ph meter for testing water?

I live out in the country and have well water. I'd still like to make sure my water is at the right ph right?
Is there a ph tester that anyone would suggest?

@scoobisnaker, hope all is well with you.
I too live in the country and water my plants with well water as well, been doing it for a number of years. I tested the water a long time ago but forget what it read, but is was OK.
You can get a ph meter on ebay or amazon for around $10.
Good luck with your grow.

Apera PH20

scoobisnacker said:

I live out in the country and have well water. I'd still like to make sure my water is at the right ph right?
Is there a ph tester that anyone would suggest?

Click to expand...

Litmus paper. Correct every time. Never needs calibration.

Agree with^^^^^. Paper or drops will probably be fine, especially if you’re only going to test a couple times. I’d test the water alone, then add your nutes and test again, then you’ll know the ph you’re feeding at. At that point you can decide if you’re going to test all the time.

edit: I live in the country too, we’ll water, it’s horrendous! Ph in the 8’s, dissolved solids (ppm) anywhere between 450- 1700 ppm’s. Pretty much precludes coco or hydro!

Paper or drops are fine really, I have an Apera, it does work but I almost never use it unless I’m changing brands of silica. Measure, add measure…. And write it down next to where you keep your fertilizer and probably don’t touch the pen for months

it’s a quality tool, but it feels like a waste of $70 sometimes

Well water also. pH 7.5 out of the tap most of the time, but my pH is affected by rainfall and can become more acidic.

I do not have a recommendation on pH meters. I watched ppm closely when growing veggies hydroponically, but I have purchased 2 meters, and both require calibration often enough I just use pH strips for soil grows.

I could probably grow a better plant if I kept ppm tight, but I just use the best soil I can and let Mother Nature figure it out

I've used this for years. I've never messed with the water, but do test and adjust when adding nutes

I like the drops + a bluelab pen, with some of the nutrient mixes the color is already off.

Hanna, apera, bluelabs, Milwaukee

Second for the Apera ph20. It’s a kick ass meter, at half the price of a blue lab.

Ive have my hanna groline ph for a little over a year and still works. Was good to me. Only complaint is the storage solution and intrustions do not really work, it oozes out into crystals and does better stored dry even though not supposed to.

Though calibration fluid is costly it will give the fastest results if used each time or frequently and will show how off it is after so long which indicates the probes accuracy with age and if a new calibration is needed. Mine was only .03 off after a week or two the last I used it for coco not long ago. So it was used a lot.

I was chasing my tail over how the readings drift when leaving it be up to 5 mins but my understanding was when the loading sign stops, that is the true reading. I think it drifts in calibration fluid too but it gives a new reading when taking meter in and out the water and reads normal again but can drift .5 points. Does it happen brand new? I can’t remember, I didn’t leave it in solution for 5 mins and know this was happening.

Coco has narrow window of ph so this was stressful but do all pens do this? I never tried 50$ ph pens or cheaper. Read some discouraging reviews though. Not sure how long they tend to last either so I am reading this thread too.

Apera ph20 works for me and is a popular choice whenever this question comes up. Easy to use and accurate. Mine came in a case with calibration solution and storage solution.

Whether someone needs that kind of accuracy or ease of use probably depends on their medium, nutrients, and experience. Hydro and coco are more sensitive to ph than soil. And some nutrients have a tendency for ph to drift. So you may need to check more often to keep in spec with soilless media and hydro or if your nutrients drift.

IMHO, a good ph pen is an important part of a new growers tool kit but with experience and if growing in soil, you will use it less than if growing in hydro or soilless media like coco or peat. New growers tend to have problems. A ph pen eliminates one of those potential problems or, at least, helps identify potential problems.

this ones been working like a champ last couple years. around $20 amazon.
only time ive had to calibrate was after the batteries got weak and I futzed with it before realizing it was the batteries.
rinse with clean water, shake off excess, cap it.
I look for a detachable probe and one that can be immersed for as long as you want.
inexpensive isnt always cheap.

Any probe has a limited life span where it'll begin to drift and/or give slow response, inaccurate readings. Better probes have a life of about 18months (using daily). After that expect to see a decline in speed and accuracy. Hanna phep meters have a replaceable probe, which I like. Some 'handheld' bluelabs units have them too. Not sure on the others.