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Frost Protection and Soil Moisture Control in Cranberry Bogs

Maintaining the proper soil moisture and temperature is critically important for healthy cranberry plants.

The root system of a cranberry plant is relatively shallow, requiring a specific soil moisture content to grow and produce fruit.

Air temperature is monitored to protect crops from frost. When the temperature nears freezing, the irrigation system is automatically turned on to protect the plants. Water and energy are conserved because the irrigation system is only used when the temperature is near freezing.

A FlexPower Node with analog inputs and a SDI-12 interface for a soil moisture probe is mounted on a stake driven into the ground near the cranberry bushes. A thermistor connected to the analog input on the FlexPower Node monitors soil and ambient temperatures.

Moisture content and temperature data is wirelessly transmitted back to a Gateway, which is connected to a motor controller using Modbus RTU. When established environmental conditions are satisfied, the motor automatically starts to maintain optimum soil moisture levels and temperatures. Additional Nodes may be added to actuate irrigation valves if needed.

For difficult topologies, SureCross Data Radios can be used to transmit data over mountains and extend the range of the DX80 sensor network.