I have not grown in a long time. Everyone is telling me I need to test my PH… Some have written, and told me it is really important!!! What should I get to do that? 2 different things? One for soil, and one for water/liquid? Or do i get one that does both? Any suggestions on a good one to buy??? I do not really see one that does both for sale on Amazon… Various ph meters for liquid on there… for $12-$15 bucks… I did not test my PH back long ago when I used to grow a bit… lol
You can use the same meter for water and run-off testing. Only other recommendation is a TDS meter.
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Ot oh… What is a TDS METER??? LOL Instead of a PH METER? I better look up what a TDS METER is now!!! Thanks!!!
So, Everyone just has one PH tester that tests liquid then??? Or most everyone? lol And then u can test liquid that runs out the bottom of the pots, and that tells u what the PH of the soil is??? Small time growers like me, did not test for PH, back in the day…!!! lol
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This is the Ph tester I use, it is the best, but expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/Bluelab-PENPH-Pen-Plant-Germination/dp/B005POOJHG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535292625&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=bluelab+ph+pen&dpPl=1&dpID=41k7gjUUstL&ref=plSrch
If you want something cheaper and more for the beginner, I recommend this Ph and PPM combo set. This is everything you need.
https://www.amazon.com/Water-Quality-Meter-Pancellent-Temperature/dp/B06XCMNFVQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1535840719&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=ph+pen&dpPl=1&dpID=41tXy9qVRbL&ref=plSrch
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=twister_B078NPH1W3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
the Apera brand are rock solid, and fairly inexpensive. I would not waste my money on a $20 one that is iffy at best, when a good one will cost less than $50. And to test the ‘soil’, you are basically just testing the water before it goes in to make sure it’s right, then again after some drains through the soil. This is just to look for any alarmingly high or low numbers, and be able to fix it before it becomes a problem for the plant.
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The cheap ones are actually just as accurate as the expensive ones, they just don’t last as long. The Apera is ok, but the Bluelab is much better if you’re going for a high end meter.
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I’ve got the apera 20, and once you get it dialed in its pretty solid. Be sure to soak the sensor in their recommended fluid or the pH4 solution.
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Ph, pH, pH. Besides from good lights, the number 1 thing you need to get a handle on. Outdoors not as important as indoors for some reason. I’m doing both.
I have a meter that does both. I paid $4.50 on e-bay. Oh, it also does Temp.
If you stick with one Nute company and follow their chart precisely, you don’t need anything but pH. If you are trying local organic stuff like bat guano, etc. then you need to measure dissolved solids.
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But, I think ffof and that other one, Happy Frog (is that the name?) potting soils, and even Gardner’s Gold potting soil have bat guano… in them…? Well, ffof says their ph is around 6. something… Not sure about the other two…
What is the best ph to be at???
None of those are local products though…
In soil, 6.5 is always the goal. Happy Frog, Ocean Forest, and the new one “Lucky Dog”, are all designed for weed (oh, and tomatoes LOL), Like the ProMix brand and others. So that is why they advertise a pH range that their soil will be within. You know you’re close.
So when you water with 6.5, you watch the run-off to see if the pH is similar. If it is consistently low (for example) you could water with a little higher pH water to try and raise it to that range. You wouldn’t raise the pH much, and then small increments after that, unless there are " OH NO, MY PLANT IS DYING!!!" issues you are trying to correct. 
This is why people keep track of the numbers, to watch for trends.
If you want to know 100% how much food your plants need, check your run-off with ph-ppm meter. EC is very important to.
Thank u very much for all the help everyone!!!
Um, What does EC stand for. Don’t think I ever heard of that.
Electrical Conductivity believe it or not
Really!!! Do u test for that too? lol That is important in growing pot??? lol Very funny!!! I think I saw sparks coming off my plants last night!!! lol
Does anyone know if this grow light called a Maygrow 1200 watt led grow light on Amazon is a good grow light for pot? I can not seem to figure out how to get a picture of this product off of Amazon on to this website… Not very good with computers… and such devices… It cost $156.99 dollars, and has a switch for Veg. and bloom… It is one of those kinda purple grow lights. Anyone know if this would be a good light that would grow some really good buds???
I personally don’t. If it was low or high I wouldn’t know how to fix it anyway. I watch the plants, and if there are issues, most of the time a good flush with one solution or another is the initial fix.
Come to think of it I have read MANY threads on this forum when people ask about issues (to learn) and I don’t ever recall seeing one where the ILGM person said “Oh, your EC is out of whack, here’s how to fix it!” LOL But I may have missed that one.