Indoor soil ph tester question??

[green76]

hi
just a quick question...
do the soil ph testers with the two prongs on the bottom measure the ph in water aswell or just soil???????
thank you.

 

[Trapper]

Nope

Nor should you trust their readings in their intended medium (soil) either...
They are okay for getting a general idea of pH in your potted plants around your home
or out in the yard...but for growing cannabis, they can cause more problems than solutions...
Where the difference between 5.6 and 6.2 can be a significant difference to the health of the plant.

The Accurate 8 by Control Wizard is the bible for most folks here. (Who care about soil pH and tracking it to insure against lockout)

For Water/Liquid Solution pH, many folks in canna world use the Oakton EcoTestr pH2...very reliable and accurate and not crazy expensive.

 

[green76]

ok...what do other people use that dont want to spend as much as 50 quid on ph testers??????

 

[AndyBotwin]

ok...what do other people use that dont want to spend as much as 50 quid on ph testers??????

You catch the runoff from the pot and measure it with your liquid pH tester. Cheap ones run under $20 and are good enough to start out with. All the cheap soil testers are junk and if you rely on them you will pay the price sooner or later. I had major pH issues on my first grow and learned that lesson the hard way. If you are serious about growing I would strongly suggest saving your coins until you can buy an Accurate 8. I just with I'd bought one sooner...

 

[Muddy]

The vast majority of the plant problems we see here are pH related, probably over 90%. Buying a good soil probe, like the Accurate 8, is about what you'd pay for a quarter oz. of high quality smoke. Maintaining the proper pH can add that, if not more, to the yield of your grow. So it can pay for itself on the first grow. Same with a good liquid pH tester. I would recommend one that not only tests pH, but also EC/PPM. Those reading can be very helpful in checking your base water and measuring the strength of the nutrients you are feeding your plants.