PH soil testers

[shepp]

Does anyone have a recomendation for ph soil tester.
i am looking for one . its time for me to go to the next level of growing in my nursery. should of had one from the start maybe.
any help would be great.
and your pro/cons for the one you are using now.
THANKS shepp

[Tom]

Well Shep, I have one, and if it were worth the postage I'd send it to you! It can't tell the difference between wet lime, and wet alluminium sulfate. :mad:

I've never seen one that works. Now, there may be one that works, but I just never have seen it.

Send a soil sample to your state's land grant Univ thru the County agent. They will analyze the sample and make recommendations on what to add.

[shepp]

hi tom
sending a sample wont work for me.
i need to know on a more frequent basis.
when i make up potting mixes i will want to know how my ph is doing. and make amendments then. if i can
thanks shepp

[Gene]

Shepp
I have a cheapy I bought from feed store It has a 3 foot cord with a metal prong about 10 inches long. It does me okay I mainly use it to check the ph of my composit pile and also for my acid loving plants. I paid about 20.00 bucks Don't know right off what brand it is. Have to look when I get home

[Ann B.]

Shepp,

Unfornately, what an Auburn University instructor told us at Master Gardener training is just what Tom said...

If you are serious about knowing the PH of your soil or soil mix, then you are going to need to spend about $200 for a quality meter, as the other ones are not as reliable.

I have to work tomorrow, but I will do my best to make a phone call and get the specific brand name and model number of the instrument this instructor demonstrated and recommended to us as soon as I can get a chance.

Take Care....

[Gene]

Shepp
My ph meter is Country Cottage the meter will register from 3.5 to 9.0 it comes with alarger list of plants and flowers what there ph range should be I paid 17.65 wholesale for it. Ann and Tom are right it probaly isn't real precise. If you were growing Hyprodromics plants I know I would invest in a electronic pin for 150.00 to 200 bucks.Most plants tolerate 1 to 1.5 difference in ph. If you did buy a cheaper you might want to check it with some ph papers

[shepp]

i will take that under advisement thanks gene.
i wonder if the papers alone would be the way to go.???

shepp zone 5/6 with a wind chill tonite of 23* Brrrr
not used to it yet! oilwell, wish i had one

[Jim Lang]

I don't see why you can't mix the soil with water say about a cupful, then test with the paper. Cheap. I don't think you need to be real exact just know if mix is acid or alkaline. I had a cheap meter ($20-$25) and that is about all it would do. If you need to know exactly how acid then you need the better machine.

I used mine for azalia plants and it worked ok for want I needed.

[William Blocker]

Shepp and all,
I found out the hard way last spring the importance of checking the PH.Last April I had potted up about 300 butterfly bushes after about two weeks or so the begin to yellow and drop there leafs.I was using composted hardwood mulch over a year old like I had read was the right stuff to use.I didn't have a tester so I sent a sample off thinking I had a bad disease or something.My test came back no disease but a PH of 8.3,WOW.To make a long story short,I had to repot all of the 300 B.F. bushes and many other plants.It really put me way behind to say the least.
Where I purchase my potting mix now I have them check each batch before they load my 3yd.If its not close to 7.0 I wait until it is before I haul it home.
I bought a cheap tester at Lowes,but I really don't trust it.It is called Rapitest and cost 20.00 or so.A.M. Leonard has one for 18.00 sorta like the cheapo I have.They also have what they call a pro model for $184.11 with a +/-0.2.
I hope to get a better one someday but I need so many things I guess 184.00 will have to wait.Who said these plants were free.
I sure wish I could make it up there to the Ohio nursery show, I know its a good one.mayby I'II make that one someday,probably when I retire in a few years.
Hope this helps
Enjoy your day!
William B. in Tennessee Zone 6

[Gene]

Shepp
Just got a new growers magazine in they have a add for an electronic run for 39.00 dollars retail measures the ph, EC ,and TDS. it product no. is HI 9813 go to
www.hannainst.com they sell several models, I have never dealt withthis company

[shepp]

thanks everyone that replied. i think i will do some studying on the matter and see if i can make a deal at the C.E.N.T.S. show.
www.onla.org.
thanks shepp