Do You Need a Soil pH Meter?

Several methods exist for testing the pH of soil including: manual tests, sending samples to a lab or county extension and soil pH meters. A soil pH meter is a hand-held, battery-operated probe that is placed in the soil to read the pH of the test material.

Soil pH, a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of your garden soil, is important to the health of your plants. Healthy soil requires a neutral pH (in the 5 to 8 range). Neutral soil pH allows nutrients to be easily transported to plant roots and creates a fertile environment for beneficial bacteria.

Speed Counts
Most soil pH meters use a digital system similar to an "instant read" thermometer. A soil pH meter will save time over manual soil testing. If you regularly test soil over a large property, the timesavings could be significant.

A Question Of Accuracy
A soil pH meter is more accurate than manual tests that use paper tabs or chemically dyed liquids that are compared to a chart. Chart comparisons are always subjective and prone to wide variations.

In extreme cases, users that have trouble distinguishing colors may find these types of tests useless. Soil pH meters deliver results using a digital screen, removing any guesswork from the results.
 
Cheaper In The Long Run
Correcting soil pH issues with soil amendments can be a lengthy process. To be effective, amendments have to be added over a long period. Repeated testing is required to monitor the effectiveness of soil amendments.

Using your county extension service or a testing lab to monitor your soil pH would cost $10 to $35 per soil test. Several submissions would be required over the course of your program. It's not hard to see that a soil pH meter would be more economical than multiple tests at an extension or lab service.