Greenhouses and nurseries are really cool
Water quality and quantity issues are extremely important in the production of container grown plants. Irrigation water should be tested periodically to determine its quality. The YSI pH100, or pH10, and EC300 can be used to measure pH, conductivity, salinity, and TDS (total dissolved solids) of the irrigation water. The recommended range of irrigation water pH and substrate solution for production depends on the crop itself, but the generally accepted pH range between 5.4 - 7.0 for irrigation water and 5.2 - 6.3 for substrate solution is common. Salinity, conductivity, and TDS can be measured using the EC300 to help determine the soluble salt level in the irrigation water. Ideal conditions vary from seedlings to greenhouse crops to nursery crops but younger seedlings tend to be more sensative to higher salt levels making conductivity monitoring extremely important for a plug grower. High salt levels build up in the substrate and prevent water from entering the plants roots. Understanding and controlling some of these issues can significantly improve the quality of container grown plants and reduce costs associated with over-fertilizing and over-watering.

Improve Crop Management Decisions to Improve Profits

Monitoring greenhouse crop nutrition with the YSI pH100, or pH10, and EC300, can accurately result in pH and conductivity measurements allowing growers to make immediate crop management decisions or to seek more in-depth testing at a commercial soil lab. Direct measurements can be accomplished using the YSI pH100 and pH10 to measure the pH of irrigation water, hydroponics solutions, and pesticide solutions while the EC300 can be used to measure the conductivity of fertilizer solutions to check the operation of fertilizer injectors. Extractive measurements are also possible by extracting growth media samples with distilled water and measuring the conductivity and pH of the filtered extract. Management decisions based on these readings vary depending on the specific requirements of the plants being grown but greatly affect the ability of plants to take up nutrients properly and indicate nutrient deficiency or excess.

Increase your Plant Production with pH100
The pH value of soil has a major affect on the ability of plants to take up nutrients. Fertilizer could be applied to a plant in distress but if the pH value of the soil prevents the plant from using those nutrients it won't recover. The pH100 with the 112-1 Flat Tipped pH electrode is being utilized to measure soil samples to determine pH values. A simple test with the pH100 prevents the costly and wasteful practice of over-fertilizing and over-watering for plants that can't benefit from the extra attention. Once the soil pH is determined and corrected if necessary it is easier to make decisions based on nutrient needs for the plant. Wineries know the importance of high plant output and grape production. The pH100 is used to determine soil pH values for winery managers to make good decisions for their valuable crops.

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