savannahtogo Every gardener knows that testing soil to prepare for planting season is essential for strong and healthy plants. Sending samples of soil to a professional lab is the most accurate and reliable method to determine the current state of your land, but this method is quite complicate and it take you a few days to know the result. This is why many gardeners prefer to use the soil pH meters.
The best soil pH meter will tell you about your soil’s condition, especially the pH level, so you can fix it with fertilizer or pH adjusters if necessary. It is more convenient and faster method than sending soil samples to a lab. Electronic meter device is known as the most accurate home testing method but how accurate are soil pH meter? Should you trust a pH meter?
How is accuracy of pH meters?
There are a number of electronic pH meters on the market. You can read the pH level immediately from the display after inserting the probe into the mixture of soil and water. There are also some meter comes with a steel probe or dual probe, which is supposed to be inserted straight into the soil.
Acidity of the soil is measured by the pH scale, which ranges from 0.0 to 14.0. Any testing result with a pH of less than 7.0 is acidic, while if the result of more than 7.0, your soil is alkaline. A pH level of 7.0 is considered neutral.
Since pH is calculated on a logarithmic scale. It means a pH of 5.0 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 6.0, and a pH of 5.0 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 7.0. It means that any small change that you can see of the pH meter’s needle on the scale is a big change in acidity level of the soil. So, if you want to know a real value of pH level, the pH must be measured to one decimal point.
However, most pH meters available in the market now cannot measure pH level to a single decimal point, their probes are not good enough for this work. There are also some high technology digital meters nowadays can provide you the pH reading pf one decimal point but not much and they are often quite expensive.
Most pH meters are accurate enough for garden growing
Although most pH meter cannot give you a very accurate testing result to a one decimal point, if your purpose is just determining pH for growing garden plants, most of the pH meter is more than enough for this work. This is because you just only to know if your soil is very acidic, slightly acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline, or very alkaline. This is due to the fact that most plants can thrive at pH levels that are slightly acidic, neutral, or slightly alkaline, this range is about 6.0 to 7.5, which is the pH level of most soil type.
Best accurate soil pH meters 2021 reviews
CLICK TO SEE LOWEST PRICE #1 yoyomax Soil Test Kit, 3-in-1 Soil Tester
Yoyomax soil test kit is widely trusted and chosen by many experts. I love this soil tester as it is affordable and provides great value for three functions in one devices. Not only the pH level, this tester also measures moisture and sunlight level. It features double-needle, which provides accurate testing result about your soil condition.
This simple device does not require batteries to operate and also very easy to use. You just need to insect the probes into the soil about 2-4 inches depth, choose the parameter you want to measure, and wait for ten minutes to get a reading. The pH range of this meter is only from 3.5 to 8, but this is enough for most gardeners.
CLICK TO SEE LOWEST PRICE #2 Cyann [2021 Upgraded] Soil PH Meter, 4-in-1 Soil Tester
Cyan soil pH meter is a digital device with a higher technology than the previous Yoyomax option. This 4-in-1 meter measures soil moisture, pH, temperature and sunlight intensity, all parameter you need for plant grow. The 2021 Upgraded version is designed with needle detection technology, which increase the reading speed and the accuracy of the tester.
Cyan digital meter also comes with a large LCD display, which show all the parameters at the same time and backlight for easy reading even in the dark place.
#3 Kelway – HB-2 Soil pH and Moisture Meter
If you are looking for a simple but reliable soil meter, Kelway Soil pH and Moisture Meter is what you should consider. This meter can measure 2 parameters are pH and moisture content. This is not the cheap option, but this professional soil pH tester will certainly worth your money. This soil tester is accuracy enough to use even in the commercial, large farms or even in small backyard gardens.
This device provides a very fast measurement results with a pH accuracy range of +/- 0.2. Not only accurate, this meter also durable and sturdy so you can use it to test any soil type. It only takes you 2-3 minutes to show the reading result. The meter is equipped with carrying cover and belt clip for easy carry around.
