A leaf wetness sensor price tells you nothing about when to spray
You can buy a leaf wetness sensor price list's worth of gear and still not know when to spray. The sensor says wet or dry. Somebody still has to turn wet hours and temperature into a decision.
Downy mildew needs leaves wet for about 45 degree-hours (temperature in °C times wet hours). A rain gauge can't see dew, fog or sprinkler wetting, and a canopy stays wet long after the rain stops.
So most blocks get sprayed by the calendar, or after the infection has already happened. In the wet 2010-11 season, 30% of surveyed growers made 10 or more downy sprays (Wine Australia).
- A post-infection spray is reported to work only within about 5 days, on a dry canopy.
- A weather station console needs someone to look at it and do the sums.
How leaf wetness sensor monitoring works on your block
- 1
Sensors sit in the canopy
Two leaf wetness sensors per representative block, on the shaded side, angled so water runs off, plus a temperature and humidity sensor.
- 2
A rain gauge sits in the open
A tipping-bucket gauge near the block counts rain, so we can check the 10:10:24 rule of thumb.
- 3
The gateway sends it on
A LoRaWAN gateway on a pole or shed roof reads every 10 to 15 minutes and sends it by Starlink or 4G.
- 4
We count the hours for you
The system adds up wet hours times temperature and texts you when the count reaches your set line.
What we put on your block
We settle sensor count and positions on a walk with your viticulturist, then test radio coverage over the canopy.
-
Leaf wetness sensors
Sit in the canopy on the shaded side and report wet or dry every few minutes.
Two per block
-
Canopy temperature and humidity
Gives the temperature for the degree-hours sum and the humidity for the night-time check.
In a radiation shield
-
Tipping-bucket rain gauge
Counts rain in the open near the block, for the 10:10:24 check.
Logs every tip
-
LoRaWAN gateway
Collects every sensor over the block and sends it to your phone.
Reads every 10 to 15 min
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Starlink or 4G link
Gets the readings out where there's no fixed line.
Solar or mains powered
What lands on your phone when mildew conditions build
We set the alert lines with your viticulturist or agronomist, then tune them to each block.
-
Tue 7:15 pm
Block 3: 12 mm rain in 24 h at 14 °C. Possible primary infection. Check protectant cover.
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Tue 10:25 pm
Block 3 wet 2.4 h, count at 46 degree-hours. Infection likely. Call your agronomist about the spray window.
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Thu 9:40 am
Block 3 canopy dry since 7 am. Day 2 of the 5 day window. Dry canopy for spraying.
Messages go to the people you nominate, by SMS to any phone and by email, with the reading and the time in every alert.
A rain gauge and a calendar versus counting wet hours
| Topic | Today | With monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Dew and fog | A rain gauge can't see them | Sensors read every wet hour |
| The sums | You do them, if you remember | Done for you, block by block |
| Warning | Next morning's scouting | An SMS when the count crosses |
| Spray records | Weather from memory | Wetness and rain history stored |
Leaf wetness monitoring across your vineyard or orchard
Early season is the costly one, from 15 to 20 cm shoots through flowering to pea-size berries. We pair the wetness sensors with a vineyard rain gauge for the 10:10:24 check on each block.
Spray day needs calm air too. See temperature inversion spray drift alerts for your vine block, and the orchard frost alarm for the cold nights.
Growing tomatoes at Bowen, or mango and macadamia? The same hardware works, but your agronomist sets the thresholds for each crop. A chill portions calculator runs on the same weather data.
What leaf wetness monitoring costs
The sensor is a small part of it. We set a fixed price after a short scoping call or site visit. It depends on block and sensor numbers, gateway distance and backhaul. Ongoing support is available as a plan after handover.
Price leaf wetness monitoringThe fixed price covers
- Leaf wetness, temperature and humidity sensors, and a rain gauge
- Gateway and Starlink or 4G backhaul
- Installation and electrical work under licence 1513082
- Degree-hours count, alert set-up and commissioning against real dew and rain
- A support plan: cleaning checks through the season, sensor replacement and alert tuning
What this won't do
- A leaf wetness sensor is an index of wetness, not a leaf. Placement, angle and fouling change the hours it reads.
- 10:10:24 and 45 degree-hours are rules of thumb, not guarantees.
- It doesn't choose products or set spray timing. That follows the label and your agronomist.
- Readings stop outside gateway range or if power fails. Alerts only, no control of your sprayer.