One of the most overlooked aspects of growing using Hydroponics or Aeroponics is water quality. You can build or buy the most amazing hydroponic or aeroponic growing chambers and use the most expensive nutrients on the market, but if your water quality is poor, you’ll never quite attain the results you desire!

In order to truly test the water quality out of your tap or well, it’s best to have it professionally tested. If you have city-supplied tap water, you can typically get a copy of the water test reports which are done quite frequently, but keep in mind that you could have a local plumbing issue which could not show up in the water company tests.

For well owners, having a professional water test is really the only way to get an in-depth report on exactly what’s in your water and if it’s safe to drink.  To have your well water professionally tested may cost up to $200 or more depending on the level of testing you desire.   For Example, a lab in my area (Chemserv) has several basic tests you can choose from if you are a private well owner, but the comprehensive test plus lead is probably a good place to start.  Keep in mind that you’d want to choose a lab in YOUR AREA since water testing requires sterile sample containers and the water must be kept cool and delivered for testing within hours after collecting – it’s not something you’d do through the mail.

Once the test is done, you’ll get a detailed report on exactly what’s in your water and if it falls within EPA Drinking water standards.  Just because it may be safe to drink doesn’t mean that it’s going to be good for your plants!  Overall, the goal of testing is to provide you with a report that shows the level of contaminants, dissolved solids and metals as well as PH – a critical aspect of water quality when growing with Hydroponics and Aeroponics.

If you decide to skip the water tests or already know the quality of your water but your hydroponic gardening isn’t going so well, go back to square one and test the quality of your water.  If your plants continue to struggle, you can always purchase an RO/DI system to filter your water, buy bottled or distilled water to start with.  You can then use PH UP and PH DOWN chemicals for adjusting the PH to the proper level.

Using the right tools: PH and TDS Meters for testing your water:

In order to get going into growing with Hydroponics and Aeroponics, we stronly suggested you invest in some common tools of the trade; a PH Meter and a TDS Meter.  For $100 or less you can get low cost versions such as the ones shown below (Hanna PH Checker and Hanna Primo TDS).

We use 2 low cost meters for testing PH and TDS as shown in the photos above.  Both of our meters are made by Hanna Instruments and run between $30 and $60 each and can be found at Amazon.com, Ebay or other reputable gardening shops.

The PH Meter obviously tests the PH of the water before you mix in the nutrients and it is also used to monitor PH of the solution while your plants are growing.  PH can differ between plants and most varieties may not do well if the PH is too high or too low, and you’ll get the best results by adjusting the PH exactly and keeping it at that level.

The TDS Meter detects the EC/TDS (Electrical Conductivity/Total Dissolved Solids) in the water.  The well water we use to do our growing has an initial PPM (parts per million) of 140.  The spring water we purchase from the spring down the road has an initial PPM of 70, and distilled water is exactly at zero.  Distilled is ideal since you start at zero and then add your nutrients to increase the PPM to the desired level.

We also use PH and TDS calibration solution as shown in the photos above.  Both PH and TDS meters should be calibrated frequently depending on use and length of storage.  These solutions provide a standard “benchmark” to calibrate the meters properly.

Overall, you don’t need to have your PH and TDS EXACT, but if you do – your plants will grow faster and better!   Having the right tools to start will give you the edge you need to succeed when growing hydroponically and aeroponically.

We use tall glass shotglasses to test our PH and TDS and also for calibrating.  The photo on the left is a TDS meter showing a TDS of 1489.  The TDS meter is not calibrated exactly at this point since the calibration solution is exactly 1500 PPM.  Off by 12 PPM is not bad.

The photo on the right shows the PH meter at 6.21 – slightly acidic – Our plants we typically grow prefer a PH that is acidic. This shot shows the PH of the well water that does not meet EPA standards for drinking water since the PH is acidic. Our plant’s seem to love it!
We hope you have enjoyed this tutorial on testing your water – Happy growing! If you don’t yet own a PH or TDS meter we’ve added some links below to PH and TDS Meters available from Amazon.com

All in one TDS and PH Meter from Milwaukee
Milwaukee PH METER
Hanna Instruments Digital pH Tester
Extech TDS Waterproof Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, & Temp Meter