How to Properly Use pH Meters in the Garden - Soil Prep, Averaging & Cleaning: Rapitest & Burpee

The pH measures (p)otential (h)ydrogen which is basically about how nutrients are available and accessed in your soil. The pH Scale is 0-14 with 7 being neutral. I show you how to set up the soil for the meters optimal readings, use distilled water, clean the meters and how to take an average. An average is the best way to arrive at your gardens pH level.

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[THERUSTEDGARDEN]

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[bigrich]

Yours is one of the best, most informative gardening channels on YouTube. I’ve watched most of your older videos and the information is great and very helpful even though they’re years old.

[terrygrant]

Watched a lot of videos on measuring ph, this is the first one indicating the soil needs to be moist. thanks.

[kevinescobar]

THANK YOU!!! Finally a video that explains exactly how to use the ph meter and not like the several other videos that I found and say that will show how to use the ph meter, but only explains the moist meter an not the ph meter. Grate video

[tbluemel]

Gary,
I have been watching your videos for a couple years and I just have to tell you how much I appreciate them and how much I have learned from them. You, sir, are a great instructor and gardener!! Thank you!!

[corinnenygren]

Excellent video. I was debating about getting one of these meters so this info is helpful. Thanks Gary.

[douglas]

Well made video...best regarding ph meters that I've seen. You actually used them per the instructions. Thx

[StaceyHerewegrowagain]

Great video as always Gary, very well explained and much appreciated.

[deanspencer]

Very helpful.. I've just bought a new one .. this has given me some useful practical information that I've written in my book. 👍

[jeanlanz]

Thank you! Really helpful. God bless you, Gary.

[Emmylou]

Maybe you're already planning to do this, but a video explaining what to add to your soil in order to change the ph would be great.

[grunthippie]

Awesome bro👍👍
A lot of helpful tips. Been using the meter and really felt lost with this tool.
Thanks you for the teaching💪.

[blackweed]

Electrostatic activity of water is another very good subject on how water holds electricity and how plants exhort electricity through the roots that's why the roots start to Circle but not many know much about we have been extensive reading at the library about these subjects to find out more about becoming a a botanist these are very good subjects that people should know more about maybe you're the person to bring it out in the open 😎

[AaronCo]

This was at least closer to what you should actually do when testing. Well done, I love that you pointed out to dig down, A Lot of others did not do this in their videos. Give yourself a pat on the back Gary.

[ramonadolese]

Thank you. Do I prep the soil the same way to check my container soil

[JastaAdventures]

thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't get the pH of the soil in my blueberry bed to budge, and now I realize that's probably because I haven't been using the meter correctly. It's 2 a.m. so I will try your method first thing in the morning.

[ThePathwayLife]

I have a Meyer lemon tree in a terracotta container and am struggling to get the PH above 3.5. It’s loamy soil. I use Espoma organic for Citrus but still have brown-edged, yellowing leaves. Help! What can I use?

[saharusa]

But
how can i test ph in Sand soil ?
I can not keep adding water every time before reading because they dont like too much water
what kind of meter do you suggest?

[charlesroberts]

I have a low cost rapitest ph meter that read the same ph no matter what I stuck it in so I bought another one . Same thing so I bought a different one same scenario well this year I was determined to figure out why . So I added like two handfuls of alum to two cups of water . It only dropped slightly . Then I got the idea to clean the probe with a mr clean cleaning eraser . Then it worked fine . Wish I thought of that before

[BPinney]

That pH meter failed or you had "dirty water" (it wasn't pure). 7.0 is neutral. With baking soda, it should be above 7.0 unless your water is acidic. I typically use deionized water then add vinegar/baking soda for demonstrative purposes as the ions can interfere with the reading. That being said, addition of solid baking soda should've been enough to at least get it to 7.0 if it was any appreciable amount.