Which Soil PH Meter Should You Buy?

The accuracy of a soil pH meter is not the same as that of a test tool, but the difference is not huge. The choice you make will depend on how much money you want to spend, how often you plan to test, and how easy you want to test. While a digital watch can provide the best accuracy and can be accurate to the nearest decimal point, it can be an expensive purchase that exceeds the needs of the average gardener.

If you are looking for a rough guide to the acidity of your garden soil purely for planting purposes, then the Dye & Test strips will suffice.  However, if you are looking at changing or increasing your soil pH via the use of soil additives, then you really need an electronic meter to prevent your garden becoming overly acidic and leading to plant death.

Try to work out how often you intend to test your soil pH level, how much you want to splash out on a tester, and whether you need detailed information or just a rough estimate of acidity levels. Hopefully this article will help you make up your mind to see how accurate a soil pH meter is for your garden needs.

How do you use a soil Ph meter?

1. Clean the prongs of the tester with distilled water and a clean cloth before use, and between uses.  This will keep the readings from being affected by the pH of a previous test or tap water.

2. Insert the prongs into the soil you wish to measure.  The first reading that appears will be a pH, which is measured on a scale from 1 to 14, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline.  Seven is a neutral pH. Most plants will grow in a pH between 6 and 7.5.  The soil tester measures pH levels from 3.5 to 8.  Alter soil pH by adding limestone to raise it, or sulfur to lower it.

3.  Press the button on the tester to view the moisture readings.  The tester measures the percentage of moisture content in 10 percent increments, from no moisture to complete saturation.  Most plants will want moist soil in the mid-range.  Sand can be added to soil to increase drainage capabilities for excessively wet soil.

4. Press the button on the tester again to view the light readings.  Light readings measure light intensity in foot-candles from 0 to 2,000.  For reference, average indoor home lighting is around 100 foot-candles.  Plants requiring full sun can be planted in the upper light ranges, and plants requiring shade can be planted in the lower light areas.