Y’all i think I finally figured out my dysfunction after almost two entire grows.
First grow, nothing but stunted plants. I threw all the science I could understand at them, but they remained midgets. Nice smoke, but just WOULD. NOT. GET. BIGGER.
I did just a little better on my current grow, but again, I’m struggling with a plant that won’t get bigger. And, like the first grow, it also seems to be intolerant of light.
For the second grow I upgraded my bottom of the line pH meter to a fancier one that does TDS and EC. Which is nice.
So this entire time I’ve been having to adjust my water pH upwards. It always reads 5.8 pH. I figured with two different pH meters telling me the same thing, well, that has to be truth, right? And the second meter I went to great pains to calibrate according to the manufacturers instructions. So it couldn’t be that far off, I thought.
Finally in despair for better understanding I bought some test strips that test the critical range from 4-9 pH with decent accuracy. Test strips do not lie. And guess what? My water isn’t acidic at all. It’s perfect. 6.5 pH. This entire time I’ve been adjusting perfect water and making it alkaline.
Lesson learned: buy test strips first. Then you can add in a digital meter. If it lies, trust the test strips.
sigh I guess it’s better to figure this out late than never. I hope this helps someone else.
I just pulled out my calibration liquids and measured with the meter. The meter reads the calibration liquids correctly. Then I tested the calibration liquids with test strips. The test strips agree with the meter.
Then I read my water with the meter: 5.8. Then with the test strip: 6.5.
If you can afford it I highly recommend a more quality digital meter. I used cheapos for years and they always were unreliable. Now I have an apera ph60 and I never have an issue as long as I maintain it properly. I change the probe every 18 months and do a multi point calibration once a week to check accuracy.
Then if you get extra paranoid about accuracy like I am you’ll buy a second ph60 to check against the first one
Edit: I forgot something very important: ph probes need to be stored in the proper KCl solution to maintain accuracy.
Your best bet is to spend a little extra and get decent meters. I did the cheapO TSD and pH meters on Amazon until one broke and I had the chance to compare the readings of two of them. Not even remotely close. So I bit the bullet and purchased an
Aphera pH 20 and a TDS 20 and I no longer have to worry if my pH and TDS \EC is correct. I would advise all serious cultivators to do the same and stay way far away from the cheap $15 meters you find on. Amazon and elsewhere. They are a total waste of $$
In my experience Apera meters work well, and I think they are the best in their price range.
For my usage I have 4.0 and 7.0 calibration fluids and do a 2 point calibration before each new grow. I keep the cap half full of the recommended storage solution and that’s all it takes for the Apera PH60 read quickly and accurately.
Been using the same meter for 3 years without problems. Also the price of the meter has not gone up since then which is crazy considering inflation.
However if you are just testing the water as it goes into soil it might be fine using just strips, especially now that you know your water is in pH range out of the tap.
@Foreigner uses this method and has great results. I’d only really recommend a meter for hydro or any system that uses a reservoir and requires multiple checks a week.
i also use the apera. the first one i had went bad after i didn’t long term store it correctly. so, you are storing overnight in solution? like 4.0? i thought that was for the long term storage. i just dip mine in distilled water after each use and put the cap on. the manual said so long as you are using it regularly that was the procedure. i just test in a bottle of the 7.0 and the sell extra ph solution for testing separately. i noticed it drifts a little as you keep dipping into it to test. anyway, i have to recalibrate after about 10 weeks.
If you’re using it daily or often enough that there is moisture in the cap when you take it off you should be OK. Never store in distilled or RO.
You can cut off the corner of a sponge and stick it in there and wet it with nutrients or KCL.
I store mine in a little KCL (make sure to rinse it off before using).
I would double check the manual, but I think any 3M KCL storage solution would work.
This is the storage solution I use:
I keep the cap half full of that at all times when the meter is not in use.
I have not replaced the sensor.
When doing calibration it will drift some while sitting in solution, but it shouldn’t drift much. If it’s drifting more than .3 or .4 you might need to clean it. I have had to do that once and I think there were instructions in the manual.
i guess i was talking about the final reading drifting over time…like it messes up your grow. i do have this problem that the reading will drift if i shake it. when i test it before using i get a 7.0 reading if i tap it once. otherwise, it will read 6.9 even just after calibrating. it’s a little jank. i’ve been keeping it pretty clean since dipping in distilled water after each use. the first one i had was gnarly.
did the instructions say to keep it in 4.0 the whole time? i thought it was just for long term…if it work it works though.
As a home hobbyist, I’ll never pay for a pH meter again. Even the pricey ones require special fluid for storage, calibration, etc. More trouble than they’re worth.
Strips are so easy and cheap.
Love my tds/ex/ppm whatever you wanna call it pen, tho. Dead simple and easy. Great tool for bubble buckets/DWC.
