🧪 Part 6: Monitoring pH and Nutrient Strength (PPM)
To maintain a healthy and productive hydroponic system, it's essential to monitor both the pH level and the nutrient concentration of your solution. These two factors directly impact nutrient uptake and plant health.
✅ Why pH Matters
The ideal pH range for most hydroponic vegetables is 5.5 to 6.5. Outside this range, certain nutrients become unavailable to plants, even if they’re present in the solution.
- Too low pH (<5.5): Nutrients like calcium and magnesium become less available.
- Too high pH (>6.5): Iron, manganese, and phosphorus uptake is reduced.
✅ Why You Should Measure PPM (Parts Per Million)
PPM gives you an estimate of how concentrated your nutrient solution is. It’s based on the electrical conductivity (EC) of the water and tells you how many dissolved salts (nutrients) are present.
Typical PPM targets:
- Seedlings: 300–400 ppm
- Vegetative Stage: 500–800 ppm
- Flowering/Fruiting Stage: 800–1200 ppm
🛠 Tools You’ll Need
You'll want a digital pH meter and a TDS/EC meter for accurate readings.
👉 Buy this 2-in-1 pH and TDS Meter on Amazon (affiliate link)
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Backlit for night readings
- Great for both drinking water and hydroponics
📏 How to Measure
- Test pH: Dip the pH probe into your reservoir. If it's too high or too low, adjust with pH Up or pH Down solutions.
- 👉 Buy Atlas Scientific pH Up & pH Down Solutions on Amazon (affiliate link)
- Test PPM: Use the TDS probe to measure nutrient concentration.
- Adjust as Needed: Top up with plain water if PPM is too high, or add more nutrients if it's too low.