Best Soil Testers for Ph? Kelway or Hanna

[replenish&subdue]

How bout it. I am ready to buy probably one of the two: hanna or kelway. Being accurate as well as easy to use is important. But I defer to you all. It is for Ph. results.

[NattyLawn]

I think it's easier to use a lab for a proper soil test. What does testing pH really tell you?

[replenish&subdue]

I have not had good experiences with labs when it comes to P.H.. I will use labs to get nutrient,organic matter % and see what they say the P.H. is but this is one area where I would like to do my own test and with on the spot results.
So,my question,"what is the best soil testers of the two mentioned: Kelway or Hanna?"

[NattyLawn]

Yes, but what do those on the spot results tell you? Do they tell you what the soil needs?

You might want to search the pesticide forum for your question. A lot of those guys are just looking for reasons to apply lime anyway.

[replenish&subdue]

I didn't say spot results but results on the spot. That means I can know right then and there what the P.H. is. There is nothing wrong with that. It is one of several observations to learn a little about the soil condition. I do plenty of soil tests that I send in and tests which include the P.H. but I am confident with a good soil tester I can know the P.H..I am not confident in studying the soil to know the nutrient or organic matter content.
And so,at a N.O.F.A. seminar someone highly suggested the Hanna soil tester and another organic head the Kelway. So I ask,what do you out there who use soil testers,what is your opinion who might have had experience with the above two mentioned.
I hope that explains it.

[JDUtah]

Testing pH IS important even in an organic program. If your soil is the right pH, your soil will release the nutrients more easily. For example.

Strickly organic... do a soil test and find out if you need ot use cottonseed meal, compost, or CGM (based on pH).

Bridge... do a spot soil test and see if you need to suppliment with 21-0-0 or 46-0-0 based on pH.

Applying something that influebces the pH can make other nutrients available even if you aren't applying those nutrients (Like Fe). It can also help discourage nutrients from leaching out of the organic nutrient cycle.

As far as what tool to buy, I couldn't tell you...

[NattyLawn]

I didn't say spot results but results on the spot. That means I can know right then and there what the P.H. is. There is nothing wrong with that. It is one of several observations to learn a little about the soil condition. I do plenty of soil tests that I send in and tests which include the P.H. but I am confident with a good soil tester I can know the P.H..I am not confident in studying the soil to know the nutrient or organic matter content.
And so,at a N.O.F.A. seminar someone highly suggested the Hanna soil tester and another organic head the Kelway. So I ask,what do you out there who use soil testers,what is your opinion who might have had experience with the above two mentioned.
I hope that explains it.

I said on the spot results too....In the past, I have used a Kelway with good results, working for a company with a more chemical approach.

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

natty is right on, if where talking about testing a customers soil? with out the soil test how do you know how to amend properly?
pH is very impotent but... whats driving the reading? when it comes to customers soil i would not drive your self crazy trying to get a perfect pH, it likely will never happen, and most importantly it's not needed to maintain good growth, as long as your in the window your good.
what would be more valuable to you and your customer is the complete soil test to guide your inputs decisions.

about meters;just research very thoroughly before you buy, understand the differences between them and how they work, and what meter is best for your requirements, some are for reading solutions only keep that in mind because most are that type and you will need to prep the soil sample first, some have specific soil probes..big bucks
non electronic meters like a kelway? not sure how accurate a non electronic meter is?. natty says it's good so maybe it's worth looking into. i trust his input.

truly what is accurate,reliable and cheap are the pH kits like the one's for pools but you will still need to prep and filter the sample first

[Kiril]

I would not trust the Kelway for anything short of a ball park reading at a depth to about 3 inches.

"Spot" testing in lieu of lab results will need to be done with a lab quality pH reader if you expect to get readings with the same accuracy as a lab will. The Kelway is not a lab quality (research grade) meter. Hanna does provide lab quality meters, but prepare to fork out a good chunk of change for one that will produce lab accuracy .... and you will need to prepare the sample in order to test it.

If you want a "field" kit that will test pH and EC, here is a store that sells the two direct measure meters that Hanna provides in a kit.

http://www.eseasongear.com/hahi99hi99so.html

Note .... these meters will NOT give you lab accuracy!

A more important value to be field testing for is EC.

[replenish&subdue]

Kiril,Thanks for the good reply.

[greenguy08]

Growing deep, you're not trying to get a perfect pH in a customer's lawn, you're trying to have an immediate idea of what is going on in the customer's lawn: should I plan on applying lime or should I DEFINITELY NOT plan on applying lime? Or: dolomitic or calcitic? Am I seeing iron deficiency related chlorosis? pH may be the single best indicator for me, because once I know that, I can tell if and what macros are lacking, as well as some important micros.

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

l greenguy, i very much understand why pH is important. i own a meter but gave up on using it to test soil growing turf but again what does that tell you alone?

will your meter tell you if you should apply calcitic, dolomite or maybe gypsum would be a better choice?

what if your pH is good but your soil is lacking Ca and or Mg? other? and you skip the amendments that year because your meter told you pH was fine and your basic fert inputs lack those nutes?

point is like others have said when it comes to testing soil what does pH ALONE tell you?
most don't need meters to tell them there might be issues, for me just knowing my local soil types ete and using visual cues can tell me that there might be pH issues .

pH can swing through out the year in any given area for a number of reasons.
and that alone should not be the determining factor to make a liming choice

best to professionally test to see whats really going on and how to amend correctly

[greenguy08]

That's great, growingdeep, I tried to clearly say that I'm not saying anyone else should do anything, but rather, this is what works for me. Yes, pH along with observation and a knowledge of soil science can tell me to use dolomitic or calcitic lime. It can be as simple as: do you want to alter pH dramatically or not? Read your lime analysis labels. If anyone is in doubt, please by all means get a lab test. Anyone that has not been testing soils for years should of course go that route. I'm not interested in a battle of egos, deep.:rolleyes:

[Kiril]

I believe the important thing to remember is you cannot make any management decisions with a pH value alone. Pretty much all they are good for in the field is an indicator telling you if further testing is needed or not.

[Stillwater]

I believe the important thing to remember is you cannot make any management decisions with a pH value alone. Pretty much all they are good for in the field is an indicator telling you if further testing is needed or not.

Seriously? a field reading tells me an absolute boat load

[NattyLawn]

Seriously? a field reading tells me an absolute boat load

No, it doesn't....I think that's the point Growing, Kiril and I have tried to make in this thread.

[Stillwater]

No, it doesn't....I think that's the point Growing, Kiril and I have tried to make in this thread.

Wow thats a pretty arrogant statement to someone sitting on Martha's vineyard from a guy in Lancaster, care to share with me some other valuable information you feel I need to know?

[Kiril]

Wow thats a pretty arrogant statement to someone sitting on Martha's vineyard from a guy in Lancaster, care to share with me some other valuable information you feel I need to know?

Now you lost me .... something going on with you and natty?

Short of mapping variations in soil pH over an area, which is well beyond what most anyone will do here and is not really necessary for landscapes, the value of a field measured pH is limited.

Perhaps if you explained what immediately actionable information a field measured pH provides ................

[Stillwater]

Now you lost me .... something going on with you and natty?

Short of mapping variations in soil pH over an area, which is well beyond what most anyone will do here and is not really necessary for landscapes, the value of a field measured pH is limited.

Perhaps if you explained what immediately actionable information a field measured pH provides ................


Ya, I got lost hear to when natty attempted to tell me what a ph reading hear on Martha's vineyard tells me nothing more than I need more testing. A coastal land with hundreds of sea shell drives and irrigated property's. With world class turf. This is typical of lawnsite, I am not saying additional testing is not needed I am saying a ph reading hear with known historical data on soil condition tells me more of whats going on than just a ph reading a lot more. Leading questions are nothing but a ego trip seriously no one has to agree but flat out not accepting that statement says allot about someone. Do you have time for this? I certainly don't

[Kiril]

Ya, I got lost hear to when natty attempted to tell me what a ph reading hear on Martha's vineyard tells me nothing more than I need more testing. A coastal land with hundreds of sea shell drives and irrigated property's. With world class turf. This is typical of lawnsite, I am not saying additional testing is not needed I am saying a ph reading hear with known historical data on soil condition tells me more of whats going on than just a ph reading a lot more. Leading questions are nothing but a ego trip seriously no one has to agree but flat out not accepting that statement says allot about someone. Do you have time for this? I certainly don't

Still not following you.

If you go to a property blind what immediately actionable information is a field pH reading going to give you? You certainly can't make an informed fertilizer or liming recommendation .... so what are you using it for?

You also can't be suggesting that all soils in your region can be expected to be identical? Any % difference in OM content can totally change the behavior of a soil with respect to nutrients.

Now if you have a soil test, then generated a map based on a grid of field collected pH points, you could then interpolate potential pH across the entire area and have a relatively informed idea of how pH will impact plant available nutrients based on what you know is available on the site given the results of the soil test. With this information you may decide to treat certain areas differently than others.

Now the million dollar question is, do you really need that kind of detailed information for your typical landscape?

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

Yes, pH along with observation and a knowledge of soil science can tell me to use dolomitic or calcitic lime. It can be as simple as: do you want to alter pH dramatically or not? .


no ego trip here only trying to engage in discussion, stop being such sensitive puss...

now how can your knowledge of soil science give you the insight to know a sites base saturation? does your meter give you a LRI reading too?
or do you just look on back of the bag for recommendations

do i think it's mandatory to soil test? no, ive watched for years guys fly blind and grow really out standing lawns as long as soluble nutes are being applied and irrigation is good, ive witnessed guys use exclusively only calcitic or dolomite and still grow great lawns, ive seen lawns get no lime and still grow great as long as the nutes and water are there. mother nature allows a wide margin of error and will naturally try to balance it's environment to best of it's ability if given the correct environmental conditions to do so. can it be done better and more responsibly? tis is my point

i understand thats your method and it works for you, terrific! believe me ive been in the lawn care game for some years now and i understand how guys get set in their ways and there's no telling them different, thats why i went out on my own.

[NattyLawn]

Ya, I got lost hear to when natty attempted to tell me what a ph reading hear on Martha's vineyard tells me nothing more than I need more testing. A coastal land with hundreds of sea shell drives and irrigated property's. With world class turf. This is typical of lawnsite, I am not saying additional testing is not needed I am saying a ph reading hear with known historical data on soil condition tells me more of whats going on than just a ph reading a lot more. Leading questions are nothing but a ego trip seriously no one has to agree but flat out not accepting that statement says allot about someone. Do you have time for this? I certainly don't

What an idiot!!!! How was I supposed to know where you are located when your profile locations says "United States". Go back to the mowing forum and act like you have some knowledge. This isn't is pissing contest, it's about proper fertility management. Not some idiot sticking a probe into the ground and throwing down some lime. Low pH doesn't always mean you need lime. This site and a lot of people on this forum don't have time for stupid questions, yet some still try and educate but only get fought at every turn by someone who never posts in these forums, and from what I can tell only mows lawns. Thanks for the critique though, ******.

And being on Martha's Vineyard, you should be the one telling me to be more knowledgeable! Being on an island, you should be the one worried about nutrient runoff and it's effect on the water supply! Nope, you're just another lawnboy sticking a probe in the ground and putting down lime. Nice! A true steward of the land!

[Stillwater]

Wow all that anger because I said a ph test in my area tells me more than "Just" I need another test. Toughen up guy don't give me that kind of power over you.

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

Seriously? a field reading tells me an absolute boat load

ok ... you put it out there so please explain your logic how a off pH doesn't justify natty's comment for a proper soil test...?

what kind of meter are you using?

[Stillwater]

ok ... you put it out there so please explain your logic how a off pH doesn't justify natty's comment for a proper soil test...?

what kind of meter are you using?

His comments to "me" were not justified because I never advocated just a ph test I would never say something like that that is silly. All I said was a ph test tells me more than "just" I need another test. nowhere did I ever say I care for turf on just ph alone that's stupid but apparently no one hear can grasp that. Thermo Orion

[NattyLawn]

His comments to "me" were not justified because I never advocated just a ph test I would never say something like that that is silly. All I said was a ph test tells me more than "just" I need another test. nowhere did I ever say I care for turf on just ph alone that's stupid but apparently no one hear can grasp that. Thermo Orion

Nice way to backtrack. Just because it sounds angry when I type it, doesn't mean I'm getting all worked up on my end....Just telling it like it is. Good luck with your world class turf.

[Stillwater]

Nice way to backtrack. Just because it sounds angry when I type it, doesn't mean I'm getting all worked up on my end....Just telling it like it is. Good luck with your world class turf.

Thank you.....

[Kiril]

All I said was a ph test tells me more than "just" I need another test.

I have now asked you twice what actionable information a field pH measurement gives you, and you have now twice ignored the question. Can you please answer the question!

[Stillwater]

I have now asked you twice what actionable information a field pH measurement gives you, and you have now twice ignored the question. Can you please answer the question!


Kiril stop the game playing it is discrediting, you should rise above this and not be a part of it. I don't respond to leading questions you shouldn't either.

[Kiril]

Kiril stop the game playing it is discrediting, you should rise above this and not be a part of it. I don't respond to leading questions you shouldn't either.

Game playing?

Seriously? a field reading tells me an absolute boat load

I ignored this response to my post, but now I want some clarification on your statement given your following posts.

If your statement has no merit and is not worth explaining, then why did you make it in the first place? Certainly if there is hordes of information you can gather and use by getting a field pH, then why not disclose?

If the branch can't hold your weight then it would be best if you didn't step out onto it.

[greenguy08]

Nobody is saying that all anyone needs is a field pH! Least of all going in blind!
Am I missing a few pages of this thread or what?

[replenish&subdue]

I started this thread with a simple question asking what one of two soil testers you recommend. After that it went to outerspace.