Can anyone help me find a good soil ph meter?

[emanresu]

If you're growing in quailty soil, then skipping on the ph pen is a smart move. Why spend the money if there isn't an issue.
If you do come across an issue, it probably won't be ph related.

I honestly wouldn't waste the money on the cheap $50 one you posted.
I do a lot of searching for reviews elsewhere before I purchase anything. You can't trust a lot of good reviews on Amazon, they give people products for free or pay them to write positive reviews so I have a hard time trusting them.

no i don't trust the reviews on amazon at all either. a good 75 percent of them are fake.

 

[BackwoodsCultivation]

First one lasted a couple years before the bulb went bad, the second one had a mechanical issue I can't remember exactly what it was now, but it was covered under warranty, but when I contacted Apera it became such a task to get them to honor their warranty that I gave up. I use aquarium drops now, if I ever bought another meter it would be a blue lab

I think you're supposed to replace the probe after a set amount a time though, no?

 

[BackwoodsCultivation]

I think you're supposed to replace the probe after a set amount a time though, no?

The bulb tip that is, the replaceable portion I meant! Whoops! Lol

 

[d0p3x]

Looks like the general consesus here is that i dont necessarily need to test the soil unless i notice problems lol so i might just hold off on buying a tester, although i think that one i posted in the beginning of the thread is ginna be what i go with when i do get one, just to test it out. At 1/3 of the price of the others, i think its worth it for someone to test it out at least. If anyone gets it and finds out it works well, please post that info here for us to see it

Just checking out your grow / page. Your girl def looks awesome. So many nice colas .

Anyways just thought I’d throw it out there. I have and have used the luster leaf rapitest Ph soil tester. It seems to work, you basically take a small sample, mix it in the container and add the powder.

I have seen however that it’s popular to test when watering. So when you water you collect the runoff out of the bottom and use your regular PH pen to test the runoff water which should give you a ball park idea as to where your soils at.

I have the VIVOSUN Ph pen TDS & EC. As long as you can keep calibration on it, it seems to work well as well. Hopefully any of that helps but you seem to be doing fine already haha

 

[m8ty]

These are fine to get started and after a while when you figure things out you won't even use the PH pen anyway

 

[mstrpkl]

View attachment 2295600
These are fine to get started and after a while when you figure things out you won't even use the PH pen anyway

But dont buy it from amazon. I bought it from amazon and it doesnt come with the fuckin calibration liquids

 

[d0p3x]

But dont buy it from amazon. I bought it from amazon and it doesnt come with the fuckin calibration liquids

You will need either need to make a calibration solution using packets or get a premade solution. Pre made is easier, if you’re using the packets which I think are cheaper you just need to dissolve them in 250 ml of distilled water.

I’ve found for calibration (after messing mine up and recalibrating it) that doing the 3 levels of calibration work good for the first time and afterwards to keep it in calibration you most likely only need to calibrate to one solution.

I would think it comes with at least the packets to calibrate the ph pen because they don’t come calibrated from the factory. I could also be wrong but I believe mine came with some and I had to buy more after messing it up haha but I have a different one. The one you have should work fine though.

 

[mstrpkl]

You will need either need to make a calibration solution using packets or get a premade solution. Pre made is easier, if you’re using the packets which I think are cheaper you just need to dissolve them in 250 ml of distilled water.

I’ve found for calibration (after messing mine up and recalibrating it) that doing the 3 levels of calibration work good for the first time and afterwards to keep it in calibration you most likely only need to calibrate to one solution.

I would think it comes with at least the packets to calibrate the ph pen because they don’t come calibrated from the factory. I could also be wrong but I believe mine came with some and I had to buy more after messing it up haha but I have a different one. The one you have should work fine though.

That black and green one is actually exactly what i have haha the ph pen came with the solution! But sadly the TDS pen did not :/ il probably have to buy some solution online

 

[d0p3x]

That black and green one is actually exactly what i have haha the ph pen came with the solution! But sadly the TDS pen did not :/ il probably have to buy some solution online

The TDS meter supposedly comes calibrated already and is less likely to fall out of calibration. But if you want to test it you can most like just use your tap water as a benchmark because it should theoretically contain a relatively similar PPM over time assuming they don’t change their filtration processes.

They work pretty well. Other than user error I haven’t had any real issues with any VIVOSUN product.

 

[mstrpkl]

The TDS meter supposedly comes calibrated already and is less likely to fall out of calibration. But if you want to test it you can most like just use your tap water as a benchmark because it should theoretically contain a relatively similar PPM over time assuming they don’t change their filtration processes.

They work pretty well. Other than user error I haven’t had any real issues with any VIVOSUN product.

Yea dude i have a bunch of vivosun products and theyv all been awesome so far.

I thought the instructions said i have to calibrate it before using it.... but il have to double check that now. Either way though, i havent needed to use either pen so im not too worried about it right now lol