Aqua Master Tools H600 Pro Handheld Substrate Meter: Soil, Coco & Compost pH and EC

H600 Pro Soil and Substrate pH and EC Meter

The Aqua Master Tools H600 Pro Handheld Substrate Meter measures pH, EC and temperature directly in soil, compost and coco, not just in liquid. It suits gardeners checking greenhouse borders, raised beds and pots, and growers who want to know what's happening around the roots.

Testing your feed tells you what goes in. Testing the growing medium tells you what the roots are actually sitting in, and over time the two drift apart. Fertiliser salts build up in coco and compost with every feed, raising EC and pulling pH away from where you set it. A direct reading shows the change weeks before the leaves do.

For gardeners, soil pH decides what will thrive where. Most vegetables do best between pH 6.0 and 7.0. Blueberries and other acid-loving plants want soil below pH 5.5. A reading before you plant tells you whether the bed needs lime, sulphur or nothing at all.

The meter comes with two spike probes. The pH substrate electrode has a glass tip inside a tough plastic body. The EC substrate electrode is stainless steel and very hard to damage. Readings are accurate to pH ±0.1 and EC ±2%, with automatic temperature compensation from 0 to 50°C.

The probes are made for soft, moist media. Coco, compost, potting mix and grow bags are ideal. In firm or dry garden soil, water the spot and make a pilot hole with a dibber first: pushing the glass tip into stony ground can crack it.

The meter body is IP62 (splash resistant) and the probes are IP67 waterproof. It also accepts the standard Aqua Master Tools liquid probes, so one meter can test your watering can or reservoir too.

If you mostly test liquids, the H600 Pro Handheld Meter comes with liquid probes fitted and is the better choice.

• Measures directly in the root zone: pH, EC, PPM, TDS and temperature in soil, compost, coco or liquid
• Stainless steel EC spike: built for repeated use in growing media
• Separate, replaceable probes, each replaced on its own when worn
• Two-point automatic pH calibration at 4.0 and 7.0, and one-point automatic EC calibration at 1,413 µS/cm
• Calibration reminder 30 days after your last calibration
• PPM on the 700 scale, up to 1,999 PPM
• Carry case included for the greenhouse, allotment or grow room
• Runs on one 9V battery (included)
• One-year warranty on the meter and six months on the electrodes

You get

• 1 x H600 Pro handheld meter
• 1 x pH substrate electrode (BNC connector)
• 1 x EC substrate electrode (small pin connector)
• 1 x carry case
• 1 x 9V battery
• User manual

How to test soil or compost

1. Soak the pH probe in tap water for at least 12 hours before first use, and calibrate both probes.
2. Make sure the medium is moist. If it's dry, water the test spot with distilled or RO water and wait a few minutes. Tap water adds its own EC and skews the result.
3. Make a pilot hole in firm soil, then push the probes in to the same depth as the roots.
4. Hold them still until the reading settles, then rinse them clean.
5. Take three or four readings across the bed or pot and use the average. One spot can mislead.
6. Store the pH probe with KCl storage solution in its protective cover.

Order online for home delivery, with free UK delivery on orders over £99, or use free Click & Collect from your local GroWell shop. If you're not sure it suits your soil or setup, call or message the team and we'll talk it through.