LetPot EC Meter Review

As someone who’s spent the last few years experimenting with hydroponic gardening in a small apartment, I’ve learned that staying on top of water nutrients is half the battle.

Balancing nutrient levels can feel like guesswork – especially when you don’t have the right tools.

So when LetPot’s came out with a new Smart EC Meter, I was curious to try it.

It promises to make monitoring electrical conductivity (EC) and water temperature easy and accurate, which sounded perfect for my home setup.

In today’s post, I’m sharing my experience using the LetPot EC Meter for the last couple weeks: what I liked, where it surprised me, and whether it’s worth adding to your hydroponic toolkit!

Keep reading, or quickly jump to a section:

• Why Monitor EC?
• LetPot EC Meter
• First impressions
• Key features
• Setup and use
• Accuracy and performance
• Using the LetPot App
• What I Liked (and Didn’t Like)
• Is It Worth It?

Why I Decided to Start Monitoring EC in My Hydroponics Setup

Before using an EC meter, I mostly relied on visual cues and rough estimates when feeding my plants.

But over time, I realized that inconsistent nutrient levels were leading to slower growth and occasional nutrient burn.

When my plants were stressed, I could tell that something was wrong, but I never really knew what macro or micronutrient deficiency was causing the issue.

I could tell by the leaves that these plants were stressed, but not exactly what was wrong

So, I decided to start measuring the electrical conductivity, or “EC” in my indoor gardens.

EC monitoring measures the concentration of dissolved nutrients (salts) in the water, and enables you to ensure that plants are getting exactly what they need.

It also helps you avoid underfeeding or overfeeding your plants. No need to waste money feeding extra nutrients that your plants won’t use!

LetPot’s device essentially gives you more control and accuracy.

Read more: Hydroponic Nutrients 101: A Beginner’s Guide

LetPot Smart EC Meter

LetPot’s EC meter is available in two options:

• without pump (MSRP $69.99)
• with pump (MSRP $79.99)

 

I chose the option with the extra pump.

Extra Pump

While most countertop gardens come with a water pump, it can be nice to add a second pump for additional oxygenation.

I’ve been using the EC meter with my LetPot Air indoor garden.

It’s a small, 10-pod countertop garden that I’ve used and loved for a while. I’ve primarily used it to grow herbs and bok choy, but noticed the water pump is small and off to the left side.

I was curious to compare the EC meter’s water pump with the existing small pump in the LetPot Air.

the pump that comes with the EC meter is much larger

First Impressions of the LetPot Smart EC Meter

Straight out of the box, the LetPot EC Meter felt solid and thoughtfully designed.

The probe looked durable, with clear markings and a minimal, modern look.

The small round reader was sleek and compact. It takes up very little space, which is helpful if you live in a small apartment like me!

The instructions were easy to follow, and everything I needed for setup was included.

everything that comes inside the neatly-packaged kit

Key Features I Found Most Useful

• Real-Time EC & Temperature Monitoring: The device continuously displays EC and water temperature – unique from other EC readers
• App Integration: The LetPot app syncs with the EC meter and allows you to set notifications when nutrient levels or water levels are off
• Durable, Long-Term Probe: The probe is designed for year-round immersion and resists oxidation, which is key for long-term reliability.
• Oxygen Pump Control: you can pair it with LetPot’s optional water pump accessory to improve oxygenation.

How Easy Was It to Set Up and Use?

Setup was straightforward.

The probe is designed like a pod basket, so that it can fit into an existing pod space in LetPot’s gardens. It’s a universal size that also fits with most other brands’ indoor gardens.

I stuck the probe in my garden, paired the device with the app, and it started giving readings within minutes.

I like how the device is super small and compact. It takes up almost no room on my counter while still showing all the important metrics.

the probe is a unique design – it’s shaped to look like a pod basket, so that you can use it in any indoor garden

Accuracy and Performance: Did It Help My Plants?

Within a couple days of using the EC Meter, I caught an instance where my nutrient concentration was creeping too high.

The app alerted me (and the EC meter flashes a red warning), and I diluted my solution before any damage occurred.

Over the next month, I noticed more consistent growth in my basil, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes.

Having real-time data gave me confidence that I was feeding my plants exactly what they needed.

Using the LetPot App: Handy or Just Hype?

I’ve previously already downloaded the LetPot app, as I use it to sync and monitor my other indoor gardens from the brand.

I have all 3 of their indoor gardens at this point – they’re all very well made and quite affordable for the quality!

I’d recommend the

• LetPot Air if you’re a beginner
• LetPot SE if you want a slightly larger, sleeker garden
• LetPot Max if you like to grow fruiting vegetables or want to seed start a ton of plants.

The LetPot App is already useful for adjusting the water schedule, pump and lights on my existing indoor gardens.

Using it for the EC meter was also very straightforward.

It shows the EC and temperature and tracks trends over time, so you can see long term performance of your plants.

I also appreciated the helpful reminders (like topping off water or adjusting nutrients).

Read more: Letpot Air Review: The Best Affordable Indoor Garden?

a look at the app: it shows you all your LetpPt devices, the current EC value and temp, and a historical chart. you can also set alerts, if you want your garden to stay within a certain EC and temperature range.

What I Liked (and Didn’t Like)

Pros

LetPot’s EC meter is unlike anything else on the market.

Traditional EC meters are shaped like rectangular pens. Typically, you’d dip the probe into the nutrient solution, look at the results, then clean off the probe and store it separately.

Every time you take a measurement, you need to clean the probe in order to get accurate results.

Most of the EC meters sold for home growers are affordable, but cheap and flimsy. They rarely last more than a couple months or year, and can be finicky or unreliable.

It’s unfortunately common for cheaper EC meters to give out wrong measurements, as dirt or wear and tear affect the electrodes and mess with the reading. Because of this, cheap EC devices need to be regularly calibrated.

Commercial hydroponic farms will use fancier equipment to dial in their nutrient solutions. Their EC and pH readers are too expensive for an at home setup though!

So I find that LetPot’s EC meter is a really unique product.

It’s well priced, great quality and easy to use.

Instead of the traditional science-lab pen design, Letpot’s EC meter is shaped like an empty pod basket. It can conveniently sit on the grow deck of any indoor garden.

And, you don’t need to clean it off and put it away after every use. You can just leave the EC meter in the system to continuously monitor and read your solution.

Traditional probes can’t be left in a nutrient solution, as the salts will corrode and oxidate the probes, throwing off their readings.

LetPot triple coated their probes, with silver, gold, and nickel plating, to make their EC meter much more resistant to corrosion and oxidation.

Reading the data is also really easy.

Within a couple minutes, the monitor will update the screen. You can also always pull up the data on your phone, using their the companion app.

Read more: Letpot Max Review: The Best All-in-One Indoor Garden?

the unique pod basket design that Letpot created

With that being said, Letpot’s EC meter will last a year if left continuously in the indoor garden.

Over time, the salts in a nutrient solution corrode the probes, so you do eventually need to change it out.

But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the package included an extra probe!

So if left continuously in your indoor garden, you’ll get at least 2 years of nonstop, accurate EC and temperature readings.

Of course, you can use the EC meter for quick readings and and store it away after each use.

If you feel your plants are healthy and don’t require a constant reading, there’s no need to keep it continuously in the garden when it’s taking up space for a plant.

The probes will last much longer that way.

such a cute, compact EC reader

I found the product overall very easy to use.

The LetPot EC meter is a universal design, where the probe is designed to sit in a pod opening. I tested it in my countertop hydroponic gardens from other brands and it fits into all of them.

The monitor is also very quick – it takes just a couple seconds to give a reading and the display is clear and easy to understand.

I especially like that it measures temperature!

Some plants can be sensitive to temperature, so it helps to know the temperature of your garden reservoir.

Note: the EC meter does not measure pH. Devices that measure both EC and pH are very expensive, so it’s typical to have two separate devices.

Personally, I think it’s more critical to measure EC.

If the EC meter detects any deviation in EC levels or temperature, it will immediately alert you through both the device and the mobile app.

This ensures that your indoor gardens are always in an ideal growing environment, which leads to faster plant growth and larger yields.

The EC meter also has a smart algorithm to detect water shortages. It provides real-time water level monitoring so it can notify you when you need to top up.

I’ve been using the extra water pump in my LetPot Air and really love it.

It’s a larger pump, and adding a second water pump has added extra oxygenation to my garden, leading to larger, healthier plant roots.

Is the LetPot EC Meter Worth It?

For a hobbyist with a couple of hydroponic systems running at home, I’d say yes.

If you’ve struggled with knowing when to add nutrients, you’ll benefit from using Letpot’s EC meter.

It takes the guesswork out of nutrient management and gives you more control without a steep learning curve. Traditional solutions are either very expensive, industrial-grade monitors or affordable but flimsy and unreliable EC pens.

So Letpot’s EC meter is the first on the market to be practical, accurate and affordable.

I love how simple the design is to use, how universally it works with any indoor garden, and how well-made and high quality it is.

Who Would I Recommend It To?

If you’re growing vegetables indoors and are struggling with fruit production or signs of plant stress, the LetPot Smart EC Meter is a great tool.

It delivers easy, consistent results and is very user friendly (even for beginners)!

Plus, it’s budget-friendly!

For a limited time the Letpot EC meter is on sale – get it here!

Letpot EC Meter Giveaway!

As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of the Letpot EC meter!

I’ll be giving away a brand new kit of the Letpot EC meter. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below and follow me on Instagram :)

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