What PH meter do you use?

[Supacalabala]

This is the second grow I am doing with my soiless mix. My plants are severely stunted so I'm thinking of getting a ph meter. Just wondering what type of PH meter you guys use and where did you get it at?

 

[MrDank]

There are 2 popular types you will find at most grow stores: Oakton and Hanna

My Hanna went out on me after 9 months, and I told the lady at the grow store that and she told me that she has had a lot of problems with the Hanna, so she directed me to the Oakton. I do like my Oakton a lot

IMHO a PH meter is one of the most important tools to growing healthy cannabis indoors

 

[3BM]

I have a hannah and swear by it, get the dual temp and pH model its the upscaled version. Check out Alternative Garden Supply for good deals on these. I agree with Dank that Oakton also makes a fine meter, but I have less experience with those.

I suggest getting a back up. If you ever question a reading just compare it to the liquid pH test kit. These are inexpensive and work by adding a reagent to a vial of solution then comparing the color to a scale. It isnt the most precise reading, but it will tell you if your meter gets out of whack. Also remember to store the pen properly, and to replace the probe periodically. Hope that helps.

 

[BurnOne]

 

[quadracer]

I think this means you don't need a PH meter when growing organically.

 

[bounty29]

Hanna Instruments, HI 98129: Combo pH, EC/TDS, Temp

...and I love it.

My plants are looking perfectly healthy, soooo much better than my first grow. That has a whole lot to do with having the pH meter. I really don't need the TDS readings but they're good to have. I'm very happy with that purchase.

 

[Supacalabala]

Thanks guys for the replies. Those combo meters can be a bit pricey I see.

Cosidering my inexperience with soilless mixtures I think a ph a meter would be a good idea. My current grow is at 30 days veg and is only about 4 inches tall.

 

[Guest]

Hanna's 98129 is probably one of the, if not the best, multimeter for the price but you do not need TDS for what you're doing. If you just want pH and wanna go cheap Hanna's Checker works well enough and should last a few years if you take care of it properly.

I disagree on the don't need a pH meter thing if growing organically...in soilless. pH is pretty important in soilless IMO. There ain't much of a buffer using soilless.

I really think you have a problem other than pH though.

 

[BurnOne]

Supacalabala-
Check out the STICKY at the top of this forum "Organics for Beginners" for answers.
Burn1

 

[Chiefsmokingbud]

I use the Hanna combo meter that shows PH,PPM,EC, and water temp

 

[Guest]

Been growing for 5+yrs and have never used a meter of any kind - no problems. I have no experience with soiless growing though.

J.

 

[bounty29]

I'm growing in a soilless mix and I can guarantee you having the right pH does wonders for your plants. Get a $20 pH meter if you don't wanna go all out, I realize now that TDS isn't that important, the only thing that I need to know is the pH, as that's the most major thing.

 

[Pipedream]

I've been using a real cheap Hanna "PH Checker" for a couple of years with no problem. Only paid about 20 bucks for it on ebay brand new. Is it fancy? No, but it does the job. Just last month, I started to have a problem with it. I couldn't calibrate the low-end reading. I emailed the place I bought it from for support, but they didn't return my emails. So I emailed Hanna directly and explained the problem. And yes, I did tell them that the meter was out of warranty. The guy said not-to-worry, it was likely a shorted probe and he sent me out a new one free of charge and no shipping costs. Their customer support just got them a customer for life.

 

[theFLINTSTONERS]

our old buddy Milly Blunt always said his favorite pH tester was his tongue . . . but he was always talking about polishing cranes and keeping bushes well trimmed and moist . . . so he's a character in addition to giving some good advice from time to time . . .

in our own adventures in organic soil growing . . . we've never found the need for a pH tester . . . although we do have the one our founder originally bought upon Milly's advice . . .

go figure huh?

 

[bounty29]

Pipedream - I think I had that same one, $20 Hanna checker. I left it on and out to dry, so I killed the batteries and probe. If it was still working, it'd be all I really need. When I got this new fancy meter I toyed around with TDS readings when I was playing with distilled water and comparing stuff, but for feeding, PH is really the only thing I look at. If I think the plants want more food, I just bump up the dosages, keeping the stuff at the same ratios. Make sure PH is right, and feed away.

My plants couldn't be happier right now. The more I learn and experience, the more I see that growing is such an easy thing and that is often forgotten by a lot of growers. KISS

 

[Guest]

Been growing for 5+yrs and have never used a meter of any kind - no problems. I have no experience with soiless growing though.

J.

Hey Pyrex...awesome shot...but soilless here refers to something like a peat or coco based medium...but that's still an awesome shot...

 

[3BM]

I think the issue of pH in organic soil is drawing a lot of contradictory responses lately. I can understand that having experience with a methodology may render regular testing obsolete, but does that mean that pH no longer affects the plants? Its a chemical fact that nutrient availability is affected by the pH scale. A given soil mix may buffer pH changes, and thus remain stable at an excellent pH. However, if a plant exhibits deficiencies commonly linked with pH you cant just ignore pH. Having a meter, or at least some ability to test pH, can help by eliminating that as factor in your investigation of a problem. One might also just work to eliminate every other cause leaving pH the only possibility. Just look around in the Infirmary, pH issues are common among the uninitiated in soil grows.

If you start with the premise that your soil will control your pH, and make the necessary adjustments, then you can be successful without ever testing the pH. This doesnt mean pH isnt a factor, just that you have controlled this factor of the plants environment adequately. Ideas and reality can differ: often a new grower's execution is less than ideal even with great instruction. Ignoring pH may work for some, but how can you ignore it before you even understand it? Testing regularly in the beginning will ensure that you can leave the meter on the shelf later on. Telling someone with a problem not to worry about pH seems counter productive to me.

 

[Guest]

Bluelab Truncheon for PH and PPM. Portable and durable

 

[vonforne]

...but soilless here refers to something like a peat or coco based medium...

I will make this real simple to understand........

soil........any thing that is a CARBON substrate is soil. Peat, coco ect.

soiless.....anything that is not CARBON based......rockwool and like material for hydro growing


Lets say in peat....you could grow a plant...right? Providing it would look like crap but it would still grow.

Now put one in rockwool.......it would be dead in days

Peat can decompose=soil
Rockwool will not=soilless

So, when Pryex said he does not grow in "soilless" He should have said he doesn't grow in an artificial substrate.


3BM, as always good post.

 

[Guest]

Show me where it is written that anything carbon based is soil and anything not is soilless. Charcoal is carbon but do you consider that soil or a soil type medium for the purpose of this discussion? What is the generally recognized and accepted definition of 'soilless'? Your definition is not it IMO. I do agree that peat probably leans more toward a soil type medium than coco but I consider coco a soilless medium.

Just for shits and giggles I Googled 'soilless' and the first listing (not paid) said:
HortFACT - Soilless Media in Horticulture Mike Spiers - HortResearch, Ruakura
What is soilless media ?
Up until the 1970s, container plants were grown in potting mixes which were based on soil and amended with coarse sand and peat (John Innes mixes). Today many container plants, whether in nursery, glasshouse or home situations, are grown in what is called "soilless media" where the soil is replaced by other materials.

The most common materials used for soilless media preparations in New Zealand are:

* Peat;
* Bark;
* Sawdust;
* Pumice; and
* Sand.

Potential materials for soilless media are:

* Ponga;
* Sphagnum;
* Rockwool;
* Cocofibre; and
* Expanded clay.

I, and many others (I'm pretty sure), consider something like Fox Farms Ocean Forest to be a 'soil' medium. Go ahead and throw up a poll vonforne and see how many consider coco to be a 'soil' medium. Let's define 'soilless' first as there's definitely ambiguity.

Pyrex - didn't mean to pick what you said apart...nice shot!