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PH soil tester
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Posted by
rayrose 8SC (
My Page) on
Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 11:14
| I need to buy a ph soil test meter. What do you guys recommend. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: PH soil tester
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- Posted by mrclint z10SoCal Valley (My Page) on
Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 12:25
| Sorry, I don't have a recommendation for you as I don't measure pH of my soil. Most fruit trees will do well within a wide range, and blueberries can do well without knowing precisely and by reading the health of the plants. Curious why you feel the need to measure pH? |
RE: PH soil tester
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- Posted by Drew51 5b/6a SE MI (My Page) on
Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 17:41
I myself use sulfuric acid and I don't want to kill my plants, so I need to measure PH. I use it for cacti, and blueberries. Our water is very basic here with lot's of carbonates. I also do a lot of canning and like to check PH. I feel better knowing PH is low enough to prevent botulism from growing.
I use a mechanical meter. it's cheap! It is not super accurate, but it never breaks either. I have to clean probe with steel wool though, as it oxidizes quickly and doesn't work. When cleaned it works pretty well. I suspect eventually the probe will fail. But has worked for a couple years so far. |
RE: PH soil tester
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| Theres an electronic one sold by Stark Bros. Uses a 9 volt battery. I've been using mine for 2 seasons now and imo its the best ph tester I've used |
RE: PH soil tester
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| From all the reviews I read in the past, it seems that quality control is very bad for the cheaper models designed for home gardeners. You have a better chance of getting a defective one in your package. This results in confusing reviews that range from glowing to junk. If you get one, you need to check it against something that you know is true. Else you have to spend the big bucks on a professional model that comes certified to be calibrated. |
RE: PH soil tester
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I've read exactly the same things as rockfarmer and have come to conclude that they aren't worth messing with. Neither are the chemical capsules sold to measure ph, N,P,K etc. I've done my own experiment with these capsules and the results were absolutely ridiculous. You cannot gleen one single bit of useful information from their use. Spend the $9 and get a quality lab analysis.
I agree too with mrclint, rarely with fruit trees does any of this even matter, unless unusual circumstances are present. |
RE: PH soil tester
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check out this source for quality instruments.
Pike Agri-Labs inc, Strong, ME |
RE: PH soil tester
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Spend the $9 and get a quality lab analysis.
And have some graduate assistant test your soil. I have sent the same soil to different labs and got completely different results. One had a ph of 8.2 the other 5.5. |
RE: PH soil tester
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| what about the paper strips? |
RE: PH soil tester
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- Posted by Drew51 5b/6a SE MI (My Page) on
Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 13:15
what about the paper strips?
They work, but it's hard at times to read the difference.
Is it 4.5 or 5.0? Etc. Easy to tell 5.0 from 7.0 but 6.0 to 7.0 is hard to tell. |
RE: PH soil tester
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| And have some graduate assistant test your soil. I have sent the same soil to different labs and got completely different results. One had a ph of 8.2 the other 5.5 Possibly one of those labs don't fit the criteria of "quality". Drew, is it possible there was that much difference? Where were the samples taken from and at what depth, and was the soil previously undisturbed? Anything previously applied?
Not all labs are university based. |
RE: PH soil tester
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I use a Hanna hand held 'field' pH meter. They are around $100 dollars, and you have to purchase the controls. But I agree with Appleseed on state soil lab tests, they tell you much more; but to the others who have differing results, if you have a pH meter you can calibrate it wiithin minutes of your tests, and you can test different areas, and be your own quality control.
In regards to the paper strips won't work if you have red clay soil, becuase is near impossible to read the color indicator strips, same for the capsule tests. If you have sandy soil or probably anything else but red clay it might work. I first tried the inexpensive metal probe testers from Home Depot, but they were never reliable. |
RE: PH soil tester
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| I use Hanna champ just saw price 39.95 its globe tester. I use drinking water are call bottle water to check as use seldom tester. When get test check drinking water that come out 6.8 to 7.0 if reads that I use drinking water and sample soil needing tested mix water and soil let set about 10 minutes remix test. It has accuracy 0.02 +- that good I need. mix in small glass like shot glass, if use to often film confuse globe so need calibration fluid and cleaner.I pick up at class training in 1988. |
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