Russ otten

Is anyone familiar with the RapidTest PH and fertility tester? I found this at www.Seedland.com. It claims a range of 3.5 to 9 on PH testing. Did not list any values for fertility testing. At les than 35 bucks including shipping, is this a good buy, and does it live up to it' s claims?
Russ

Bob S

I don`t know how well they work, but here is a Bio-logic tester that is priced lower than the one you posted.

https://www.newworldmedia.com/ncw/de...skudatarq=8900

Dan O.

Russ; check your local garden center. You should be able to get something that you can return quickly if it doesn' t do what you want.

Dan O.

Russ otten

If I was looking for just a PH meter, this would be a better bargain. But I like the fact that the one I found is a dual purpose meter. It also checks the fertility of the soil as well as the PH. This may help me in not overfertilizing the plots and wasting capital that I can use in other plots. As with everyone else, I want to get the most bang! (got ' im) for my bucks.
Russ

Dan O.

Try it if you' ve got some extra cash. I know the liquid soil test kits can be quite accurate but I' ve got my doubts about an electronic device that tells you to add N or P or K. The write-up doesn' t go into much detail about fertility measurement.

Dan O.

Russ otten

Ordered it this morning. Approx. 5 days shipping. Will give it a quick check and post it' s performance.
Russ

Dan O.

Russ; I' ve used electronic ion detectors in the lab but they require expensive probes, standard solutions, etc to produce a result that' s no way near as accurate as a wet chemical analysis.

Let us know, but you may want to double check the field you test with a proper soil sample.

Dan O.

Russ otten

Dan O,
The soil tester came yesterday. Pulled six plugs from my main clover plot to prepare a sample. I got a 6.5 reading on the PH. On the fertility part, the tester reads this in combination, all 3, N-K-P. It tested as having low fertility. Last week I dusted the plot with a 0-20-20 fertilizer. I have had a few good rains on the plot since. The soil has a lot of clay content (normal for the area I am in). Could this be locking up the fertilizer? One thing I thought was a good sign, there was quite a few earthworms in the moist soil.
Also, how much soil do I have to take in to get a PH test run, to check out the tester? The tester required a soupy condition, so should I dry it out some?
Russ

Dan O.

Russ; I' d get a sample of good soil, even purchased top soil to see what the meter reads for fertility. The rain should help move the fertilizer into the soil. Phosphate moves very slow (as slow as an inch down per year).

I send out soil samples in an approx. 3x2x5" boxes for complete analysis. You should take several samples from a field and mix them together when you make up your sample. You end up with excess soil to test with your meter.

Earthworms are a good sign of organic matter in the soil. They need crop residues to feed on.

Try a few more tests on soils in different areas, especially in a fertilized, well growing farm field. It' ll be interesting to see if the meter varies from good soil to poor.

Dan O.

timbercruiser

Our local agriculture office will run a ph test on soil samples for free. Check in your area.