Maintaining the ideal growing environment is an ongoing effort. After setting your grow space to your liking, there is still the matter of providing the necessary nutrients. Crucial to that process is preserving proper pH levels, which must be carefully balanced to support a healthy growing system, hydroponic or otherwise. Here we will explore just what pH is, as well as how it can be monitored and adjusted to effectively grow plants and vegetables indoors.
What is pH?
A solution’s pH level describes either its acidity or alkalinity. These levels are measured from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic, 14 being the most alkaline, and 7 representing pH neutral. For context, pure water would be measured at a 7. When growing plants and vegetables hydroponically, it is recommended to maintain a pH level between 5.5 and 6.5. A more acidic environment can cause toxicity and inhibit plant growth, while too much alkaline would make nutrients less soluble and also deter growth. Such deficiencies manifest in paler, cupped leaves and cause a yellowed appearance.
Monitoring pH Levels
To prevent these and other complications, there are a number of practical and relatively simple options available to measure your environment’s pH. Test strips can be dipped into your solution for a quick comparison to an accompanying color chart. While easy and inexpensive though they are not necessarily the most accurate. Test kits offer greater reliability, where you add a liquid testing solution to the sample you wish to measure. These also rely on a comparison chart.
For the utmost accuracy, however, pH meters offer the fastest and most precise readings. Equipped with a digital display and highly responsive sensor probe, standard and advanced meters accurately calculate your solution’s acidity, alkalinity, and temperature. All-in-one meters can even provide measurements for salinity, conductivity, and EC.
Maintenance for these meters includes monthly calibration and secure storage conditions. Failing to do so may jeopardise the accuracy of your pH readings. As for how often you want test your water, that will vary based on experience. Daily testing may be safest until the readings remain stable. Later on, weekly readings will likely suffice.
Adjusting pH Levels
Once you are regularly testing your water quality levels, the question remains of how to adjust your solution. There are a wide variety of pH adjusters available for purchase, many of them specifically tailored to gardening purposes. Whatever your acids or alkalis of choice, be sure to research them beforehand and read all safety instructions. These solutions vary greatly in potency and can cause side effects, so proper precautions should be taken. When modifying pH levels, it is recommended to start with minor adjustments. Adjusting levels too rapidly or frequently may cause a shock to your plant's system.
Measuring pH is not only crucial to growing, but also plays a vital role in maintaining aquariums, pools, water treatment facilities, and even home breweries. No matter the application, accurate pH readings go a long way in ensuring your ideal environment.
