Substrate Monitoring 101: Trolmaster and Aroya Compared

Substrate Monitoring For High Performance Growing: Trolmaster and Aroya Compared

Substrate monitoring is a crucial component of successful high performance growing. A good substrate monitoring system gives you reliable data upon which to make irrigation decisions. Substrate monitors give you real time data into your WC% (Water Content) and EC(Electrical Conductivity) of your media. Without good visibility into your rootzone, you either need to spend a lot of time manually spot checking the medium throughout your rooms or you are just running blind. Trying to optimize your irrigation schedule without having visibility into your medium is like driving a car with no gauges or navigation. Sure, you can get by on ‘old school’ techniques but you are going to make some wrong turns along the way.

I was using drip irrigation with no substrate monitors for some time and keeping things monitored by manually checking runoff. It worked okay but required constant attention to the medium and it was very time consuming checking runoffs everyday. Over the last year I tested Trolmaster and Aroya's substrate monitoring solutions and they made life much easier! Having reliable data from my rootzone gave me confidence to push my irrigation parameters exactly to where I wanted them. In this post I will compare the two substrate sensors.

 Trolmaster

Trolmaster’s solution for substrate monitoring is the WCS-2. This is a wired sensor that connects up to your Aqua-X, Aqua-X Pro or Hydro-X Pro. Note: on the standard Aqua-X, you don’t have the ability to drill down when using multiple sensors. If using more than one WCS-2 sensor the data you see will be an average of your sensor values. With the Aqua-X Pro you can hook up up to 50 sensors.

Pricing

The WCS-2 costs $295 per sensor. There is no ongoing subscription fee to use the hardware so the only cost is the initial cost per sensor. If you already have the Aqua-X Pro or the Hydro-X Pro, the WCS-2 is significantly cheaper than Aroya. 

Data

The sensor data is viewed through the Trolmaster App. The app provides a nice graph of your substrate data and can view any custom timeframe desired.

From my experience, the WCS-2 gives accurate readings of WC%, but doesn’t seem to be as reliable for EC measurements. The WCS-2 requires initial and ongoing calibration for both WC% and EC. I found the EC wasn’t matching runoff tests even after calibration. With any probe some variation is expected but personally I wouldn’t make irrigation decisions based on EC values from the WCS-2. 

Pros

• Easy setup
• Cheapest Option

Cons

• EC data is questionable

Aroya

Aroya is a software-as-a-service platform that provides substrate monitoring among other services such as task management and other data logging and analytics. The substrate monitoring is done through the TEROS-12 sensor. The TEROS-12 is made by the Meter group and is the gold standard of substrate sensors. These sensors are used in many commercial agriculture settings outside of cannabis as well as in many commercial cannabis cultivations. 

Pricing

Aroya has a 2 pronged pricing structure. There are the hardware costs and a recurring subscription fee. The subscription fee is based on your square footage of your garden. For a 1000 sq ft. garden the subscription cost $1370/year. The hardware including 3 substrate sensors, the networking equipment and climate sensor was around $2,000. All together for a year subscription and the necessary hardware for 3 sensors cost $3,300. 

Data

The data is viewable through the Aroya App on mobile or online. The App is very smooth to use and the data is presented in a clear and easy to understand way. There are many options of how to present the data depending on your preferences.

Pros

• Wireless Setup
• Proven sensors
• App is easy to use and robust 
• Great visibility into WC% and EC

Cons

• Subscription service means ongoing costs
• $$$
• Other hardware required to operate substrate sensors 

Differences

 There are some key differences in how both Trolmaster and Aroya sensors work and calculate data. The TEROS-12 comes pre-calibrated from the factory and cannot be calibrated again. The Trolmaster WCS-2 needs to be calibrated at setup and fairly regularly to ensure correct readings. This opens up an opportunity for user error, or variance in your calibration processs that can cause variance in your readings. 

 It is important to know that the WCS-2 uses a different measurement of WC% than the TEROS-12 . It is calibrated to a relative water content where max saturation is 100%. The Aroya probe is setup to measure VWC (Volumetric Water Content). It will max out at 60% WC or so depending on your media type, coco density and placement of the probe. I don’t see one as better than the other in this aspect, just different. It does make comparing the data between the two probes difficult since they are using different methods of measurement.

Summary

In summary, if you already have an Aqua-X Pro or Hydro-X Pro, the WCS-2 is the cheapest, most convenient way to get some visibility into your media. The WCS-2 works well for WC% but isn’t the most reliable for EC readings. If you are looking for more precise, in depth readings and visibility I think a platform like Aroya is worth the extra money. However, Aroya is a subscription service, so there are ongoing costs. With Trolmaster, there are no ongoing costs. If you are new to precision drip irrigation, the Trolmaster WCS-2 is an easy way to start down the path of “crop steering”. If you are looking for better data upon which to make irrigation decisions, I think Aroya or a similar platform is worth the extra money.

I hope this comparison has equipped you with the knowledge to make an informed decision on which substrate monitoring system is right for you. If you would like to get setup with WCS-2 they are in stock at my store.

Have questions or need personalized advice to determine the best solution for your specific situation? Don't hesitate to reach out!

And I'd love to hear your thoughts on this comparison or your experiences with these systems. Drop a comment below and let's start a conversation!