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Colorado

Beni used an EC tester and wonder if anybody has used one? What reading means what, just curious.

1/9/2015 11:43:03 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I was curious too, and did some research. http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/resources/92-the-why-and-how-to-testing-the-electrical-conductivity-of-soils is a good article on EC testing.

1/10/2015 10:04:56 AM

Muddy Waters

He is testing the the Nutrients in the soil.If low he knows to up the feeding rate.If high back off.This is the salt levels PPM readings.

1/10/2015 1:10:48 PM

Omaha, Ne.

I was under the impression that those meters are used to measure the wastewater coming out have a greenhouse . so using something like that in the soil would be useless

1/10/2015 10:05:12 PM

Belgium

than you have been informed wrong, some do both, some can only do one, the ones for horticulture use do both for sure, those in some labs need a sulotion of the soil, but aslong as there are ions in soil it will work. For each crop there are diffrent "ideal" values

1/11/2015 3:38:11 AM

Lymington UK

EC meters are about the most important tool possible to have. There are several types and we use two of them at Pinetops.
The first one we use has a small cup that we fill with the water and it tells us the EC. All plants tend to have different needs and different needs at different times in their lives but an EC of 2 to 2.3 would be about right for pumpkins I think.
The other tool we have is a probe that that we push into the soil and it measurers the EC in the soil. These tend to be not as accurate and you need the soil to be moist for them to work. That said I wouldn't be without them both. I know there are some photos in my diaries somewhere if anyone wants to trawl through them.
Hope this helps Ian

1/11/2015 5:35:06 AM

Freedom Is Just Another Word For Noting Left To Lose

I have several questions about this subject as well. If one was to test the EC/PPM would the nutrient solution be measured at the mixing tank fist? I would think so, so there would be a base measurement. Then I would think the solution would be measured at or in the soil to see what the plant is getting through the soil. Is the PH of the water at the mixing tank being changed to match the soil/plants needs as well? The biggest problem I see with this type of testing (EC/PPM) is that the end reading still will not show what the plant is taking up.

1/11/2015 8:43:58 AM

Central Illinois

Should be able to find good info on the weed grower sites

1/11/2015 9:52:03 AM

East Jordan, MI

Jimbo,
I haven't used them but have been reading up on the subject and as I understand it, its not a measurement that you would need a baseline for. It strictly measures electrical conductivity which indicates the amount of salts (fertilizer) in your soil. If it's too high you will burn the roots, if its too low the plants are not getting enough food.

As Ian pointed out, it can be very inaccurate if the soil moisture is not proper and it doesn't differentiate between different salts, so if you are thinking about using them you would have to use a balanced fertilizer not something like 46-0-0 or 0-0-25 etc unless you are using them in conjunction with other tests (like tissue testing). I think using them in conjunction with a moisture meter would give you the most accurate (and consistent) readings.
From what I have read pH, and soil type (clay, silt, loam or sand) have a large affect on the readings as well.


A good hydroponics store in your area should be a great place to learn about this topic as it is a very important tool in hydroponics and they should know a lot about it.

1/11/2015 10:24:24 AM

Freedom Is Just Another Word For Noting Left To Lose

Cntryboy
I use a EC/PPM meter for Hydro. I start with checking the waters EC/PPM to know where my water stands without anything added. Then I add my nutes and take that reading. When that reading is known I then add nutes until I reach a target area per feeding program suggested numbers. When checking the EC/PPM while in use (hydrophonis) you can see the EC/PPM go up and down as the plant is either taking up nutes or water. If the water level in my system stays the same but the EC/PPM goes down I know my plant is eating nutes. If I check my system and the water level goes down but the EC/PPM goes up, I know my plant is taking up water. I'm by no means a pro but I understand how the hydro reading works. What I can't seem to wrap my head around is how the readings work in soil. So many things can effect the soil readings.

1/11/2015 11:09:58 AM

Freedom Is Just Another Word For Noting Left To Lose

In hydrophonics the area to be tested is so small vs testing a 600-800 sq foot patch. I believe the waters PH could come into play as well. In hydro buffers are added to get the water and nutes into the prime target zone for the plants uptake. In soil, the soil has its own PH as does the water added. That alone leaves me to believe there is a huge amount of room for fluctuation or room to make improvements.

1/11/2015 11:34:08 AM

Lymington UK

You can either add your feed to a barrel of water and test it before you pump it on or you can have a stock solution of feed and use a dossing pump to add to the water. Either way measuring what comes out off the end of the hose is the important thing.
These tools are no substitute for a soil and leaf sample so we are using them together. eg if the soil sample indicates that all of the nutrients are ok but nitrogen is a little low, we can mix a feed of ammonium nitrate up and balance the soil. Measuring the EC of the water will help you feed gently. Measuring the soil will help stop over feeding.
Jimbo is right about background levels. Our water has a background level off around .7 and to be honest the lower the better.

1/11/2015 12:26:37 PM

East Jordan, MI

Thanks, helps me understand a little more. I've only been thinking about how it would be used in soil, and I've been struggling to understand what they would tell you and how they could help. I hadn't really thought about testing to make sure the solution wasn't too strong because we are using such a low dose by using an injector. Will have to ponder on this some more.

1/11/2015 3:56:05 PM

Colorado

Interesting stuff-been wondering if it will be a boost in a soil setting or will it curb mineralization and be a wash(no pun intended).

1/11/2015 4:41:18 PM