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:smoke:.... moving the pH meter around in solution will cause some drift, which from what the manufacturer says, is normal,.. let it sit for 30sec- min. to stabilize is what's recommended,... Mz.W, your meter is new? ...did it come with a calibration solution? and do you rinse well with DI water, and keep it stored in the proper cap with the right storage soln. (new ones should have come with a little of this stuff, and 1 or 2 packs of calibration solution, each with a different pH; which you use depends on what range you want best sensitivity at... I use the 7.0 soln.),.... it wouldn't hurt to mix up that calibration soln., and test it out,... I store mine in the fridge afterwards, where it'll keep for many weeks,...
... slightly acidic soil is what's best indeed,... Cervantes' chart says safe zone for soil pH is 5.8-6.8, Rosenthal's says acceptable range is 5.5-6.5, with 6.0-6.3 optimal; A4's guy is very similar,...as you see in these attenuation graphs on relative availability (the wider the bar, the more available that nute' is), at this range, all nutes are in the fat zone, with lots more "wiggle" room on the acidic side vs. the alkaline side, where much over 6.8 pH, Fe, B and Mn taper off rapidly,... keep in mind, these graphs don't take into account other mitigating factors like other nute' concentrations, biological variables, etc., which can definitely influence uptake parameters! :slaps: :roflcry: I know, your frontal lobe is about to implode, right?!...most of the rest of us too,... Anyway, that 5.8 reading is within spec', but keep in mind most nute' solutions will be acidic,... adjusting your soln.'s to near 7.0, along with water that has some buffering minerals in it (tap-- yes, another damn meter to buy--LOL! EC or PPM meters are not that much,... my HM brand PPM meter was about $20,... that Accurate 8 soil Probe is about $55... worth every dime my friend, it's how I busted those
/RO soils for being too acidic and/or poorly cooked and under-amended)... we talked about why RO/DI has no buffering capacity, right?... it's the Ca and to a lesser degree, Mg carbonates that are responsible for the buffering, ... more exactly, it's the carbonates that are doing the buffering work, while the free Ca/Mg ions are the actual nutes,... ***... recall, the dolomite and limestone are slower acting for pH and nutrients,... only quick lime (chemically very different) is the right now acting acidity corrector,... and you're sooo not there, like I was, with pH's in the low-low 5's!....
>>> A4 my friend...
... slightly acidic soil is what's best indeed,... Cervantes' chart says safe zone for soil pH is 5.8-6.8, Rosenthal's says acceptable range is 5.5-6.5, with 6.0-6.3 optimal; A4's guy is very similar,...as you see in these attenuation graphs on relative availability (the wider the bar, the more available that nute' is), at this range, all nutes are in the fat zone, with lots more "wiggle" room on the acidic side vs. the alkaline side, where much over 6.8 pH, Fe, B and Mn taper off rapidly,... keep in mind, these graphs don't take into account other mitigating factors like other nute' concentrations, biological variables, etc., which can definitely influence uptake parameters! :slaps: :roflcry: I know, your frontal lobe is about to implode, right?!...most of the rest of us too,... Anyway, that 5.8 reading is within spec', but keep in mind most nute' solutions will be acidic,... adjusting your soln.'s to near 7.0, along with water that has some buffering minerals in it (tap-- yes, another damn meter to buy--LOL! EC or PPM meters are not that much,... my HM brand PPM meter was about $20,... that Accurate 8 soil Probe is about $55... worth every dime my friend, it's how I busted those
/RO soils for being too acidic and/or poorly cooked and under-amended)... we talked about why RO/DI has no buffering capacity, right?... it's the Ca and to a lesser degree, Mg carbonates that are responsible for the buffering, ... more exactly, it's the carbonates that are doing the buffering work, while the free Ca/Mg ions are the actual nutes,... ***... recall, the dolomite and limestone are slower acting for pH and nutrients,... only quick lime (chemically very different) is the right now acting acidity corrector,... and you're sooo not there, like I was, with pH's in the low-low 5's!....>>> A4 my friend...
