Cheap Meter VS pH Drops?

[420liam420]

so i've been using a cheap ph pen for around 2 years now. i find it a pain to calibrate it every month, especally because the powder isn't cheap.

are ph drops accurate enough for growing in soil?

 

[TorturedSoul]

calibrate it every month

It went out of calibration every ~30 days?

 

[013]

Saw this the other day.... it’s ph tape on a roll. Gimme a second... read page 4 comments & see pics by Dwight Monk Ph tape Never used them myself but shout out for Dwight if you have questions

 

[Sativa1970]

Drops are only as accurate as your ability to spot subtle color gradients.If you can see the difference between snow white and pure white you can use drops.Get a drop kit,test your water,try to read what the PH is. Then test with the meter to see how close you are. Been using the drops for years.With practice you won't need the color chart. glance at the solution and know the PH within .05.

 

[SmokingWings]

Drops are only as accurate as your ability to spot subtle color gradients.If you can see the difference between snow white and pure white you can use drops.Get a drop kit,test your water,try to read what the PH is. Then test with the meter to see how close you are. Been using the drops for years.With practice you won't need the color chart. glance at the solution and know the PH within .05.

Yes, this.

Some people find it a pain to calibrate the pen and some find it a pain to count the number of drops being used or making sure the amount of water fills a small vial up to the line.

Around here our city is part of the Detroit water system. Over the years I have not found the city water pH to change more than a half point. Nor do the tropical fish have a massive die-off so I figured that there was little point in checking the pH every time. Come to think of it I have not checked in over a year.

The pH test strips that 013 mentioned are something to think about. It has been long time since I used them but it was an easy way to test pH.

@420liam420, what are you testing that you have to calibrate the pen once a month?

 

[Dwight Monk]

Saw this the other day.... it’s ph tape on a roll. Gimme a second... read page 4 comments & see pics by Dwight Monk Ph tape Never used them myself but shout out for Dwight if you have questions

Drops can vary on color of ones nutrients, as some it's hard to tell if a brownish lime green or a brownish yellow or at least problems I had and went to the tape type, as most soil has buffers built into it so you don't need "precise" PH like in Hydro or Hyrdro like mediums:

002.JPG

• Dwight Monk
• Nov 3, 2020

001.JPG

• Dwight Monk
• Nov 3, 2020

Just rip off a piece and dip it in your water and the tape changes color, can buy ones more accurate than this but they cost more, and they also come in a variety of PH ranges.

 

[Auggie]

Shouldn't have to calibrate every month.
I don't do that.

Get a good pen please.
Spend $80 or so and get a Blue Lab.
Then, calibrate every year.
And, replace it in ten years.

For $8 a year you can feel secure in your measurements.
That's cheap.

 

[TorturedSoul]

@420liam420, what are you testing that you have to calibrate the pen once a month?

That's actually a pretty good probe if it retains calibration that long. In many industries, people are instructed to re-calibrate weekly (if not every day that they use it). The meters we use don't have a high degree of accuracy, though, so that might be the difference, IDK.

002.JPG

• Dwight Monk
• Nov 3, 2020

Seven of those look more or less identical to me, lol. I'm going to assume that they aren't, because no one else mentioned it - but that's all it is for me, an assumption.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Seven of those look more or less identical to me, lol. I'm going to assume that they aren't, because no one else mentioned it - but that's all it is for me, an assumption.

They are different shades, but yeah if you have trouble telling difference or if someone was color blind it wouldn't be a viable option for sure. That and I'm shooting for a 6.4 according to my Nutes manufacturer, so ballpark between a 6.2 and 6.6 is easy enough for me to see that it is in the middle of those two numbers somewhere.

 

[SoGnotSOG321]

Measure distilled water right after you calibrate with your solution. This gives you a much cheaper alternative. You could also check straight distilled white vinegar as well, just be sure to use fresh vinegar each time. Nothing to it. How many times has it drifted off calibration more than .9? month to month?

 

[Sativa1970]

Like smoking wings said, why are you testing PH? Dose your water source have PH swing?For some reason I thought you were doing drain to waste hydro but just re read that you are in soil. Are you testing run off to determine salt build up?Are you using liquid nutes or pure organic?
The more parts ,the more points of failure.That's why I use drops.I have 7 hydro tanks I was monitoring with electronic PH and PPM pen.As i worked my way down each tank PPM was lower than the last so I adjusted.After 4 days of dumping in nutes just to maintain 500PPM. I picked up a new meter,over 3000 PPM! Water level,PH and PPM all work in tandem so if the numbers are way off I now know it is the PPM meter cause I can see water level and test drop color.

 

[SoGnotSOG321]

Like smoking wings said, why are you testing PH?

Oh man idk its weird right? lol

 

[420liam420]

Drops can vary on color of ones nutrients, as some it's hard to tell if a brownish lime green or a brownish yellow or at least problems I had and went to the tape type, as most soil has buffers built into it so you don't need "precise" PH like in Hydro or Hyrdro like mediums:

002.JPG

• Dwight Monk
• Nov 3, 2020

001.JPG

• Dwight Monk
• Nov 3, 2020

Just rip off a piece and dip it in your water and the tape changes color, can buy ones more accurate than this but they cost more, and they also come in a variety of PH ranges.

i heard strips are quite a bit less accurate than drops?

 

[420liam420]

Like smoking wings said, why are you testing PH? Dose your water source have PH swing?For some reason I thought you were doing drain to waste hydro but just re read that you are in soil. Are you testing run off to determine salt build up?Are you using liquid nutes or pure organic?
The more parts ,the more points of failure.That's why I use drops.I have 7 hydro tanks I was monitoring with electronic PH and PPM pen.As i worked my way down each tank PPM was lower than the last so I adjusted.After 4 days of dumping in nutes just to maintain 500PPM. I picked up a new meter,over 3000 PPM! Water level,PH and PPM all work in tandem so if the numbers are way off I now know it is the PPM meter cause I can see water level and test drop color.

i'm testing ph because terra canna professional calls for 5.8 to 6.2 ph

i use terra nutes but i ordered some MC.

 

[Sativa1970]

Ok, organic soil with liquid nute boost. You are testing your water source and nute mix. That makes more sense. The big advantage to growing in soil is simplicity and margin of error.You should have a consistent mix ratio yielding a consistent PH. I haven't grown in soil or used strait tap water in years so my numbers are just for example. My water was always 7.4-7.6 PH. Adding the 2 Tsp of nutes to a 1 gallon jug would drop it to 6.7-6.9 PH.Pipet 1/2 mil of PH down and it is 5.8-6.0 PH. So testing the water is good if you can't trust the source consistency. Testing the runoff will let you know if you have salt buildup or deficiency since salts affect PH.
Not saying what you are doing is wrong at all.We all try to error on the side of caution to protect our baby girls. Shows you are a caring parent.