PH and PPM question

Hey guys, I am preparing my second grow and I need some information

I had grown with 20-20-20 generic nutrients in tap water and I will now use proper nutes.
I am planning on using Floranova grow+bloom and a PPM + PH meter.

I have very little time to spend on my garden so I would like the fastest way to mesure my feed. Are pocket size meters reliable? Do I have to calibrate them before every use?

Thanks!

PPM meters are almost bullet proof, but PH meters are delicate little glass flowers. I still just use the color indicator drops because I don't want to mess with keeping the probe clean and constantly soaking in a ph solution.

As long as you maintain your EC and PH pens they stay fairly reliable. Keep them clean after every use and make sure you have some storage liquid on the sponge in the cap. You only really need to calibrate once a month if you follow the guidelines in the box

What are you growing in?

Hydro and soil-less are the only forms of growing you'll really need a pH pen for....But to start out you need to know your water's pH and what pH the feed solution after mixing is at least once. If you feel you have to pH for soil - 6.5 for veg and 6.7 for bloom.

Don't buy a "multi meter" pen that does both. To expensive and to fussy.

This is a nice pH meter that works very well, is tough as nails and has a great auto calibration mode that's easy to use. Nice price too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HMD-PH-200-Digital-Professional-Waterproof-0-14-PH-Temperature-Meter-Brand-New-/252913401093?hash=item3ae2d03d05:g:h3wAAOSwtfhYq42p

FloraNova line eh? Not bad stuff. Be sure to shake the shit out of it before every use!
If your doing hydro - This is one of, if the not the dirtiest line out there....Cleaning and sanitizing the equipment is a bitch..

I'd like to thank everyone that took some of their time to inform me.

Dr. Who said:

What are you growing in?

Hydro and soil-less are the only forms of growing you'll really need a pH pen for....But to start out you need to know your water's pH and what pH the feed solution after mixing is at least once. If you feel you have to pH for soil - 6.5 for veg and 6.7 for bloom.

Don't buy a "multi meter" pen that does both. To expensive and to fussy.

This is a nice pH meter that works very well, is tough as nails and has a great auto calibration mode that's easy to use. Nice price too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HMD-PH-200-Digital-Professional-Waterproof-0-14-PH-Temperature-Meter-Brand-New-/252913401093?hash=item3ae2d03d05:g:h3wAAOSwtfhYq42p

FloraNova line eh? Not bad stuff. Be sure to shake the shit out of it before every use!
If your doing hydro - This is one of, if the not the dirtiest line out there....Cleaning and sanitizing the equipment is a bitch..

Click to expand...

I am planning on growing in soil. The reason I want to measure and give proper feed even though it is not necessary is to get some experience for when I grow in coco. I heard it is less forgiving than soil and so my lack of consistency could heavily impair my grow.

Thank you for your recommendation but sadly I live in Canada and it is not available to me. The same PH meter on Canadian websites goes for 220$ so I will refrain from buying it. I will look for an equivalent though.

As for the nutrients; It will be the first time I will be using 'proper' ones. I was using generic 20-20-20 before. I want to use the most basic and inexpensive nutrients for now since I only want to get the hang of it and I am unsure if I will keep this fascinating hobby.

Also, since you seem to know your stuff, I would like to ask you a question.
For a coco or coco/perlite grow, what popular nutrient line would you recommend?
I say popular because most of the nutrients available in canada are mostly the popular ones in USA.