I just had a notion

[Billotto]

I can't afford upwards of $150 for a good ph tester. According to research, the cheap ones are not reliable anyway.

I was thinking I could use my hot tub test strips, for now, to check my runoff water.

Thoughts?

 

[Jay T Trichomes]

It will definitely give you a round about idea of where your ph is but not for sure how exactly accurate it will be. It’s gonna be hard to differentiate exactly what color it is and what that color’s actual ph is. I know everytime I test my pool I’m always going... is that this red or this red... etc

 

[Billotto]

I agree but I still think it would be more reliable than a cheap pen.

 

[Gazoo]

You can always buy the cheap PH pen and then use the strips to confirm ? Once you have a
+ or - number you can do a Confirmation test every few months just to make sure things
have not changed. Reading wise

 

[Jay T Trichomes]

And that probably is true!! At least you’ll have an idea of what range your in

 

[Virgin Ground]

$80 US Apera pH60. It's really nice.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Just saw where you are. Sorry. Probably a lot more where you are.

 

[Billotto]

You can always buy the cheap PH pen and then use the strips to confirm ? Once you have a
+ or - number you can do a Confirmation test every few months just to make sure things
have not changed. Reading wise

Yes cool...play them off of each other and take the median value.

 

[Gazoo]

Yes cool...play them off of each other and take the median value.

Another thought

They also sell a KNOWN PH value "Calibration liquid" that you use to calibrate
the better Units. Buy some of that and then you can EASILY Compare the reading
for a ACCURATE READING / comparison

 

[Weaselcracker]

Cheap pens tend to be reliable until they stop being reliable, LOL. As long as the cheap pen is working it should give just as accurate a reading as an expensive meter. Whereas the test strips and colored pH drops are not very accurate. It depends what medium you are growing in- how accurate you need to be. The strips don’t break at least.

Your notion gives me a notion though. I don’t really have the time right now to look but it occurs to me that there may be some color matching apps for a phone that might let you match the color more closely than an eye could ?

 

[Dwight Monk]

What are you growing in for a medium? Most folks worry about what the PH is going in (what you water with) and don't give a hoot what the ph is coming out, especially in soil where it isn't of any help or accurate account of what the soil PH is based on the runoff. I grow in soil and use similar ph tape, mine comes in a roll and you tear off a piece of it to test, but it gives a different color every .2 ph whereas that one is quite wider (6.2 or is it 6.8 or is it 7.2 ).

Whereas the test strips and colored pH drops are not very accurate.

They do make strips that are way more accurate but I don't think they are very cheap either they use three different color readings on each strip to narrow down/tell reading easier per each .1 PH . Place I used to work made planters/packaging materials out of recycled paper, certain paper (some waxed paper won't break down fast enough and gets hot in the process and the wax just clumps together and makes a crappy product ) that when we made the pulp we had to bring the PH way the heck up (we had to get it between 12.0-14.0 PH and that high of PH does a number on the PH meters which are expensive), once the paper broke down we had to bring it back down to a 4-4.5 PH range and we would use the meters again once we knew we were under a 9.0 PH to dial it into where it needed to be.

 

[Billotto]

What are you growing in for a medium?

Soil. I haven't worried about ph up til now cuz they're healthy.

I have just started flower nutes, however, so I want to keep track of it now.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Soil. I haven't worried about ph up til now cuz they're healthy.

I have just started flower nutes, however, so I want to keep track of it now.

Measure the PH of what goes in, PH of your runoff not an accurate measure of anything and will cause you more grief than help if you try and change things based on that IMHO.

 

[nivek]

As @Gazoo stated. Get a cheap pen. 20 bucks amazon. Get ph 7 calibration. And calibrate often. Do not submerge the pen. Ever. Keep the pen water. Even if normal water. That will allow consistent readings

Finally

Yay

 

[Gazoo]

As @Gazoo stated. Get a cheap pen. 20 bucks amazon. Get ph 7 calibration. And calibrate often. Do not submerge the pen. Ever. Keep the pen water. Even if normal water. That will allow consistent readings

Finally

Yay

That reminds me I should check my Bluelab Combo Meter , they have to stay wet or DEAD.
I dont use it at all so kinda forgot to keep a watch on it

 

[Billotto]

I thought measuring runoff gives you a good idea. Or am I thinking TDS? What do you mean the ph of what goes in? Like the nute water I give it?

 

[Billotto]

So maybe I'm better off measuring tds than ph at this point?

 

[Dwight Monk]

I thought measuring runoff gives you a good idea. Or am I thinking TDS? What do you mean the ph of what goes in? Like the nute water I give it?

Yes, most soil has things to buffer the PH and it takes care of itself. Most nutes call for a specific PH range or ones I have used anyway, ones I currently use say PH your water after nutrients to a 6.4 for soil mediums. Personally I don't care about runoff or TDS or that sort of thing, to me TDS more of a Hydro thing, but that just me and one of them "if it ain't broke then don't screw with it, as it will broke then", as I'm happy with my grows/results currently.

 

[Weaselcracker]

That reminds me I should check my Bluelab Combo Meter , they have to stay wet or DEAD.
I dont use it at all so kinda forgot to keep a watch on it

If it dries it dies, they say. I just leave my probe dangling in whatever liquid is around. It’s better if it’s not in zero ppm plain water. I prefer to leave it in a higher ppm solution- apparently that’s better for the probe. There’s also the little cap that the probe comes with which you can fill with a storage solution and screw on to the end for storage.

 

[Gazoo]

If it dries it dies, they say. I just leave my probe dangling in whatever liquid is around. It’s better if it’s not in zero ppm plain water. I prefer to leave it in a higher ppm solution- apparently that’s better for the probe. There’s also the little cap that the probe comes with which you can fill with a storage solution and screw on to the end for storage.

If it dries it dies,

Yes that was the Quote I could not remember

It was fine, still had a full cap of storage solution