SO CONFUSED! which meters do i absolutely NEED?

[dj00140]

OK so as i understand it ec meter measures how hard/soft you water is, tds measures nutes in water and ph measures ph obviously, but which are absolutely needed? im doing my first grow and want to try to save some money. ill be using fox farm 3 part nutes, Can I just use ph paper to test water before i water plants (with nutes in water) and adjust it and then test runoff for soil ph?
And just buy a tds meter later if i have plant problems and forget about an ec meter?

dj00140 Reviewed by dj00140 on 02-20-2008. SO CONFUSED! which meters do i absolutely NEED? OK so as i understand it ec meter measures how hard/soft you water is, tds measures nutes in water and ph measures ph obviously, but which are absolutely needed? im doing my first grow and want to try to save some money. ill be using fox farm 3 part nutes, Can I just use ph paper to test water before i water plants (with nutes in water) and adjust it and then test runoff for soil ph? And just buy a tds meter later if i have plant problems and forget about an ec meter? Rating: 5

[stinkyattic]

TDS and EC are both measurements of water hardness/fertilizer content. TDS means 'total dissolved solids' and EC is 'electrical conductivity'.

pH is the concentration and action of hydronium ions.

If you are growing in soil, all you need is GOOD SOIL, and a $7 bottle of liquid pH indicator. You get into meters when you go hydro, or scale up to a large soil grow.

[Mr. Clandestine]

Stinky summed it up nicely. I just grow in soil, and every once in a while will just use the chemical pH kits/charts to see where I stand. Just to reiterate, it's not difficult to maintain a healthy pH in quality soil. Never felt the need to get one of those expensive pens... although I'm sure I will when I get my DWC system going. Instead of getting the EC/PPM meters, you might think about spending the money on a decent digital thermometer/hygrometer to keep in your grow area. That's all I use, and at the moment, is all I need.

[dj00140]

OK i see, now maybe this is in the search but i would like ur guys current opinion, if i buy one of the more expensive soils from the store what should i add to it for an easy to care for beginners soil? and should i look for anything special like organic?

[stinkyattic]

I like soils that contain composted HUMUS. This is a naturally-occurring pH buffer.
You may add extra PERLITE to improve drainage and make flushing easier in case you make mistakes.
A cheap liquid indicator is more reliable than a cheap pH meter.
And Mr.C is correct that you need a quality temp/humidity meter.