New Grower Do I need a ppm meter ?

[Autoflowerpower420]

Hey guys! I was wondering if I needed a ppm meter for nutrients because if not that's money I don't have to spend. I feel like it's mainly for making sure you don't go overboard with nutrients. And if I'm only using quarter strength I won't need it.

 

[pop22]

Well IMO, it depends if your doing soil or hydro. For Hydro, its a must. Fro soil its not so important. I'd say a PH meter is though. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in.

:Sharing One:

 

[hank]

is a 20 dollar investment on amazon for a PH meter and buffer worth losing a plant or 2 over?

Ill spend the cash.

Exception organics

 

[AndyBotwin]

Like pop said, it's not crucial for soil growing but it is nice to have. It's one of those things that some soil growers never use and do just fine, while others utilize it as a useful tool. It's helpful to know the ppm of the water you are using, the nutrients you're applying, and the runoff from the pot. To greatly simplify it, if the runoff ppm is higher than you're feeding, you may need to lighten up on the nutes. And if it's lower, you may be underfeeding. This is much less of an exact science with soil than hydro, but it can be helpful information to add to your growing bag of tricks. Especially if you're growing a new strain and trying to determine how much to feed. pH is much more important in soil, especially with synthetic nutes, so make sure you've got that covered first. But add a good ppm meter to your future wish list if you really want to gain a greater understanding of feeding and how it affects your plants.

 

[puffman420]

if you want to achieve the most out of your grow i think one is required, no problem going without for a grow or two as you learn the ropes as you will be fine at 1/4 and even 1/2 strength.

if your not happy with your results after a grow or two invest the $20 and see if that helps you dial in your setup.
Good luck you will do great either way :Sharing One:

 

[az2000]

Here's an example of why it's useful for growing with soil or soiless (drain to waste). I use reverse osmosis water because local tap water has a ppm of 700, which leaves little room for nutrients. If the water dispenser's RO filter (membrane) has severely failed, I need to know because when I start at 40ppm water (RO water) and add nutrients, I end up at 1140ppm. If I start with unfiltered water, I'd end up at 1800ppm and surely burn my plants.

It's just a good final check of the ppm before watering. If you live in an area with low ppm water, you might not have to worry about the example I gave.

Another example is when you use something like powedered KoolBloom. It says to use 1/4 tsp or 1.125 grams. It's really strong stuff and the first time I used it I could use my PPM meter to make sure that my reduced nutes + booster was in the 1100 range. This could help me know whether I should do the typical 1/2 strength for a never-tried nutrient, or if I could bump it up toward full strength (if I'm well below 1100ppm at 1/2 strength.).

I bought the HM TDS-EZ meter. For $15 US, it's an inexpensive tool to have.

 

[Muddy]

A good liquid pH tester is a must for any serious grower. For soil growers I also highly recommend a soil pH probe like the Accurate 8. Should you run into any issues such as yellowing or spotted leaves that are often associated with pH problems and seek our help, one of the first questions will be asking for the pH of your feeds and of your run off. Better to have one on hand and be able to address the issue immediately than having to wait days to get a pH meter.

 

[faded187]

I spent 40 bucks on advanced nutrients ph perfect gmb and never bought another 20 dollar ph meter off ebay since so right there saved me money cause I was goin through bout 1 a month plus buffer solution and all that other crap..u know honestly my plants have never looked better I just buy the same kind of bottled water r/o phd at 7.4 mix my nutes and haven't checked any ph what so ever

 

[AndyBotwin]

I bought the HM TDS-EZ meter. For $15 US, it's an inexpensive tool to have.

I have that same meter and I have no complaints. It works great and for the price it doesn't take long to get your money's worth out of it.

 

[Muddy]

I spent 40 bucks on advanced nutrients ph perfect gmb and never bought another 20 dollar ph meter off ebay since so right there saved me money cause I was goin through bout 1 a month plus buffer solution and all that other crap..u know honestly my plants have never looked better I just buy the same kind of bottled water r/o phd at 7.4 mix my nutes and haven't checked any ph what so ever

While this approach may have worked for you, it's really not the best advice. AN pH Perfect will only work correctly when the starting pH and ppm of your water is below pH 8 and ppm between 100 - 125. Without a liquid pH tester, you're only guessing. Fortunately, it looks like you got lucky.