HOW TO TEST EC & PH FOR INDOOR GARDENING - BEGINNERS

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

From a FB group member: This video helps , I can honestly say I have done EVERYTHING and I mean everything you did. In this video at some point and used each item lol in my unit trying to figure out how to get my plants to grow.. it was my first run and I had no clue what i was doing.. 😂😂😂 clearly I wasn’t alone .. this is definitely helpful, I have a better understanding of how things work and this is going to help those who are just getting stated if they they watch this FIRST! Great job Angie Christine as always! 🥰🥰🥰

[@dblski]

This was a perfect example as to why you cannot say exactly how much food/nutrients to add. Always need to measure yourself and experiment around till you find the right combination. Nice job. Presented very clearly and can certainly understand it all. Thanks for doing this.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Thanks for the feed back. I was hoping it was easy to understand. I always feel bad when someone asks how much do I add. There’s so many variables. I guess it all comes with trial and error :)

[@b4ugo]

A close up of what the tester look like when you using it would have been great, also which link is it? Thanks

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Sorry about that. I will consider it next time. I will check the links but thought I had it in description. If not here is one very close to the one I’m using amzn.to/35YWsdj

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

I have added a link to the tester. I guess I missed that one. Thanks for noticing that.

[@JoniHankin]

Very helpful Angie! I had many questions to begin with as well, however, now see that it's not as hard as it seems and the plants adapt pretty well if your instructions are followed. Having videos like this truly helps the newbies, so thank you! I live on well water, like you, and mine has high iron content, I do have a good water softener and my plants are very happy also! I think if the water is drinkable, and we drink a lot, and are healthy, then the plants will get along as well. 😉

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Im glad you found this helpful. I was hesitant to do such a big project and try to not make it boring :) I agree, if we can drink it so can our plants! Comments like these keep me going on my channel and sharing my experiences as well as bringing us all together as a growing community.

[@Pamlg]

Ha! I'm one of them that just got my iharvest and posted about this in the FB Group tonight lol tysm for this video! I'm going to watch it tomorrow before I tackle this project again. You're awesome Angie! and fyi, the unit ships in 2 boxes now vs 3. keep meaning to write it below your assembly video so I'll write it here in case I forget! :)

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Thank you for your feedback. yes, it's nice they are doing that as many were thinking they were missing a box. Me included on my first one. I will try and make a note of it :) Appreciate the comments!

[@LaloRacer1]

Ooh are the lights in the background the garden lights you mentioned in Clubhouse? They look bright!

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Yes. I was using those as filming lights. Now I have a large LED strip that you would use in a garage. No need to spend a ton on lighting :)

[@LaloRacer1]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Awesome!!! Can’t wait to get mine. 🤩

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Lighting does make a difference for sure. :) less editing in post!

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

I really hope this is beneficial and not too much info :). Have fun with it. Let me know if you have more questions.

[@afshirinzadeh5682]

Thank you. Just getting started. I'm trying to do a step by step notes.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

You are welcome. I have lots of videos. Hope they help! Good luck on your gardening adventure

[@foodgrowersunited]

Thanks Angie

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Your welcome! ;)

[@georgielang7627]

Great video! I have a horizontal hydroponic system for lettuce, soon to be moving to a vertical system. I'm already using the same nutrients... bonus. Quite positive it will be the iHarvest Yay! I am also on a well. My experience with well water was struggling to keep the PH stable, this is the same with my hot tub. I use city hauled water for my hot tub. And I used the 5 gallon refillable jugs from the grocery store so... just filtered water I guess? for my horizonal hydroponic. But I am going to try the well water again for the iHarvest and see how it goes (we upgraded our water softener system in the last year) I will also ask this question in the FB group. I will be growing 70-80% lettuce, 10% herbs and hoping to be able to grow the rest as kale. Maybe slip one micro tomato and a micro cucumber in there. So if I focus on the lettuce and herbs I can see a good pH level that will accommodate pretty much everything but the tomato and cucumber and Kale EC would be too low. I know you seem to grow one unit strictly for all Kale. Do some have success with some kind of balance for the things I would like to grow? Even if I took out the tomato and cuc. So lettuce, herbs and kale. Could I find a balance?

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

With the greens yes you can split the difference and find a happy medium. Things like fruiting plants have the flowers which need higher EC as well as I switch to something like maxi bloom for nutrients and add Cal Mag. So anything that flowers into tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers all need more attention. I do one unit of kale well because we eat a lot. Making kale chips they shrivel up so a lot is needed and that’s the main reason it’s one unit. Otherwise I have done them with all sorts of greens and herbs. You can also rotate and do one grow with lettuces and then start over with the flowering plants. Good luck!

[@georgielang7627]

Thank you, kale chips are the best :) @@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie

[@mppatriceadams1290]

This video was awesome! Thank you so much - very helpful for a newbie like me!!!

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

You are so welcome. :)

[@smokinplantaz8113]

👍👍👍👍

[@johnglancey6975]

Love the video. She is great!

[@brittany16950]

Oh snap this is a lot like running an aquarium. I was CONSTANTLY testing for PH, nitrates, nitrites, and chloramines to determine when and how much of a water change I needed to do.

[@brittany16950]

Thought of something else: care and use of meters. What about calibration, maintenance, and buffer powders?? So confusing!!

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

With the BlueLab it's really easy care. they have cleaning solutions you rub on the prongs and rinse away and wipe clean that's it! And the calibration on the PH meter is insanely easy. Here is the PH meter video which I show the care kit kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3evhKtreMicmqs Hope this helps.

[@bbulliard]

Well done. Thank you

[@ScratchTillUDance]

my tap water in south Florida is 8.4 ph and .2 EC

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Then whatever you want to grow use PH down and some good nutrients to bring that up. You should be good to go! Thanks for commenting!

[@ScratchTillUDance]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie yea I have the bag that came with my iharvest. I had the ec at 2.0 initially but it climbed to 2.5 so I drain a few gallons and than brought it back down. I’m doing chard’s, y, tomatoes, arugula .peas, edamame’s , beans , etc than are generally within the same chart levels. I’m one day 6 and about 5 have sprouted so far. Definitely fun. I appreciate your videos.

[@KJ7JHN]

Your taking the pH down to 2. Totally confused me. Plant pH need be 5.5 to 6.5 right? 2.2 is the pH of vinegar. I hope no one keeps a pH of 2.2-2.5. Recommend reposting video. Keep up the growing.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

This was just an experiment. Was not for growing purposes. It was only to show the differences in waters. Best PH is 5.5-6.2 unless otherwise indicated of your plants. Thanks for watching

[@samiches2008]

Why could the tap and distilled values be 6.2, you ask? Firstly, you can see that you have less distilled water than tap water. Secondly, EC is greatly affected by water temperature. Your probe is probably not a temperature compensating probe. Chances are your distilled came from a room temp jug or a jug from the garage, either of which is going to be a different temp than tap water. Food for thought...

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Thank you for your thoughts. It must be the angle of the camera as all jars were filled the same. The water was filled and sat out for several hours prior to filming. But I do agree with the comment on the probe. It’s cheap and I no longer use that. I use all BlueLab now. Please see this EC review kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZeYmqJural5nck or this PH review kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3evhKtreMicmqs Thanks for commenting!

[@drkwoods]

Is GH Maxi-Gro a stand alone food like AeroGarden? I.E. no other nutrients needed?

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Yes it’s stand alone. :) you can add things like Hydrogen peroxide or CalMag. But you can use it by itself.

[@vancouverbluesea]

I am still confused. There are many foods (or fertilizers). Some are marketed for hydrophobic and other not. And because we live at different places - the same foods are not available everywhere. So - can you use any fertilizer in order to increase the EC? And is this the guiding number? Having the PH number and the EC number are great but how different foods (x,y,z) numbers influence beneficial or not the growth of a particular food. For example - how can we find out what is good for lettuce and why the tomato needs something different. Is it as simple as we need leaves vs we need fruits?

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

You must use a food nutrient made for hydroponics. Others will not dissolve in the water, clog the system and the pump. As far as what you need you can easily google what’s the best EC and PH for lettuce. What is the best EC and PH for tomatoes. I also wrote a journal book that had a chart available My Hydroponic Journal: 2022 Edition a.co/d/5wkF2cS This is why meters are important. We can all use different foods and different water types so after adding and mixing you must measure to get the right combo.

[@vancouverbluesea]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Thank you. How about regular liquid food used for kratky method? Do you think it is acceptable or not?

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Yes that’s totally fine :)

[@snakelakeestates8666]

thanks

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

You are welcome!

[@sevenn7pure]

Awesome video thank you so much. I am brand new to indoor hydroponic growing and have lots of questions 🤣. Is there a chart anywhere that has recommended ec/tds for various vegetables/fruits for the various stages of plant growth? All I've found is charts that show recommended values for vegetables/fruits as a general value. A smaller tomatoe plant wouldn't take as much nutrients as a larger plant correct? I've got some odd readings (i think) as of late vs the previous week's and not sure if I'm doing anything wrong. I do see what I think is nutrient burn and I've recently changed water and added barely any of the 3 fertilizers im using. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

A charts are going to be general in what EC each plant needs. That would be continued thru their lifecycle. But when plants flower and go to producing fruits then ther are nutrients that are more rich for those like a Maxi Bloom vs the general MaxiGro. I did write a book with a chart in it 😉 But a google search will do you good for each plant. Keep watching other videos I have available as I cover lots in each of them. And should have a new EC/PH video coming soon. It’s in the editing process thanks for commenting. Hope I helped some….

[@sevenn7pure]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Yes this is very helpful tyvm! So i should just follow the charts I have then? My 4 plants are pretty small (my romaine lettuce is hardly growing at all). The bush bean is the biggest but seeing some nutrient burn (I think) on some of its leaves and also on the 2 cherry tomatoes (the first 2 leaves, each plant has lost 1 which just dried up.) I'm using a berkey water system and the ec from that comes out to about 3.5 to 4. I probably shouldn't use this for the lettuce correct? Thank you so much again, I am feeling pretty lost here atm 🤣.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

First do you have the tomatoes and the lettuces all together? Because those need very different nutrients. I have a berkey too :) I would bring that PH up a bit. Also romain is one of the slower growers. I have some in my Hortuzz table top right now and it’s been a few weeks and finally looking like it’s taking off. So be patient with Romain. The first two leaves of anything are called seed leaves. The starter leaves. As the plant grows you will see a true leaf and that’s what is actually the plant. :)

[@sevenn7pure]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie I have the 4 plants in separate containers. Not sure how far you go here with help but I could email you some pics of the setup. I think I may have put too much nutes in to begin with for a few weeks and now I may have too little. Tonight I will check my ec levels (and now going to check ppm which i haven't been) With current setup my ec and ph are slightly rising. I've been getting the ph to about 5.5 and letting it not go above 7, not sure if I should be continually adjusting. I have been doing weekly complete water changes though the tops stay on just different bottoms. The bean plant roots are pretty tough to get out of the top with the net cup and not damage the roots). Thank you again so much you have no idea.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

I get so many emails I wouldn’t want it to get lost in the feed. Yes check that PH. That’s very important. It helps the roots uptake the nutrients. If you are doing deep water culture and/or kratky no need to change out water. Just add more as needed. If I change water fully it can traumatize the roots. But yes check and watch that PH :)

[@evasunshine9755]

Hi there! Thank you for your videos. I set up my iharvest today, using your video. It was very helpful! I just got done watching this video and got a drop in my stomach because I had been focused on pH needs when selecting my plant seeds, not EC needs. 😟😢😖 I bought 3 different types of lettuce, 2 types of kale, 2 types of bok choi, and 2 types of cucumber. My intention was to maintain a pH that all the plants would be okay with, though not necessarily their optimal choice. In your opinion, is my pH plan still okay? Is EC THAT important? I'd hate to waste any of these seeds, but I think I'd hate none of the plants growing well even more. I appreciate any insight you may have. :)

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

I’m glad my video helped. PH balance helps the plant with its nutrient uptake. Yes EC is very important! I can say that your lettuce and maybe the book Choi will live happily but the cucumber not so much. As the plant grows and goes into flowering stage you can switch to maxi bloom to promote flowers and you may want to pollinate by hand. Check online charts for EC and PH levels. I also wrote a journal which has the charts in it. My Hydroponic Journal: 2022 Edition a.co/d/4Yi9kR6 this may help. As you grow you will learn. Lettuces are the best and fastest way to learn. But you got this! Hope this helped

[@evasunshine9755]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Thanks for your reply 😃 Perhaps I can be on the high EC level for the lettuce, kale, and bok choi...but the low level for the cucumbers. Maybe 🤷🏼‍♀ If I keep the EC around 1.5, it *may* work...I guess I'll find out. Any idea what happens if EC is too high? Will it make the lettuce leaves bitter or something. 🤔

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Yes it will make it bitter. If to high it will burn tips. I think if you find a happy medium and watch the PH you should still be successful!

[@evasunshine9755]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Thank you for the reassurance 😊

[@shainanunn5699]

What do you do if your EC levels are already high. I tested mine and they start at 3.5. What do you recommend? Should I add the plant food and then retest? Thank you for your help.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

3.5 is your water out of the tap? Yes, that's very high. First I would make sure your EC tester is reading correctly but testing in something like the distilled water to see if you get zeros. If you don't, then there is something off with the tester and it may need to be calibrated. Usually, if EC is too high from adding nutrients, then you would want to add water to bring the levels down, but if you water is that high then you are giving your plants nutrients naturally but not the correct ones. You may want to look at using Filtered water, Distilled Water, or reverse osmosis water (RO water). So first check the meter and then if it truly is your water, think about using a different water source. I hope that helps. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel to be a part of the GWA community and family. Thanks for a great question!

[@melanieellis7490]

Can you please tell me what the brand of the combo PH and EC meter. Thank you Angie.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Here you go. amzn.to/3yjeOQt (it’s an amazon affiliate link) Appreciate the support. Thanks for watching.

[@melanieellis7490]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie I found the link from this video but a different one that was about $31. Should I cancel and get the one you just sent? It was an all in one but not the Bluelab. Thank you Angie.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Whichever should be a good starter one for you. I’m sure either would be fine :)

[@melanieellis7490]

@@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie Thank you Angie.

[@brittany16950]

WAIT WAIT WAIT!!! So.. *now* I understand why Aerogardens are so automated for you. Because it has a small water supply, just like a small aquarium, tiny things that you change, I.e., inaccuracies in your measurements, or a change in the type or brand of nutrients you put in, make a HUGE difference in the stability of the quality in your system. It must be easier to keep a large system and just top off the tank when you need to, since as water gets absorbed, when it is replaced, fewer nutrients are displaced, keeping your EC and PH closer to your original number. If that makes any sense.

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

Yes, the larger tanks you can lower EC by adding water. Or raise with more nutrients. AG just does it for you but even then I have had many fails because I really didn't pay attention to the PH and some plants really like it low! Thanks for watching and taking the time to make all these comments :)

[@Cholita.1979]

I’m still confused about this. My PH level still reads in the 8.00 something even after adding the PH down…. And I added ALOT. Maybe I need to add more of the PH down?? Also, I don’t get the EC levels…. Mine says 1508…. (Not 1.508)… I’m just confused

[@GrowYourHomesteadWithAngie]

First if your PH is that high even after adding down, then I would guess your meter is not working. Even a small amount of PH down or up should change your numbers while testing. So check your meter is working properly. Also your EC meter is probably in a different conversion and you will want to divide that and yes get the 1.5 so that’s just the type of meter you are using. I explain this a bit more in my latest video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZeYmqJural5nck Hope this helps.

[@eddiebrito4515]

It could be your KH is high. I have the same problem. I use RODI water to lower it then you a ph down. KH is like a garbage can, the more you have, the harder it is to change, some parameters. I was going to post this in explaining why in her video around the 15-minute mark. I have fish tanks and have to look at a lot of parameters if they are going to thrive. I hope it's not confusing. You can also look up KH info on KZbin for more help.