Control Wizard EC Dipstick, pH & PPM Testing Equipment
Hanna Instruments pH, EC, TDS, Testing Equipment
Control Wizard EC Dipstick, pH & PPM Testing Equipment
Hanna Instruments pH, EC, TDS, Testing Equipment
pH stands for Percentage of Hydrogen. The percentage of pH in your water determines the acidity or alkalinity of your water or nutrient solution. A neutral solution such as pure water has a pH of 7. Solutions with a lower pH are termed acidic and solutions with a higher pH are termed alkaline. pH ranges from highly acidic pH 0 to highly alkaline pH 14.
Low pH (acidic) can make your water corrosive, which can irritate your skin or eyes and cause stains on your containers of water or pipes.
High pH (caustic) conditions cause the minerals (calcium, copper, iron etc.) in your water to leave. These minerals will clog filters and pipes.
On a scale of 1 to 14: a pH of less than 7 indicates acidity, 7 is neutral (pure water), and greater than 7 is alkaline.
Most plants prefer a pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Most vegetables prefer a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.
You should adjust the pH of your water before mixing fertilizers or nutrient solutions.
We suggest Earth Juice Natural pH Up or pH Down
pH Up or Down are very easy to use.
First determine what pH level is best for the plant you are growing. The recommended pH for most plants is 5.5 to 6.8.
Then you need to test the pH of your water, using our pH testing tools
Using a pint or quart container with a lid, fill your container about 3/4's full of water then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of pH up or pH down to it. Keep track of the ratio of pH up or down you added. Shake to mix, and re-test, repeat until desired pH is achieved, keeping track of how much you add.
Figure out how much total pH up or pH down that you added to your water. Multiply that by the however much bigger you nutrient solution container is than your pint or quart container. When adding pH up or pH down to your container do so a little at a time, letting it sit awhile, to mix, before retesting.
The quantity necessary for pH adjustment will vary depending on the strength of your nutrient solution and the purity of your water.
EC desired range is 2.0 to 4.0, depending on the state of plant growth you are at. Higher levels of EC suppress plant growth, while lower to medium levels promote growth. So, you should raise your EC when your vegetables plants begin fruiting, this will slow the vegetative growth and enhance fruit development. To determine your EC range we have conductivity meters.
You must check the accuracy of your meter weekly with a standard solution.
