just avoid cheap best sellers. If you're going to grow hydro a PH meter is the best investment you can do
get some calibration solutions too
4x2 Flowering ALL HELP APPRECIATED
- Thread starter FPVGrow
- Start date
get some calibration solutions too
FPVGrow
Well-Known Member
Calibration solutions such as ph up and down? If so I have some of that.
FPVGrow
Well-Known Member
What company makes good not pocket killing ph meter
Dunno whats available in the US, I am sure someone already asked for a good PH pen
This could be helpful
https://www.growweedeasy.com/ph-pen-guide
ANC
Well-Known Member
I use a liquid test all the time.... It never goes out of calibration... If you can identify the colour piss yellow you can use drops.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Not true. Liquid drops and strips give you the most reliable ph indication you can get. We all just get lazy and would rather stick a magic wand in that tells us the number
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Just buy one you can afford and then also purchase a DECENT amount of extra calibration fluid/powder packs and calibrate it often. Even the cheap ones have a turn screw to adjust it back to what it needs to be.
The solution will be a perfect 4.0 and you just turn the knob til you're reading that.
Just my 2cent as a hydro guy
I admit I only used strips once (GH) and I did not find them accurate enough.
+ I used cheap (10usd) meters and even if frequently calibrated their readings aren't stable and accuracy goes off really fast.
I got a Adwa 11 or 12 and it is working far better without the need of constant calibration.
I admit I only used strips once (GH) and I did not find them accurate enough.
+ I used cheap (10usd) meters and even if frequently calibrated their readings aren't stable and accuracy goes off really fast.
I got a Adwa 11 or 12 and it is working far better without the need of constant calibration.
FPVGrow
Well-Known Member
Will look into one now. Just trying to get the best reliability.
I would use test drops when I got fed up with my cheap meters. 
Get the API Freshwater Aquarium PH Test Kit, it's arrow range, 6.0 to 7.6.
Then I decided to stop wasting money on calibration fluid. I replaced my cheap Milwaukee PH600 and Hanna Checker with a good Milwaukee, the MW102, with digital calibration. I haven't had it long, but haven't needed to calibrate yet, it consistently reads 7.04 with my GH 7.0 fluid. That's right, 0.01 repeatability. Close enough for me!
Get the API Freshwater Aquarium PH Test Kit, it's arrow range, 6.0 to 7.6.
Then I decided to stop wasting money on calibration fluid. I replaced my cheap Milwaukee PH600 and Hanna Checker with a good Milwaukee, the MW102, with digital calibration. I haven't had it long, but haven't needed to calibrate yet, it consistently reads 7.04 with my GH 7.0 fluid. That's right, 0.01 repeatability. Close enough for me!
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coreywebster
Well-Known Member
Knock your nutrients down. Make sure your ph is on point.
A quality PH meter is a great tool to have. But I don't mind the cheap liquid test kits. You can get them in a much more accurate range. Like 5-7. I would rather a cheap liquid test kit than a cheap PH pen.
My PH pen is mid range at a guess. Its an Essentials, it has never been off kilter in 5 years of having it. Its taken some abuse.
A quality PH meter is a great tool to have. But I don't mind the cheap liquid test kits. You can get them in a much more accurate range. Like 5-7. I would rather a cheap liquid test kit than a cheap PH pen.
My PH pen is mid range at a guess. Its an Essentials, it has never been off kilter in 5 years of having it. Its taken some abuse.
nfhiggs
Well-Known Member
I tried strips as well - problem I had is they are too subjective.
Randomblame
Well-Known Member
Hanna is a good brand for PH testers too. Look for the newer ones they are much faster. My old Hanna PH-checker needs at least 10 minutes to stabilze. Many modern fertilizers already contain ph buffers and adjust the ph on its own, GHE for instance.. If you use something like that it can make ph testing obsolet.
Cheap buffer solution powder is enough you only need to mix it with 250ml aqua dest. Because the PH is not adjusted with acids but chemically with borax or so.. They are very accurate! Test fluids are produced in the same way but cost $1 per 40ml bag. I usually use ph 4.01 and ph 6,86 powder for my pen. You can get 20+20 powder bags for ~5$ that's 2x 5l buffer soultion..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3x-PH-Buffer-Solution-Powder-PH-Test-Meter-Measure-Calibration-4-00-6-86-9-V2K/332716555059?hash=item4d7773bb33:g:in8AAOSw3sJak543&_sacat=0&_nkw=ph+6,86+solution+powder&_from=R40&rt=nc
You also need a storage solution for the most ph testers that you can easily make yourself. Storage solution is typically a simple 3 molar potassium chloride solution. You just need to mix 45g potassium chloride (99.5%) with 250ml aqua dest to make it by yourself. Potassium chloride is pretty cheap, 4oz maybe 8 bucks or so. Pretty sure you can get it even cheaper
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Potassium-Chloride-Ultra-Pure-99-Fine-Powder-4-Oz-SHIPS-FAST-from-USA/191856458318?epid=1339894496&hash=item2cab893a4e:g:Xq0AAOSw-QBXPiqw&_sacat=0&_nkw=+potassium+chloride+99,5&_from=R40&rt=nc
Cheap buffer solution powder is enough you only need to mix it with 250ml aqua dest. Because the PH is not adjusted with acids but chemically with borax or so.. They are very accurate! Test fluids are produced in the same way but cost $1 per 40ml bag. I usually use ph 4.01 and ph 6,86 powder for my pen. You can get 20+20 powder bags for ~5$ that's 2x 5l buffer soultion..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3x-PH-Buffer-Solution-Powder-PH-Test-Meter-Measure-Calibration-4-00-6-86-9-V2K/332716555059?hash=item4d7773bb33:g:in8AAOSw3sJak543&_sacat=0&_nkw=ph+6,86+solution+powder&_from=R40&rt=nc
You also need a storage solution for the most ph testers that you can easily make yourself. Storage solution is typically a simple 3 molar potassium chloride solution. You just need to mix 45g potassium chloride (99.5%) with 250ml aqua dest to make it by yourself. Potassium chloride is pretty cheap, 4oz maybe 8 bucks or so. Pretty sure you can get it even cheaper
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Potassium-Chloride-Ultra-Pure-99-Fine-Powder-4-Oz-SHIPS-FAST-from-USA/191856458318?epid=1339894496&hash=item2cab893a4e:g:Xq0AAOSw-QBXPiqw&_sacat=0&_nkw=+potassium+chloride+99,5&_from=R40&rt=nc
Randomblame
Well-Known Member
Hmm! A+B should actually be enough, mate!
You can use additional Canna stuff but Canna is fucking expensive..
1l Rhizotonic is ~50$ and is a root stimmulator, Bio-Boost and PK13-14 are used as a flowering boost and Cannazym to avoid root rot. But it would for sure work without all this expensive stuff.
I would rather take a bottle liqiud Silica and CalMag to make sure enough of these elements are always available.
Add 2,5-5ml CalMag per gal. and up-to 10ml Silica from the 2nd veg week and then add the other nutes (A+B) until you get your desired EC/ppm values.
A+B should have actually enough of these elements but with LED/high intensity the needed nutrient ratio is a bit different and you need more of them.
If you like to use additives get something like TNC bacctorS13(25$) or something similar(useful bacteria and myco's), this stuff does several things. I helps to reduce stress and prevents root rot, it increase root mass and surface which helps to keep the root zone healthy and to take up more nutrients.
Seeweed/kelp(10$) and horsetail extract(10$) are two excellent foliar sprays, both provide readily available main and secondary nutrients and the silicate contained strengthens the cell walls and makes them more stress resistant. 1-2 applications per week with a 1-2% solution is already enough and all this stuff mentioned is a lot cheaper.
I'm using 1ml kelp and 1ml horsetail extract and mix it with 100ml aqua dest to get a 2% solution which I use once a week till the 3rd week of flowering.
Most bottled nutes specially made for cannabis growing are anyway much too expensive and if you analyze these stuff you would see they use exact the same things but they sell them under some fancy names just to make more money.
For the future. Greenleaf nutrients is a all-in-one powder fertilizer with more or less all the nutrients your plants need. You can get a 230g test pack for free if you follow the link below. The stuff is a lot cheaper like bottled nutes..
https://greenleafnutrients.com/product/mega-crop/?v=7516fd43adaa
You can use additional Canna stuff but Canna is fucking expensive..
1l Rhizotonic is ~50$ and is a root stimmulator, Bio-Boost and PK13-14 are used as a flowering boost and Cannazym to avoid root rot. But it would for sure work without all this expensive stuff.
I would rather take a bottle liqiud Silica and CalMag to make sure enough of these elements are always available.
Add 2,5-5ml CalMag per gal. and up-to 10ml Silica from the 2nd veg week and then add the other nutes (A+B) until you get your desired EC/ppm values.
A+B should have actually enough of these elements but with LED/high intensity the needed nutrient ratio is a bit different and you need more of them.
If you like to use additives get something like TNC bacctorS13(25$) or something similar(useful bacteria and myco's), this stuff does several things. I helps to reduce stress and prevents root rot, it increase root mass and surface which helps to keep the root zone healthy and to take up more nutrients.
Seeweed/kelp(10$) and horsetail extract(10$) are two excellent foliar sprays, both provide readily available main and secondary nutrients and the silicate contained strengthens the cell walls and makes them more stress resistant. 1-2 applications per week with a 1-2% solution is already enough and all this stuff mentioned is a lot cheaper.
I'm using 1ml kelp and 1ml horsetail extract and mix it with 100ml aqua dest to get a 2% solution which I use once a week till the 3rd week of flowering.
Most bottled nutes specially made for cannabis growing are anyway much too expensive and if you analyze these stuff you would see they use exact the same things but they sell them under some fancy names just to make more money.
For the future. Greenleaf nutrients is a all-in-one powder fertilizer with more or less all the nutrients your plants need. You can get a 230g test pack for free if you follow the link below. The stuff is a lot cheaper like bottled nutes..
https://greenleafnutrients.com/product/mega-crop/?v=7516fd43adaa