What is the difference between a soil pH meter and a professional pH tester?
What is the difference between a soil pH meter and a professional pH tester? |
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Professional pH testers are not soil pH meters. Their design and standards are so different that they should really be considered an alternative to the basic soil pH meters and not a type.
Although professional pH testers are capable of testing soil pH, they is designed for use in the industry and for scientific explorations, which gives them a much wider spectrum of purposes. |
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They are available for anyone to purchase, but come with a much higher price tag than the modest gardening meters, starting at around four times as much for a basic one and going up to over ten times more for the elite versions. | |||
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They are actually used quite similarly to the simple gardening tools under the title of ‘soil pH meters’. However, they are much more accurate because they are calibrated before every use.
They also have built-in sensors which allow for changes in temperature. |
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They can be used on far more tasks than simple soil pH meters, such as the pH testing of pools, in food production, and chemical experiments. Another home pH test they may be useful for is in fish tanks. | |||
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Professional pH testers are provided with buffer solutions (usually two or three at pH 4.01, 6.86 or 10.01).
These are used before each pH test to calibrate the device and ensure accurate results are given. You will be required to replace buffer solutions when they run out. |
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The results given by a professional pH tester are also more precise as they are often given in up to three decimal places – although a simple digital one can give results up to two decimal. | |||
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If you are dedicated to testing your soil pH and want to invest a little more time and money into achieving the best garden possible, it may be worth purchasing one of the more inexpensive professional pH testers.
However, for a general idea of pH levels in your garden, a soil pH meter may be more worthwhile. |
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The most expensive pH testers also include software and communication technology which allows the data to be stored and manipulated on computers, where a full analysis can take place. These are a bit beyond the needs of the humble gardener and probably best left to the professionals. | |||
