoysia🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Mid-February (Houston/San Antonio) to mid-March (Dallas/Panhandle), soil temps 55°F for crabgrass

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Late March to mid-April along the Wasatch Front at soil 55°F

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — usually mid-May in the Champlain Valley and later in the hills; in the coldest towns crabgrass pressure is low enough that the question is whether to bother

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Bermuda🌾 Zoysia🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue

Application window: Early March (Hampton Roads/Tidewater) to late March/early April (Northern VA/Richmond), as soil reaches 55°F

🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass

Application window: Mid-April to early May as soil reaches 55°F; crabgrass pressure is low west of the Cascades, where annual bluegrass and moss matter more

🌾 Tall Fescue🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Perennial Ryegrass🌾 Zoysia

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches — typically late March to early April in the valleys, into late April at elevation, with a second application six to nine weeks later

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Fine Fescue🌾 Perennial Ryegrass

Application window: Late April to mid-May, as soil temperatures reach near 60°F for several consecutive days — forsythia bloom is the usual reminder

🌾 Kentucky Bluegrass🌾 Tall Fescue

Application window: Crabgrass pre-emergent as soil holds 55°F at 2 inches, generally May and later at elevation — pressure here is low enough that in much of the state this is a decision rather than an annual habit

Common questions

Common Questions

How much does YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light) cost?

YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light) typically runs $28–$36, covering Spot readings across four measurements.

What is the active ingredient in YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light)?

None — digital probe reading temperature, moisture, pH and light, backlit LCD.

What is the biggest downside of YAMRON 4-in-1 Soil Meter (Temperature, Moisture, pH, Light)?

pH readings on combination meters are unreliable — a lab soil test is what our articles ask for, and this is not a substitute

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