Potential Hydrogen, commonly known as pH, is a number that indicates the acidity (below 7.0pH) or alkalinity (above 7.0pH) of a solution.
It is important to maintain a hydroponic nutrient solution at a pH where elements in the nutrient solution are most available to the plant.
- Each element has a pH range in which its availability is maximised.
- In hydroponics, the range in which most elements are available is typically between 5.5pH and 6.5pH.
- Strong acid (low pH) or strong alkali (high pH) conditions can upset the balance of a nutrient solution.
- This can cause a loss of uptake for specific nutrients by the plants roots.
- This is know as "lockout", whereby certain elements become unavailable to the plant due to pH.
Measure the pH of a nutrient solution daily to ensure maximum availability of nutrients to the plant, and to avoid "lockout".
Bluelab offer a range of meters to measure pH, including our Bluelab pH Pen - our simplest handheld pH meter available:
Our most popular meter, the Bluelab Combo Meter, offers pH testing, conductivity testing, and also temperature measurement:
Our latest meter on offer is our Bluelab Multimedia pH Meter - this meter is able to test the pH of your growing medium by direct measurement (the probe is placed directly into the growing medium) - this allows you to take pH readings directly from your plant root zone:
To see our full Bluelab product range, please click here.