Soil meters that test for pH or moisture levels are a simple & reasonably accurate way to test your soil. They use an electric current to determine the pH and/or moisture level in your soil samples. The results are simple, but accurate enough for most home garden applications.

Though these meters are helpful, it depends on how much detailed information you need for your specific garden. For example, some models give a more detailed pH, while others give an approximation. There are a few tricks to using these meters in order to get the most accurate result, as well as different models depending on your needs. Let’s dig in!

Are soil meters accurate?

There are quite a few soil meters on the market, some test pH, some test for moisture levels and some do both!  The soil meters I am referring to in this post are electronic probe meters that you place in your soil and read the results from the face of the device.

Some gardeners may find that a home analog pH meter is not accurate enough for them, since they don’t measure to the first decimal place, while others do just fine with this simple approximation.

However, if you need more specific results the digital soil pH meters often do include the first decimal place. There are quite a few soil meters on the market, some test pH, some test for moisture levels and some do both!  The soil meters I am referring to in this post are electronic probe meters that you place in your soil and read the results from the face of the device.

Some gardeners may find that a home analog pH meter is not accurate enough for them, since they don’t measure to the first decimal place, while others do just fine with this simple approximation.

However, if you need more specific results the digital soil pH meters often do include the first decimal place.

Most plants thrive in soil with a pH between 5.0-7.0, because the majority of micronutrients are more available in this range. For example, tomatoes can exhibit stunted growth if micronutrients aren’t available. Most plants need a balanced, well watered plot in order to flourish but there is most definitely a limit to how moist your soil should be. Needless to say that a device that can help you determine the pH or moisture of your soil would be extremely helpful to most home gardeners, especially beginners!

What activities a soil pH tester does?

The main activity is to clarify the content of the soil as well as revealing the pH level. It says the soil is in low pH it means your land is acidic. Opposite case high pH refers to alkaline soil. Also it helps you to know about the moisture content of your soil as well the light. Some of them will guide you to balance you a right pH. The amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium on your soil can also come out from a single test. You may test the soil in every 2 weeks for better result.

Why is it so important to maintain the pH of soil?

The ideal pH of the soil is around 6.5. Perfect pH leads you to have abundant healthy green plants and lawn. Excess low or high pH will discolor the leaves, grow tiny and less fruits, even the plants may die of infertile condition of soil.

If your pH goes too less than your soil will behave to acidic. As a result, it can become much toxic to certain plants because they cannot sustain some essential bacteria.

Too much alkaline also can be harmful to your plants. It restricts them to take iron, copper, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, etc. So the plants fall into malnutrition. They become fade and tiny. Sometimes it cause diseases to plants,

To avoid this situation, firstly you need to identify the pH level. Then take necessary precautions to avoid these dangerous problems. After the test, if required you can either higher or lower the pH level to maintain the obligatory balance.

Which key factors should be considered before choosing a soil pH tester?

There are several pH testers in the market. Choosing the right one for your garden can be a bit difficult. To lessen your problem and select the accurate one, here we are ready to help. Let’s learn about the key factors so you choose the best among all to fulfill your requirement,

• Choose one which provides accurate results.
• Don’t rush for the quick result rather look for the quality.
• Some soil tester has a long probe which will help you to know the pH in the depth of your land. So you can easily note is the nutrition you are providing regularly are they going properly?
• Choose the soil tester which doesn’t need a battery. The lack of power can sometimes provide wrong results.
• A multifunctional pH tester can measure the light, moisture, nutrients of your soil. So you may easily know what your soil is lacking the most, thus you can fulfill all the portion necessity.
• Go for the lightweight pH tester so you can move with it frequently. A heavy tester can make the job boring and hard.