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Lab pH Meters:
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The best of Lab pH Meters by number of unique Reddit comments:
![iCooker Digital Ph Meter For Water Testing [3 FREE Buffer Powder Mixture Included] Pen Tester with Auto Calibration Button Best Water Test Kit Aquarium Pool Hydroponic Measurement Range Tool](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JbjIbnHYL._SL500_.jpg)
Top Reddit reviews mentioning Lab pH Meters:
I’ve been very happy with this, a bit higher than $50, but I think they have a cheaper model. Agreed roasted malts will drop pH and may have impacted mash efficiency. But I’m leaning towards the 1 gallon less strike water. That’s like going from 1.25 qt/lb to 1.75 qt/lb mash thickness. My mash efficiency increased a few percent with a thinner mash.
Edit bad formatting, here’s the link: Apera Instruments AI311 PH60... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOIQE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
My wife got me the Apera PH60 pen for christmas because I was reading the color chart before with bad eyes. I haven't used any other PH pen but I highly recommend this one since it's so easy to use
This is the pen I have, works great: Apera Instruments AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_ZG8PXV9NRAZRYE05S3P5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Mircale grow is not super great for weed, it tends to burn, be too strong, expecially in hydro. Whats your ppm? I would consider a switch to Fox Farm or General Hydroponics. Ph is crazy important, an improper ph will mean the plant cannot take in the proper nutrients causing toxicity or deficiency. Get a tester I link below, and aim for a ph around 6.2-6.0, balancing with single drops of lemon juice until its just right.
I would recommend (and I personally use)the bluelab PH pen. Don't skimp out on something you're going to be using every few days. 88 dollars , spend it, bite the bullet, and take care of the pen as directed with the storage solution, clean it after using it etc.
PH is one of the most important factors, the cheap pens are iffy. The bluelabs one comes with a full guarantee, and is what most professionals use.
I use this both at the brewery I work at and at home. Haven’t had any issues with it at all and I’ve had it for about 2 years now
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_ixm.FbC6SSXCP
I have tried a few of the $15-$25 pens on amazon, they all seem very similar and very inaccurate. Eventually I got tired of it and opted to spend a bit more ($50ish) and picked up this meter:
Apera Instruments AI209 PH20 Value Waterproof pH Pocket Tester, ±0.1 pH Accuracy, 0-14.0 pH Range, Complete Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_NeCAe1dMSV4Nc
And have been extremely pleased with its performance. Quick and accurate readings for both pH and water temperature.
You could even use the ph checking solution that will come with a pack of pH up and down on Amazon, but a cheaper pH meter should still work fine, like this $12 one
Get the water in a bucket, however much you wanna feed. If its too high (very likely), add a couple drops of lemon juice and test again, and again etc until.you reach the proper ph. Right now you should be aiming for a ph of 6.2-5.8.
These are cheap.if you dont have one.
It could very well be. Different strains react differently to ph. Even so tone down the nutes and get one of these. Aim for 6.0
Omg that would be fucking gold. I've been watching this plant grow up, it would be nice to have a taste 🤣.
But yeah, check the ph of the water your putting in, make sure its around 6.0 or even 5.8. A couple yellow leaves are no big deal, but a bunch are more of an issue.
Oh, I just remembered, you just have a ph meter for the soil yeah, not a digital ph reader meant to measure liquid? If so, those can be a bit more tricky for telling whats going on, I have never found them to be too terribly helpful when actually facing ph issues.
Here is the style of meter I recommend for measuring what you're putting in. I know you're on a budget for this grow, but I had to throw this out there. It could be useful. This meter and a little lemon juice could have you 100% back on track.
I will link you to a ph meter. Yes go into flower, switch to 12 12, your plants are big enough. You need a ph of 6.2-5.8 at this stage. I will link you to a ph meter that you need to use on all liquid you feed your plants. Lower it with single drops of lemon juice and aim for the same number every time.
Apera AI209 is what I am running
Apera Instruments AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_0MYE40R27Z6DC4QS69F6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
If you.never put holes in the bottom of the cup, its hard to judge, because I would normally say transplant when you have roots coming out the bottom. It might be close to ready though. You could get it nice and wet and see if it comes out in one big piece.
I'm going to put a link to a basic water ph tester below. Test your water every time, and lower it to the proper ph with lemon juice before watering. You will need very little lemon juice, depending on the ph you start with, I'm talking drops from an eye dropper. Right now you could maintain a ph of 6.5ish. But by the time you get to flowering, maintaining a ph of 6.3-5.8 would be best. If you do this with your water every time, your soil ph should be okay. However, there are soil mixes made specifically for bluberries (that need very acidic soil), you could mix some of it in with your soil/compost/worm casting blend when you transplant.
The leaf spots are burn marks from getting the leaf wet under sunlight. Water drops act as a magnifying glass and burn your leaf.
Personally, if you're growing outside, I would have gone with much larger pota, 10l at least.
6-7 is a huge range for ph. 6 will be great going into flowering. 7 will see your plants slowly yellow over time, become stunted, and produce 1/4 the bud they were meant to. This ph measuring tool is cheap considering what it could help you do. Measure your water every time, and correct it woth lemon juice (to lower it) to between 6.3-6.0, and go for the exact same number every time.
One, I want to say you have done an amazing job and you will have plenty of bud at the end of your harvest. If you want feedback on what might be going wrong my first guess is heat. Anything above 85 degrees will look like over feeding. My second guess is PH. Make sure to buy PH down and get a PH tester like this one from amazon if you can afford it. Tap water tends to have PH that is too high and you need to keep lowering it to 6-6.8 ish. If you haven't PHed the water yet, then test the run off from the bottom of your plants and see what PH that is. If it is too high then over correct the water until the PH of the runoff is in the right range. Then go back to 6-6.5ish when watering. Once you fix all of that, it looks like you are underfeeding. Never go below 1/4 strength nutrients according to the feeding chart supplied by your nutrient manufacturer. The leaves are light green and that means not enough nitrogen and that likely means not enough of all the rest of the nutrients.
If the brown keeps creeping toward the bud, chop before your buds turn brown and you lose your harvest.
All that said, let's talk about what you did right. For whatever problems you have, you got well into flower and the plants seem fine. Most first time growers never make it this far and kill their plants. So, well done!
The amount of light you are using looks good. The plants aren't all strung out and the leaf nodes are pretty dense. So, good news is - you nailed the tent and lighting.
Overall, well done and hope you enjoy the life of a farmer!
Something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instruments-AI209-Waterproof-Accuracy/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=sr_1_27?dchild=1&keywords=ph+pen+soil&qid=1624306672&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-27
How long do PH pens normally last? I never really thought about it before... I'm use to PH solution testers for my aquarium. I'm actually surprised at how much the testing for plants and fish seem to intertwine, especially if you have a planted tank lol.
Ph of the water is very important, I do recommend using one of these to measure the ph of your water going in, and correcting it with lemon juice to reach between 6-6.5, keeping it as exact as possible each time...
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Oops I was not clear, how old is the plant, not the soil, sorry. The chlorine in normal tap water can kill any beneficial bacteria or microorganisms in the soil, depending on how strong the chlorine is where you're from. Something to think about. Usually around now is when it's time for a dose of Calmag, something thats made by many companies.
I still think some of the spotting looks like mite damage, they steal the energy away from the plant, making it hard for the plant to grow and thrive, but it really is hard to tell in a video, as video doesn't have as many pixels.
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I'll keep brainstorming, and see if I can't come up with any other ideas.
Scotch bonnets are great in fruit based sauces; mango, pineapple, even berries. For the most part supermarket vinegars are all 5%. It's the pH of your final product that determines shelf stability. Aim for a pH of 4 or below.
Here's a quick and easy recipe to start.
1 part Scotch Bonnet
1 part pineapple or other fruit
0.5 part white wine or white distilled vinegar (if using a less acidic fruit like mango, increase to .75 parts vinegar)
2.5% by weight of salt
Blend everything together to your desired consistency, simmer on low for 20 minutes and bottle. Heat should be close to Yellowbird. pH should be below 4, if you are unable to test and verify, I'd recommend a smaller batch and keeping it in the fridge. If you plan on making large batches that you'd like to keep for months, I highly recommend purchasing a pH meter. Don't cheap out on the crappy $10 ones on Amazon. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ENFOHN8/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamesgu208-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01ENFOHN8&linkId=df64ae6176e805131aac3fd450942463
This is the one I got from Amazon
VIVOSUN pH and TDS Meter Combo, 0.05ph High Accuracy Pen Type pH Meter ± 2% Readout Accuracy 3-in-1 TDS EC Temperature Meter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKMH86J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_3KSF55FVRX6JV0KH50FS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
PH is often the cause of many problems. During flowering, if the ph of your nutrient solution isn't in the 6.3-5.8 range, then it's likely your plant cannot take in the nutrients it needs, and it could be eating itself alive, making some of the leaves look like they do. There are also some leaves that seem to be curled downward. This can be a sign of overwatering or a russet mite infestation or another symptom of a ph issue, tough to tell.
Get a ph tester like the one I linked below, and test your plain water and any nutrient solution you may be using when mixed and ready to put in the dirt. If it is too high, add drops of lemon juice until it is the right ph.
pH pH pH! You been lucky dawg! Get yourself a pH meter and I’d suggest looking up a pH nutrient chart for cannabis, shows the range of pH that nutrients are taken up at since it varies for each nutrient, if in coco I’d say 5.7-6.3 is what you want soil (I haven’t used) but 5.8-6.5 I’d say. pH is very important so get yourself a good meter (the one I attached is good and affordable). pH and EC or ppm can bring your garden to the next level and help you understand what’s happening in your plants. So I’d say go do some research just type in google “pH for cannabis” and you’ll get everything you need. Happy growing 🤙🏻
Blue lab meters are good but pricey, this one will work till you save up for one.
Looks pretty good, you may not need the scrog to start. Especially if you're growing a variety of strains.
It's pretty quick to get lights from China. I got mine in about a week to Canada.
I suggest you don't cheap out on pH and TDS meters but if you have to compromise, do it on the TDS.
This isn't cheap but it's solid and has a replaceable head: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01ENFOIQE/
You can even spend a bit more and get a combo pH/TSS probe from that brand.
I really like this one. Also Bluelab makes a nice one to but it's more expensive. Don't buy a cheap $13 they dont work.
I use the pH meter in the link below. After calibrating it I test prior to adding premash brewing salts, after brewing salts, and just before my boil to verify I'm on target. I use distilled water to clean the sensor in between calibrations as instructed in the manual.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_B4VQS6JC9K1TAXJVD7CY
I think I good PH pen and some nutrients will up your growing game by a lot. Below is the cheapest best PH pen you can get. The reason miracle grow does not work good is because it is way to high in nitrogen and missing micro and macro nutrients for cannabis. If you want to keep it simple use GH Maxibloom from start to finish. It’s owned by Scott’s who own miracle grow but it is a complete 1 feed nutrients. If you want to step you game up use Jacks 321.
Apera Instruments AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GFREH824GH4CNQPS2TAP
I got this one a few weeks ago and it’s great and feels like it’s gonna last much longer. Also make sure to store the ph mater in ro or a storage solution Apera Instruments AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_SM92819V7MJ6Q5YME5W0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I got the PH20 model. Been using for a few weeks. Love it. The calibration was a little confusing but found a video and figured it out. It comes with the calibration liquid and a nice hard case. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOHN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_dlT1_RZQR1SX3G7X51Y0D03EB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have this ph meter and I pH to 6.5 every time- could the meter be defective?
I calibrate it every couple weeks and it reads the calibration fluids correctly, so I'm not sure
You could buy a cheap one. And then buy a slightly more expensive cheap one.
And then buy the pen you should have bought in the first place because you realize the cheap pens don’t work for shit.
OR
You could just buy the only pH pen you’ll ever need