Bluelab Soil pH Meter with External Probe

How the Soil pH Meter Works: PH levels have a significant effect on the absorption rates of certain nutrients and on micro-organisms present in the substrate. For this reason, knowing about the pH levels of your growing medium and adjusting nutrient pH levels accordingly is an essential part of indoor growing. The Bluelab Soil pH Meter can provide you with information about the acidity or alkalinity of your growing medium on an ongoing basis. All you need to do is take a sample, use the supplied 'dibber' to drive an opening into it and insert the probe. Turn the unit on and you'll get a clear, accurate read-out providing you with all the information you need to adjust feeding procedures accordingly. The Bluelab Soil pH Meter features a separate probe so you can take readings and look at the display at the same time, making it much more comfortable to use than other soil pH testing equipment, something that is helped with the inclusion of a more than adequate 2.0m cable. Using the Soil pH Meter: Before doing anything, soak your Soil pH Meter probe in KCL (potassium chloride) for 24 hours. Setting up the Soil Meter is a very quick and easy process. As always, read the instructions carefully before first using this piece of equipment. Remove the back cover and insert the two supplied AAA batteries into the back of the unit, then connect the soil pH probe to the main body. This meter should be calibrated before using it for the first time. We also recommend periodically calibrating it on a monthly basis to maintain accurate readings. To calibrate, clean the probe tip with fresh water, take a sample of pH 7.0 solution and pour it into a clean beaker or other suitable container. Do not dip the probe directly into pH buffer – every time you do this, you will run the risk of contaminating the liquid, lowering the accuracy of any future calibrations. Dip the head of the probe in the solution, leave it to settle for a minute and then hold the 'calibrate' button down for three seconds until the screen displays 'CAL'. A pH 7 icon will then be displayed to indicate a successful calibration. Next, an indicator will show up onscreen telling you to calibrate with buffer 4.0. You will then need to rinse the probe again in fresh water and repeat the process with buffer 4.0 solution. The pH probe should be kept in suitable storage solution when not in use. We recommend the additional purchase of Growth Technology - pH Probe Refill & Storage Solution for this purpose. Rinse the probe off after use and keep a small amount of storage fluid inside the protective probe cover. The manual states that distilled water, de-ionized water and water from a reverse osmosis machine should not be used for this purpose, as they can trigger changes in the chemistry of the probe.