[The Nailer]

Does anyone know if those electronic ph testers work or are they just a gimmick? When I was at Cabela's I almost bought one but, after the binoculars I was maxed out. They were only $25.00.

 

[henryboy32]

There are litmus paper pH testers out there but I don't know where you can buy them. If you know someone that works in any chemistry lab, they could probably get one for you. These papers can cover the whole pH range from 0 to 14 or you can get them to a more specific range of say 4 to 8.

I don't know how accurate it is but I believe all you need to do is take your soil sample and saturate it with water for a couple of hours to a day, stirring it occasionally. After it settles put the paper in the water and match it up with a pH. The problem is most of these litmus papers are good for readings like 6.0 or 6.5 or 7.0. They are not more specific than that, then you will want a true meter.

 

[The Nailer]

henryboy32, You would have to start w/ neutral water wouldn't you(ph 7.0)? How do you get that?

 

[henryboy32]

Most of your basic drinking waters are fairly neutral. The best would probably be distilled water because no salts or chemicals were used. Even water from a dehumidifier may be adequate.

 

[Steve in MI]

I spoke with whitetail instute and they told me that those probe types where not accurate at all. I did get a sample kit form them and you send it to them . I got a kit from a gardening type store and it was close to the results from a lab. Kit cost me about 6 dollars. You mixed water and dirt then inserted a test strip and matched up the colors.