I have used paper and meters. I prefer meters, however, Skeeter is correct about the buffer solutions. I use a pH 7 followd by a pH 10 buffer solution to adjust my pH meter, each and every time I use it if the meter has been in storage for any amount of time. But once the meter is adjusted, you can run a lot of tests. I also have pH papers. They are a judgement call when comparing colors against a chart, but should be good enough for checking the medium pH of citrus containers. - Millet

If your looking to test the pH of your water you can go to any pet store and get a fish tank test kit. They have both low pH range kits and high. They work pretty good and if you know anything about fish, proper pH is critical so I feel pretty confident the kits are as accurate as we would need for plants.

While you are there you can also buy pH Up (or) Down to adjust the pH of your water. I bought both a kit and pH down for less than $20.

For the soil your local home improvment store has test kits although they are proud of them.

I am bumping this thread because I am curious-
Anybody have new info on good pH meters?
For those who use paper/strips- how do you test the soil? Do you just put the strip in moist soil or do you make a slurry with water?

Kyle

I have a hand held pH meter, but I only use it for wine. For paper, you can do either. The method for soil pH is to make a slurry of soil with 50 ml of distilled water and measure pH while stirring.

KW4, as Skeeter hinted at, winemakers are quite fond of pH meters. If you want to read ad infinitum about people's pH meter preferences you can surf on over to the winepress.us forums and search around. Note that most of these are probably overkill for gardening, but if you are into gadgets....

With literally hundreds of pH meters to choose from, how does a person make an intelligent choice when selecting a pH meter for soil and water testing? Listed below are things you need to consider when buying a pH meter.

1). Accuracy & Resolution: Accuracy reflects how precisely the meter measures the pH of a solution. Resolution reflects on the number of digits after the decimal place the pH reading will be given. You can be confident of a pH measurement to the nearest 0.1 pH. Therefore, accuracies of +-0.02 and resolutions of 0.01 pH units work best.

2). Purchase a meter with Auto-shut-off. Not essential but a good feature.

3). Calibration: Regular calibration is important to make sure the electrode is working properly. If the meter cannot be calibrated with standard calibrating solutions, then do not purchase it. Meters that allow for 2-point calibration, using a pH 4 & 7 buffer solution, are more accurate and reliable.

4). Cost: pH meters will range in cost from about $50 to well over $1,000. Meters cheaper that $100 rarely have sufficient accuracy and precision.

5). Replaceable Electrode: Electrodes break faster than meters. Being able to replace only the electrode will save you 50% or more of the cost of having to purchase a new meter.

6). Range: A range of pH 2 to 12, within which the meter is designed to be accurate, will be adequate for all applications.

7). Readout: There are 2 types of readouts found on meters - digital and analog. Digital is more accurate and easier to read

. Temperature compensation: The standard temperature for measuring pH is 77F (25C). The further away from 77F the decrease in accuracy. Meters with automatic temperature compensation (ATC) measure the solution temperature and pH simultaneously and automatically give the correct pH reading.

9). Waterproof vs. Water-resistant: Waterproof means that the entire electrode can be submerged and still work. Water resistant means that water can be splashed on the case and the meter will still work. If you want to measure the pH coming directly out of a hose, choose the water proof model.

10). Calibration Solutions: The solutions you need are pH 4 and 7 buffer solutions that can be purchased from any chemical supply company.

Millet (1.223- days to go)