FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Can i test water for CP with a tester with strips ? It can test the following :
pH ( 6.4 to 8.4)
GH (General Hardness)
KH (Carbonate Hardness)
Nitrite (NO2)
Nitrate (NO3) Can be a substitute for a TDS ? And i wonder if i can know something from the below link, as i don't have very good math skills :

Some solids such as carbonates, oxides and hydroxides tend to dissolve under acidic conditions (pH < 7)
By the same token, these solids tend to precipitate out of the water under basic conditions pH >7)

Unfortunately it doesn't look like those would be an ok substitute for a TDS meter. GH and KH would be the only real useful readings I think you could obtain from the strips, and they likely won't tell the whole story for the TDS of the water.

The link you posted is about examining the effects pH has on the TDS of water. It appears pH can effect the likelihood that certain compounds either dissolve or precipitate in the water, it's not something you can back calculate. In other words, knowing the pH of the solution tells you nothing about the TDS of the solution, it merely would allow you to know better how likely compounds would be to dissolve in your solution.

A reasonable quality TDS meter really isn't too expensive. If you're curious about your water take the money you would spend on your next plant and order a TDS meter. Once I got mine I found out some stunning results of my potting media and I now consider my TDS meter necessary to my plants health. It's a worthy investment for you and your plants.

digital TDS can be found online for about 20usd, probably cheaper.

aquarium test kits are a waste of money for your plants.

you wont want -
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
gh - general hardness
kh carbonate hardness (both gh kh will raise and stablilise your ph)
ph - acid/alkaline of water, is the only useful test in that kit.

dont get me started on how i know all that stuff

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E7fmG6zxDc[/youtube]