Ph tester recommendation

[Bareback]

Wrong again dope no test strip will ever be accurate to the decimal and if you own a ph pen perfect 7.0 solution is the first step ass clown so NO you wouldn't get 6 different readings from 6 different pens if they were calibrated to start with your logic is dumb

Dude that's rude.

@Uberknot is right. I use a expensive pen, and cross check with color drops. The pen is just easier, the chemical reaction is more reliable . Not trying to start nothing with ya, but über knot has given a hell of a lot of solid advice. He has respect and deserves it.

I hope you'll chill out and share good info with every one , we want to see your grow and here what works for you. So lighten up don't worry be happy.

 

[green217]

The problem with ph drops is that if your nute mix has a colour to it that could potentially put out your ph results, no?
I'm using an essential ph pen which was cheap on Amazon. Meant to be good, it does the job and doesn't drift like my cheapy yellow and black one which broke after a month.

Not in my experience I use Botanicare Pro grow and it's pretty brown. Always easy to tell when it's diluted in Clearwater and I've dropped three to five drops of General Hydroponics test liquid. It works fine for me in soil. As far as knowing what your pH is precisely down to the 10th or 100th decimal point. Doesn't seem necessary unless you're running hydro.

 

[dargd1]

I apologise, I referred to strips in my comments, I meant drops. I also use the General Hydroponics test liquid; as a double check after using a PH digital pen.

 

[JustBlowingSmoke]

The problem with ph drops is that if your nute mix has a colour to it that could potentially put out your ph results, no?
I'm using an essential ph pen which was cheap on Amazon. Meant to be good, it does the job and doesn't drift like my cheapy yellow and black one which broke after a month.

Good point. My nute water is almost black when I'm done mixing. Would pH strips or drops still read accurately in that situation?

 

[green217]

Good point. My nute water is almost black when I'm done mixing. Would pH strips or drops still read accurately in that situation?

My water just gets a little on the brown side. But when the PH indication liquid hits it, it turns colors instantaneously. My guess is it would work, but i don't know being my water isn't all that dark. If u really want to know, I'd pick up a cheap aquarium ph indicator kit and try that.

 

[Uberknot]

Good point. My nute water is almost black when I'm done mixing. Would pH strips or drops still read accurately in that situation?

Then I would say you don't even need a PH meter you are killling them ....besides something that's changes the water color that much should have been designed to be PH neutral....

 

[JustBlowingSmoke]

Then I would say you don't even need a PH meter you are killling them ....besides something that's changes the water color that much should have been designed to be PH neutral....

I use Nectar for the gods nutes, the Zeus juice additive is like a solid black. By the time I'm done mixing all the nutes it usually drops pH around 6 from a neutral 7

 

[Uberknot]

I use Nectar for the gods nutes, the Zeus juice additive is like a solid black. By the time I'm done mixing all the nutes it usually drops pH around 6 from a neutral 7

By the time I mix all mine up I am at 6 or less for sure for bloom nutes,

I am pretty simple though none of the fancy worded sales oil...just jacks ferts basically. Simple...

 

[Uberknot]

Anyhow if you do get an electronic PH tester make sure it comes with the stuff to calibrate it.

 

[JDMase]

Then I would say you don't even need a PH meter you are killling them ....besides something that's changes the water color that much should have been designed to be PH neutral....

Floranova bloom is brown, buffers my water down from around 7.0 to around 4-5 ph depending on my EC.
Just talking from my own experience.

 

[ttystikk]

Sigh, there is really no such thing as a cheap or affordable quality "multi" meter pen..
I love Hanna BUT, can not bring myself to suggest their multi-meter pens! The probes are fussy and costly to replace if you don't keep them stored in proper storage solution.....They tend to shift out of calibration and calibrating all the time is annoying at least.

I LOVE their lab quality equipment and would not settle for anything else but....Their field meters for soil, at serious big bucks are the best....

I have never been a fan of Bluelab, many are, but I've had nothing but short term quality from them..The greenhouse's and Medical plant farms I've run, would not allow Bluelabs (I never asked why but, it has been a influence!)


So then.....For the small scale gardener. The best thing I have found that works all the time. Is extremely tolerant of probes drying out (Hanna and Bluelabs are NOT) from "I forgot" or even as stored for a year and then rehydrated briefly......THIS pen is BOSS! Easy to use. Auto temp, auto adjust in 2-3 easy button touch's and this pen has held calibration longer then any I have ever used!

This is still the makers brand and they used to be in the 28 dollar range until Sunleaves bought out the major production amounts produced yearly....The "Sunleaves" labeled ones are $10 higher in price!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HM-Digital-PH-80-HydroTester-Water-pH-Temperature-Tester-Meter-Pen-HMDPHM80-/351639482235?hash=item51df58af7b:g:O4sAAOSw9IpXxKA~

I can not say how much I like this pH pen! WAY worth the price and I will never switch away!

Do you really need a TDS meter? If so simply buy that 2 tone brown and tan one that's on every hydro stores shelves at the lowest cost.....works fine for years and years!

This is the one in Blue and black -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-TDS-Meter-Digital-LCD-Tester-Water-Quality-Filter-Purity-Pen-Stick-0-9999PPM-/370863161421?hash=item56592ac04d:g:D50AAMXQgyZR82Fm

I find that avoiding the combo meters is far less costly to start and for sure down the road!

Strange. I've had nothing but good luck with my Blue Lab combo meter.

 

[Uberknot]

Floranova bloom is brown, buffers my water down from around 7.0 to around 4-5 ph depending on my EC.
Just talking from my own experience.

Toughluck then I guess you have to use an electronic meter.

Anyhow make sure to get a ppm meter as well...

 

[Budley Doright]

I'm with the doc on blue lab, not real impressed with the three I've had. The last one I bought two years ago was $30 and has been great but I do have to calibrate it every couple of weeks. I should note I drive em like I stole em, really don't take great care of em lol.

 

[ISK]

Dude that's rude.

@Uberknot is right. I use a expensive pen, and cross check with color drops. The pen is just easier, the chemical reaction is more reliable . Not trying to start nothing with ya, but über knot has given a hell of a lot of solid advice. He has respect and deserves it.

I hope you'll chill out and share good info with every one , we want to see your grow and here what works for you. So lighten up don't worry be happy.

his previous RIU membership was cancelled....by the tone of his posts, I would say he won't be around for long

 

[Budget Buds]

Anybody ever use one of these? They have great reviews and they seem like a winner .https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOIKA?psc=1

 

[MickFoster]

I grow in coco and I have always found that varying the pH from around 5.5 to around 6.2 at different feedings allows all of the elements to be readily available to the plant. I have always used the drops and as long as the test sample turns an orange/yellow it's good. If you follow the colors on the bottle I found they were off, so I printed pics of what colors 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 look like off of the internet to use as a comparison and they are dead on. The drops are never wrong and they don't need to be calibrated to assure accuracy.

 

[Dr. Who]

Strange. I've had nothing but good luck with my Blue Lab combo meter.

And there's the other rub to this.....Many swear by them! The Pharmaceutical company mandated Hanna or Oakton bench testers with PC linking to quality control monitoring. I think the lack of BL was that BL did not make a unit compatible with PC recording ability at the time.....It was by wire back then......In the greenhouse it was Hanna soil units with Oakton probes....I still use Hanna meters with Oakton soil probes on the farm (the hand held and wire to the probe type. You buy the unit and then you add a probe of the type you need - like soil probes)....For awhile, I was able to get Oakton soil meters for like $189 (they changed the model in a big way and were liquidating the old model - pre release) Saved around $250. You went broke buying the probes!

Other BL units I've tried for "this"....never seamed to last for me.....I found the little probe end as kinda weak if you let it dry out...same for Hannna's.........I forgot about the "suggested" brand units in my building after the "shut down" last year.....They dried out !!!
I put them in water and let them sit for around 20 min. when I was getting it set for the restart cpl a weeks back. They both read high a bit so I tested them in 4,7 and 10 calibration solutions......they were each 1.4 points high....I found that as odd, but recalibrated them and they have not wavered since! I checked them everyday for a week and figured they were good to go!

Try that with a name brand probe! Dried for almost a year? Probe replacement would be required....That is why I went out of my way recommending the one's I have... Hell, Hanna's probes cost more then the whole unit I use.....

Good to hear yours works well for you!

 

[Budley Doright]

I've tried them all, Hanna, oakton, and blue lab, and never got more than two years so I tried the cheapest auto cal one I could find and love it....well I haven't tried it in a few weeks and it's outside beside the hot tub, think it may have froze .... that's probably bad huh lol. I'll try it and see how it does tomorrow .

 

[Budget Buds]

Stay away from oakton . There customer service sucks dick. I bought one from ebay, it crapped out. I got in touch with customer support and they told me the one year warranty is from the date of manufacture , not the date of sale. the owners manual says the date of sale . After I called them on it they then told me that since I bought it from ebay and not an authorized seller that they would not honor there products warranty. Brand new sealed meter !!! FUCK OAKTON

 

[green217]

his previous RIU membership was cancelled....by the tone of his posts, I would say he won't be around for long

I grow in coco and I have always found that varying the pH from around 5.5 to around 6.2 at different feedings allows all of the elements to be readily available to the plant. I have always used the drops and as long as the test sample turns an orange/yellow it's good. If you follow the colors on the bottle I found they were off, so I printed pics of what colors 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 look like off of the internet to use as a comparison and they are dead on. The drops are never wrong and they don't need to be calibrated to assure accuracy.

yes i can never get that brownish color on the bottle that is at 6.5, i think. I should grab another of those cheap black and yellow meters to check where that is. I've had a couple of them in the past, one i broke the glass around the sensor. It worked great for a few months. But the second i got went crazy after about a month.