Soil PH testing, the age old contentious issue ?

[Tanglefoot]

Why is it that if I ever go on other certain forum's & ask advice for testing soil PH all I hear are statements that declare you never need to test your soil PH.. ever... ever ? These responses are from seasoned growers. I understand that soil buffers things out but things can go out of whack, can't they ? Why are these people so certain of this & yet on here & a few other places the advice is, in certain circumstances, to test your soil PH. Why the complete opposite's of opinion do you think ?

..oh & yes I could do with some advice on testing my soil PH ! In the UK I can't get hold of the accurate 8 meter... am looking for alternatives?

 

[namvet25]

Can't you order from Amazon UK?

 

[Tanglefoot]

Nope, amazon UK don't have them.

 

[Waira]

:smoking: great question tanglefoot, but Sick Bay is not the place for this,...better out in one of the other forums where traffic is higher...

I will say that it depends on the soil type that's being used,... for folks who make their own, fully organic TLO type soil (true living organic), or are running high quality soil with various amendments, organic based nutrients, teas, etc., pH is usually not something to worry about, the "living system" in it self buffers... but that is a real skill, believe it!-- and the only exceptions to the rule, per se,(maybe that's what some of there "others" were referring to?)... And it's still wise to monitor it, if not directly tinkering with it... However, just grabbing a bag of organic soil and using bottled organic stuff will not provide trouble free self pH'ing results... And if you use synthetics, not sweating your inputs- water and nute solution pH's, and watching the actual in-pot pH of the soil is blind faith gambling! Whoever said soil pH is irrelevant and doesn't need monitoring, and adjusting is straight up scientifically wrong, just ask any real professional, soil scientist, farmer, chemist-- you name it,... When pH goes out of acceptable range, it alters the chemistry of the nute ions, rendering them unavailable/absorbable, messes with the roots uptake/osmotic balance, lays waste to the soil microbes, etc. etc.,... We see it here 24/365! And for true "soilless" mediums, like Promix , or coco pH management is even more critical!

<-- this is NOT a lie,...
*** neither is this for that matter!-->

..... so ignore whatever dip-shittery you saw elsewhere about this,... yes there are some folks even here who do little to nothing for pH'ing and get away with it and have good results, but that's because they have figured out their nutes and water chemistry well enough, and have skills enough to spot and treat trouble when it comes,.. most others don't, and get some grows in OK, then someday, don't.. and have no clue what to do about it,.. then they stagger into here with TARFU plants! 2.5 years in the trenches here, and the numbers don't lie either,...