This was a great video . You didn’t rush through the process but didn’t add a lot of fluff either so it was really easy to follow along. I’m going to have to till my soil to get the tester in because I have heavy clay soil in my part of Georgia but I’m going to use this so I can stop guessing what to add to the new beds I’m adding this season. Thank you 🙏🏼
Great video! I have this same soil tester but wasn't 100% sure what I was looking at. Our pumpkins are struggling in this drought and I wanted to test the ph to know if that was a concern.
I just bought a moisture meter for my new grapevines because I tend to overwater, and grapevines don't like to be too wet. The soil read "Wet" this morning, and it's suppose to be 90 degrees today, so tonight, the meter will give me an idea of how dry my soil will get with 90 degrees and lots of sun.
Yes. Keeping the probes clean is important. I've been using mine every week to check the moisture on my new palm trees. From everything I've read about juvenile palms is to keep them moist but not wet. I check the accuracy of the moisture by placing the probes in my fountain's water and watch the needle quickly break to the extreme right for "wet." So I know its accurate when I probe the perimeter of my new palms and it reads "moist." I have a fairly acidic mulch pile I will periodically place in the probes to make sure all is good. On the mulch pile it comes in around a low six (pH), while my regular soil reads around seven.
Great vid! I purchased the 4in1 yellow meter and it reads 4.5 in every thing I put in in, My clay soil and potted plants read the same but I don't think my potted plants I bought would look as good as they do if it is reading correctly. What do you think?
I am not sure about the yellow meter. I would think that if your plants are potted they have soil that drains and is commercially made to facilitate a neutral soil.
What model do you have. On Amazon they list the Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture pH Tester but the Alkaline and Acid area of the meter is chopped off. It doesn't look visible like yours.
Interesting question. I've noticed that the tips are very sensitive to water or moisture. I place the tips down into the soil of potted plants to where I define where I want the moisture to be, which is usually around four inches. I've used it to check trees, especially some palm trees in my yard, at about six or seven inches or as deep as possible. When going that deep in ground soil, I have found it best to use a large Phillip's head screw driver to create the two holes needed, a "pilot hole," so that I don't damage the meter because of the general hardness of the surrounding soil. Though I have not used it to check the moisture of grass, I would first establish what type of grass I have and how deep its roots grow. If roots are shallow, less depth when measuring. But if the grass is something like drought tolerant species with roots that travel deeply into the soil, as some grasses can burrow feet and not inches, I would measure the soil as deeply as possible.
It comes from the factory pre-calibrated. As I do not represent this company, you would need to contact them in regards to any service agreements. I check the meter periodically by running simple and verifiable tests when I want to validate its operation.
Just bought a meter . Can you tell me what the moisture level should be for potted tomatos ? I probed my pots and the meter is shooting over to wet Its going all the way past moist to wet . What should it read dry , moist or wet ?
There is nothing in my meter's manual that indicates coldness as a factor (I would think freezing temperatures would cause a concern). By the way, testing for soil pH needs to be done when soil is moist.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 The temperature of the soil or water in the soil affects solubility of ions such as calcium carbonate in the water in the soil. The presence of the ions such as calcium carbonate will affect how much H+ will be in the solution and thus pH reading. Just think if you cool a glass of water down filled with salt then salt will precipitate out and fall to the bottom. Heat it up and the salt will go back into solution making saltier water. The saturation point of any given ion depends on temperature. Ions in solution react with H+ and can take H+ out of the solution. Most soil probes need to be measured with room temperature water and using distilled or rain water. Tap water has lots of ions in it which change pH reading. It doesn't rain chlorinated tap water so distilled is the closest to rain water if you don't have any collected.
Try a light cleaning with fine grit sand paper or soft steel wool on its tips. If you're a coffee drinker, try placing it in your used grinds. Wait a bit. You should get a lower reading than 7. I periodically check mine on a mulch pile that I treat with ammonia sulfate fertilizer to speed up its breakdown into usable potting soil. It reads in at about 6 or acidic on my meter. My native soil generally tests at 7.
Make sure the soil is moist and the tips are clean and shiny. Polish them with either fine steel wool or fine sand paper. Leave it in longer than for checking moisture. I would say 20-30 minutes. If you believe it is not working, insert the clean tips into an fresh lemon (acidic). If the needle does not move toward the right, I might think something is wrong with your tester.
We know that 7 is considered a neutral soil. That area is the default setting for the pH meter. My meter tester was last used to check the soil I make from leaves, mulched branches and twigs as well as kitchen compost. To move the process of creating a viable soil, I use a large amount of ammonia sulfate that generates energy to speed up the breakdown process. This action of using nitrogen fertilizer ultimately lowers the pH. I measured it on the pH scale when the soil was moist. My needle moved to a very low 6 after about 15 to 20 minutes. On my meter the needle defaults to about 7.1. Second, I have a camellia bush and two crape myrtles that I intentionally lower the soil with acidifier. I've checked them using the meter and was satisfied when I got them to a mid-6 on the tester.
I never do. When testing a new soil, I make sure it's damp and leave it in no longer than say thirty to forty minutes. I know keeping the tips clean or shiney with fine sandpaper or steel wool is important. I would think the tarnishing of the tips could present the meter's sensitivity to read what is being tested.
I was confused because the way the meter reads, “8” being high acidity, is nearest to the word alkaline, like “1” high alkaline is nearest the word acid. Aren’t the words backwards?
That is an excellent point. Additionally, the longer you leave it in the damp soil, like 20 minutes, the more time it has to read and hone in on soil ph. The other two measurements, both light and moisture, are fast, with the light being immediate and moisture a couple of seconds. I have used mine now for over two years and it aides me in my decision making when I adjust some of my trees and bushes' soil ph. Finally keep the probe tips shiny with a fine sand paper or light steel wool.
@@mrfree133 My meter defaults to about 7.5 on the pH setting. I test the pH on my compost which comes in at about a 6. In the pH mode it moves much slower compared to testing Light or Moisture. If you want to see it move quicker, put the two probes into a lemon or lemon juice. If you want to see a dramatic movement of the pH setting needle, put it in a cup of vinegar. A cup of coffee is less dramatic, but it should move it close to 6. Coffee grinds will move it down some as well. Those are some ways to check it. By the way, make sure your probe tips are clean.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 it always stays slightly above 7. On all my except one that's cuz I did on purpose I put vinegar than I added the probe on
That's probably true for many outdoor gardeners. But there are probably some indoor plant enthusiasts who have sensitive or "exotic" plants that might be fairly particular about sunlight. Myself, I am an outdoor gardener.
This was a great video . You didn’t rush through the process but didn’t add a lot of fluff either so it was really easy to follow along. I’m going to have to till my soil to get the tester in because I have heavy clay soil in my part of Georgia but I’m going to use this so I can stop guessing what to add to the new beds I’m adding this season. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thanks so much! 😊
Thank you! Just what I needed to understand how to use the meter for my two indoor plants I recently purchased!
Excellent!
Good to know about this little soil meter. Thanks Tom for another informative video.
Nice video! Very straight to the point and informative. Watched a few others and they seemed to drag on, I'm like please get to the point!
Thank you.
WOW simple explanation straight to the point thanks for this info much appreciated 👍
Great!
Thankyou. You gave the very best explanation on how to use this meter.
Glad it was helpful!
Oh heck yeah - awesome video. Thanks so much from Florida subscriber.
I find your video very informative. Thanks a lot.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video, just got mine today.
Great video! I have this same soil tester but wasn't 100% sure what I was looking at. Our pumpkins are struggling in this drought and I wanted to test the ph to know if that was a concern.
I just bought a moisture meter for my new grapevines because I tend to overwater, and grapevines don't like to be too wet. The soil read "Wet" this morning, and it's suppose to be 90 degrees today, so tonight, the meter will give me an idea of how dry my soil will get with 90 degrees and lots of sun.
Im doing beefsteak tomatos in pots . My meter went all the way to wet . Do you know what the level should be for potted tomatos . Dry , moist or wet ?
Just got mine out. Had to shine the probes up with some steel wool, works fine now.
Yes. Keeping the probes clean is important. I've been using mine every week to check the moisture on my new palm trees. From everything I've read about juvenile palms is to keep them moist but not wet. I check the accuracy of the moisture by placing the probes in my fountain's water and watch the needle quickly break to the extreme right for "wet." So I know its accurate when I probe the perimeter of my new palms and it reads "moist."
I have a fairly acidic mulch pile I will periodically place in the probes to make sure all is good. On the mulch pile it comes in around a low six (pH), while my regular soil reads around seven.
A very helpful video. Thanks.
Glad it helpled
Thanks for explaining 👍🏻
😊
Thanks this was helpful
Glad to hear!
Great vid! I purchased the 4in1 yellow meter and it reads 4.5 in every thing I put in in, My clay soil and potted plants read the same but I don't think my potted plants I bought would look as good as they do if it is reading correctly. What do you think?
I am not sure about the yellow meter. I would think that if your plants are potted they have soil that drains and is commercially made to facilitate a neutral soil.
What model do you have. On Amazon they list the Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture pH Tester but the Alkaline and Acid area of the meter is chopped off. It doesn't look visible like yours.
Yes. It's the same one. Here's the link: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR52P26/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If I’m checking moisture of lawn soil, how deep i should put it into the soil?
Interesting question. I've noticed that the tips are very sensitive to water or moisture. I place the tips down into the soil of potted plants to where I define where I want the moisture to be, which is usually around four inches. I've used it to check trees, especially some palm trees in my yard, at about six or seven inches or as deep as possible. When going that deep in ground soil, I have found it best to use a large Phillip's head screw driver to create the two holes needed, a "pilot hole," so that I don't damage the meter because of the general hardness of the surrounding soil. Though I have not used it to check the moisture of grass, I would first establish what type of grass I have and how deep its roots grow. If roots are shallow, less depth when measuring. But if the grass is something like drought tolerant species with roots that travel deeply into the soil, as some grasses can burrow feet and not inches, I would measure the soil as deeply as possible.
Sir how long this meter will last and how is your 2 year experience with this meter in pot and on your garden land ?
My meter works for me when I need it to facilitate a planting or check a soil. My usage of it is to check moisture and pH.
How to do calibration? Does company provides after sale service?
It comes from the factory pre-calibrated. As I do not represent this company, you would need to contact them in regards to any service agreements.
I check the meter periodically by running simple and verifiable tests when I want to validate its operation.
Just bought a meter . Can you tell me what the moisture level should be for potted tomatos ? I probed my pots and the meter is shooting over to wet
Its going all the way past moist to wet .
What should it read dry , moist or wet ?
Check your moisture content the day after watering.
Persistently wet will drown most plant roots.
Wonder if I can use soil tester to check my body ph if you used cup of urine.
You can use your cup as Roman nitrogen fertilizer at about 11 percent N.
Does the light meter measure umols ? Ppfd or par ?
Light sensor measures from 0 to 2000 Lux
If the soil is cold would it affect the readings on the meter?
There is nothing in my meter's manual that indicates coldness as a factor (I would think freezing temperatures would cause a concern).
By the way, testing for soil pH needs to be done when soil is moist.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 The temperature of the soil or water in the soil affects solubility of ions such as calcium carbonate in the water in the soil. The presence of the ions such as calcium carbonate will affect how much H+ will be in the solution and thus pH reading. Just think if you cool a glass of water down filled with salt then salt will precipitate out and fall to the bottom. Heat it up and the salt will go back into solution making saltier water. The saturation point of any given ion depends on temperature. Ions in solution react with H+ and can take H+ out of the solution. Most soil probes need to be measured with room temperature water and using distilled or rain water. Tap water has lots of ions in it which change pH reading. It doesn't rain chlorinated tap water so distilled is the closest to rain water if you don't have any collected.
Thank you -
Glad it helped
I have this meter, ph meter doesn't seem to work. It always shows 7 ph.
Try a light cleaning with fine grit sand paper or soft steel wool on its tips.
If you're a coffee drinker, try placing it in your used grinds. Wait a bit. You should get a lower reading than 7.
I periodically check mine on a mulch pile that I treat with ammonia sulfate fertilizer to speed up its breakdown into usable potting soil. It reads in at about 6 or acidic on my meter. My native soil generally tests at 7.
Make sure your soil is WET. Check pH after you water. Otherwise, it won't really work properly.
maybe its ok?
The needle moves to 7 no matter what I put it in. 20 different plants and they all have the exact same ph ???
Make sure the soil is moist and the tips are clean and shiny. Polish them with either fine steel wool or fine sand paper. Leave it in longer than for checking moisture. I would say 20-30 minutes.
If you believe it is not working, insert the clean tips into an fresh lemon (acidic). If the needle does not move toward the right, I might think something is wrong with your tester.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 it shows moisture immediately and I believe it is correct. However ph never changes. It's brand new.
We know that 7 is considered a neutral soil. That area is the default setting for the pH meter. My meter tester was last used to check the soil I make from leaves, mulched branches and twigs as well as kitchen compost. To move the process of creating a viable soil, I use a large amount of ammonia sulfate that generates energy to speed up the breakdown process. This action of using nitrogen fertilizer ultimately lowers the pH. I measured it on the pH scale when the soil was moist. My needle moved to a very low 6 after about 15 to 20 minutes. On my meter the needle defaults to about 7.1.
Second, I have a camellia bush and two crape myrtles that I intentionally lower the soil with acidifier. I've checked them using the meter and was satisfied when I got them to a mid-6 on the tester.
Can I keep meter for full time in pot?
I never do. When testing a new soil, I make sure it's damp and leave it in no longer than say thirty to forty minutes.
I know keeping the tips clean or shiney with fine sandpaper or steel wool is important. I would think the tarnishing of the tips could present the meter's sensitivity to read what is being tested.
I was confused because the way the meter reads, “8” being high acidity, is nearest to the word alkaline, like “1” high alkaline is nearest the word acid. Aren’t the words backwards?
"Alkaline is on the left, "Acid" is on the right. The scale directly above it is 8 on the left, 3.5 on the right.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732
But isn’t 8 more acidic and 3.5 more alkaline? I thought a ph of like 6-7 is acidic. Not alkaline.
recieved mine today . instructions say humidity must be 7 or higher to have an accurate ph reading
Yep. Soil should be moist.
The ph will be wrong in dry soil and at wrong temperature
That is an excellent point.
Additionally, the longer you leave it in the damp soil, like 20 minutes, the more time it has to read and hone in on soil ph. The other two measurements, both light and moisture, are fast, with the light being immediate and moisture a couple of seconds. I have used mine now for over two years and it aides me in my decision making when I adjust some of my trees and bushes' soil ph. Finally keep the probe tips shiny with a fine sand paper or light steel wool.
Why does the meter never move?
There are three testing modes: Moist, Light, and pH, which mode are you referring to?
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 thee pH. I'm using it as a backup cuz my pH meter broke .
@@mrfree133 My meter defaults to about 7.5 on the pH setting. I test the pH on my compost which comes in at about a 6. In the pH mode it moves much slower compared to testing Light or Moisture. If you want to see it move quicker, put the two probes into a lemon or lemon juice. If you want to see a dramatic movement of the pH setting needle, put it in a cup of vinegar. A cup of coffee is less dramatic, but it should move it close to 6. Coffee grinds will move it down some as well. Those are some ways to check it.
By the way, make sure your probe tips are clean.
@@doityourselferhomeandgarde9732 it always stays slightly above 7. On all my except one that's cuz I did on purpose I put vinegar than I added the probe on
If you need a meter to tell you if the sun is shining... I won't say it.
That's probably true for many outdoor gardeners. But there are probably some indoor plant enthusiasts who have sensitive or "exotic" plants that might be fairly particular about sunlight.
Myself, I am an outdoor gardener.
6 ph is. better Sir.
Not neutral. But it is clear you know what you're growing