Testing Ph

T

TheDudeNextDoor

Active Member
Prepping for my first grow and want to get a good Ph tester. Few questions:

1. Do I need to test the soil or the water? It seems like water testers are a hell of a lot cheaper and more plentiful.
2. What's a decent low-end tester that will work for now (limited funds)
3. What the better tester I need once more funds start coming in this fall?

Thanks in advance for the info.
 
NoGutsGrower

NoGutsGrower

Well-Known Member
I Like just sticking my probe in the soil. first starting I would test both just so you have a good understanding of where everything is as you go through the different phases, changing the amounts and types of ferts. you are giving it and how much the soil breaks down. you can get a general hydroponics water tester for under 10 dollars and a cheap soil tester at lowes or home depot for under 10 dollars. same water tester I use and same ph meter I started with.
 
DiabloZoe

DiabloZoe

Member
TheDudeNextDoor said:
Prepping for my first grow and want to get a good Ph tester. Few questions:

1. Do I need to test the soil or the water? It seems like water testers are a hell of a lot cheaper and more plentiful.
2. What's a decent low-end tester that will work for now (limited funds)
3. What the better tester I need once more funds start coming in this fall?



Thanks in advance for the info.
Click to expand...


I use a millwaukee ph55 for mixing nuts and when I grew in soil you can use the same meter to check soil by mixing 1 part ro water and 1 part soil checking the mixture you can get a reading of the soil ph also.
 
Daily]Sifter

Daily]Sifter

Member
i never used a ph meter for the longest time cuz i thought to myself, "ph, why the fuck would i buy something so expensive to just tell me a little about the water." so i never used a meter and used those whack chemical testing kits which by the way is a bitch to use and are absolutely inaccurate. long story short i never realized how EASY (and when i saw easy i mean it was straight up cake) it was to grow. the very fundamental rule of growing is know and control what you are feeding your plant so if you end up with problems u can easily rule out one thing or another. now if i were you Zoe, id test my water before using it to water my plants. once you get an appropriate balance, i would then check the runoff you will surely get after watering a soil plant. if the runoff isnt close to a balance (soil acts as a buffer so your ph will most likey change slightly) then you know its the soil thats a problem for you not the water because u previously balanced the water to specifics, and those specifications wont change much after you watered the plant. i dont use soil but what u want ur ph to be is somewhere between 6.2 and 6.8 i think mayb like 7, but please someone correct me if i am wrong.
 
makinthemagic

makinthemagic

Well-Known Member
i test my soil before feeding to see where its at. then i take that information to mix my water/nutes. if my pH is around 7, i give them water at about 6. if they are higher than 7 i will give them 5.5. the exact pH depends on how dry the plants are and how much water they will be getting. after feeding, i test the (now wet) soil to see if i hit the target.
 
Daily]Sifter

Daily]Sifter

Member
max316420 said:
testing runoff is not an accurate way to see what your soil's ph is..
Click to expand...
yes but you will get a good idea what your plant is soaking up with its roots. its not meant for an accurate soil test - its meant for the grower to know what kind of water their plant has been soaking up once they watered it.
 
max316420

max316420

Well-Known Member
but the soil could change the waters ph so i guess it would be a guessing game. Ive had 2 mil meters and they both bit the shit within 2 months. If you got the money then go with a good one, also make sure the bottom is a rounded one cause the rectangular ones are a pain in the ass if you ever have to check while using milk gallon jugs or anything with a smaller outlet
 
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