pH Meter - Do I need it?

[bounty29]

Alright, so I'm just starting my first grow, and I want everything to go great. I've got a tub of water, holds about 5 gallons, just sitting in my room with an airstone in it. I figure I can use this water to water the plants with. It's normal tap water, but the chlorine and such should be out of it because it's been sitting bubbling for so long. Right?

I've got a pH test kit, just one of those things where you have the vial, the pH Up and Down, and the little dropper. You put a drop in the vial of water and it tells you to match up the colors. I don't know if it's just me or what, but I suck at matching the colors, so I'm not very sure of what the pH is. Would it be worth it to buy the pH meter here?
http://www.aquabuys.com/miva/merchant.mvc?
It comes to about $25 after shipping. What are your thoughts?

And while we're here, what should I aim for with watering and feeding pH levels? I'm growing in a 70/30 Promix type of soil/perlite.

 

[Sinfuldreams]

Well you could

Well you could

Use your plants as a Meter.
When they get all burned or yellow you know your PH is off.

Get a meter your color blind like me.
Best 75 bucks you'll ever spend. Get a decent one.

If you plan to keep growing you will need one.
Sin

 

[Guest]

I didnt see any ph test kit there,but this is your best bet.Use 2 tbls of pulverized dolomite lime per gallon soil mix,this will keep your soil ph near neutral if you dont pour liquids through it that are not between 6 and 7 ph.To keep your water and nutrient solution at the correct ph,you want general hydroponics test kit.It consists of indicator,up,and down for horticultural use.

 

[Guest]

i grew my first few grows with fish tank ph kit...then i got a meeter... a must if you want to tweak your grow in my humble opinion

 

[Sinfuldreams]

If you can't tell the difference between Lime Green and Green get a meter.
If your only doing one grow or dont have the cash for a meter you can get by with out any type of PH testing. But I thought you wanted everything to go great.
If you are color blind a test kit is worthless, you'll need a meter.
Sin

 

[Guest]

good price on the meeter

 

[Guest]

You cant meeter nutrient PH,you need a pen.A good one is milwaukee sharp ph or tds pens.Use that dolomite lime and get some sleepEDIT If you're using a "promix type' of soil you'd better use dolomite lime,your soil ph will drop below 6 in flower fer sure

 

[bounty29]

http://www.aquabuys.com/miva/mercha...ode=mi_ph600&Category_Code=u1&Product_Count=0

There, that's the one. I'm not sure why I didn't link it right initially. I definitely plan on doing grows after this one, so I think I might just buy this. It's a Milwaukee pH600, seems to be fairly common, has anyone had any problems with it?

 

[Guest]

the buttons are a pain in the ass to push...but other than that... its a great pen..........never mind i have a different model

 

[Sinfuldreams]

That will do you fine.

Sin

 

[Maj.PotHead]

http://www.nationalgardenwholesale.com/detail.php?id=04_INST&prod=646 i have a hanna best 55$ i spent this along with PH down. when i test the water's PH i use a booze shot glass add water just pass the line place meter in turn on and gently swril a sec then let meter sit watch the ph. i add any nute's to water then read and adjust ph afterwards, if i put to much ph down i empty some water outta jug and replace w/fresh from my britta filter. this brings ph back up and why i only use ph down buy the meter you wont regret it digital read out and all. my hydro shop guy calibrates mine once a month free n/p

 

[Guest]

I have the milwaukee ph51,its a little more money man but definately worth it.A very common pen for what we do,that other one looks OK but wont last as long as this one I bet

 

[dre86]

I think a pH meter should be durable because you're gonna use it for a long time...I would buy a quality one...There are good recommendations above^

 

[Core]

im finisching my first grow and i must say a ph meter is a must have.....better to buy a good 1 straight away so you dont have to spend double money on it...Like me

im looking for 1 now and i saw a nice hanna on ebay for about 100€ (128$)
it has 2 autocalibration points its a ph/ec/tds/C°/F tester
http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/HANNA-DIGIT...3QQihZ019QQcategoryZ42291QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
think im gonne order it from the US its mutch cheaper there in europe we pay this baby 200€ (256$)

 

[bounty29]

I think I'm gonna get the one I linked to for now, I'm kinda short on money so I need to save where I can. I plan on going hydro in the future, and when I do there's a good looking TDS/pH/ec meter in somebody's sig for a little over $100. Definitely not something I need now, but if this one lasts a year, which it should (I hope), then I'll be happy.

 

[Guest]

Dont forget the most important thing,the dolomite

 

[bounty29]

Alright, so you said 2 tbsp per gallon of soil... I used 30 quarts of promix-ish stuff, and 12 quarts of perlite. 42 quarts = 10.5 gallons. Just mix in 21 tbsp of lime? I assume I can get this at a gardening store?

 

[sproutco]

Hey Bounty, that meter your looking at says you need to store it wet. I think you might have to buy storage solution for it also. Does that promix- like soil already contain dolomite lime? You might not need to add so much. Perlite does not need liming because its ph is high already.

 

[Guest]

Thats right you want pulverized or powdered dolomite lime

 

[bounty29]

That's the mix, I've got like half the bag of perlite left over, I might make some kind of cloner with it. So it looks like I won't need to add lime to it?