Measuring pH and EC in Large Ornamental Containers Video

It can be quite difficult to check fertility and acidity (EC and pH) levels in large, potted woody ornamentals periodically, to monitor what is going on inside the container.  Conditions will change over time; your fertilizer levels will decrease, the pH will change due to irrigation and fertilizer release.

We did a field demonstration to show growers four different ways that you can use to check the fertility levels in a large container.  We demonstrated a soil lysimeter, a pour-thru method, a leaching fraction method, and a two-to-one (water:soil) saturated media extract.

Some methods may be easier than others depending upon your nursery constraints such as labor, materials, and time.  The key to successfully using this kind of data is to use a method that is exactly repeatable every time.  This way the data can be compared over time and across plants.  A grower will also need to determine which method might be more suitable depending upon factors such as how the fertilizer is incorporated in the container (top-dressed versus sub-dressed) or how irrigation is applied.

I have posted a video looking at the methods of checking pH and EC regularly.  You can watch it here.  pH and EC BMP Video.  We are currently doing research to compare and contrast the different methods and when the research work is completed, we will show how these methods compare with each other and how variable they can be when using this data to make management decisions.