the improper pH won't help the plant, thats for sure. since you're in soil, i'd get a mid-range pH tester at any aquarium/fish store (maybe even wal-mart). i got mine at a local fish shop for 7 bucks. good for 200+ tests. stay away from the test strips as even touching them with bare skin can cause deviations of true readouts. the kit i bought has a little vial that you fill to the 5mL mark and add 2 drops of test solution. shake it up, and read the color against the chart provided. there are some ways to adjust pH without buying the "pH up/pH down" stuff. research the boards here and you'll find them, but i'd reccomend getting the real deal.
the mylar emergency blanket might be perfect. they are engineered to keep heat in, so why not?
those 4' fluoros might be worth a look, but i tried 2 of them of either side of my current grow and since removing them (about 2.5 months ago), i've noticed no decrease in growth. couldn't hurt though. all depends on how high your folks will let the electric bill creep up. :jointsmile: