Reddit reviews Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture/Light/pH Tester Gardening Tool Kits for Plant Care, Great for Garden, Lawn, Farm, Indoor & Outdoor Use (Green)

A 3-way soil tester will help as well because although lime will help break down the clay, adding too much base will throw off pH balance and impede microbial growth. They're pretty cheap, as seen here: https://www.amazon.com/Sonkir-Soil-Moisture-Tester-Gardening/dp/B07BR52P26

I bought this one and I really like it!

I use this one,
Use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CcTPCbC2B1JJ5

Terra cotta pots suck the soil dry, I don't use them unless it's for succulents. I would repot this in fresh potting soil inside a different container with a drainage hole. If this guy's soil usually looks this dry, and if it's more than 5ft from a super bright-ass window it won't grow. Everyone severely underestimates how close plants have to be to a window. And no growth is a sure sign of underwatering. If it was getting enough water but not enough sunlight, it would grow, just weirdly.

If you want zero guessing involved, I would read up on what that plant likes and pick up a super cheap moisture and light meter like this one from Amazon. Has saved me a lot of trouble when I have to check if a big plant is dry or if the sunlight isn't strong enough.

Can you spend $10-15 on a moisture sensor like this ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR52P26/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) ? That will be the easiest and most accurate way to see if your plant is too dry/wet. If it is drying out that quickly it may be in too small a pot, and you could consider repotting.

has there been any improvement over the past month? HERE is an article about proper care for your plant.

You stated that you only water when it seems dry but the article suggests once a week deep watering so that may be an issue. you also dont want to risk over watering so make sure your pot has good drainage at the bottom.

I highly suggest getting one of THESE and placing it in the pot to keep an eye one the light, water, and Ph levels.

If you think it might be a watering issue (which it sounds like from the other comments), I really recommend a moisture meter to help you understand what's going on in the soil! With a pot that big, it's hard to tell how wet or dry things are--the "top 2 inches" rule doesn't really work.

I just got this one, but there are some even cheaper options on Amazon if you don't want the light/pH readings.

Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture/Light/pH Tester Gardening Tool Kits for Plant Care, Great for Garden, Lawn, Farm, Indoor & Outdoor Use (Green) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FgLiDbZFW49K4

This is what has been recommended to me and seems to work:

Dwarf white or dwarf purple isopods are a good bet because they are generally too small for the ackie to notice and are tolerant of the high temperatures in the cage. I would consider getting maybe 10-20 and establishing a culture in a tupperware tub before introducing some into your ackie's enclosure. I have also had good luck with powder orange isopods. All three of these isopod types appear to breed pretty quickly so they should take off.

As far as springtails go, as with the isopods you want to establish a culture and let the population grow for a little bit before you begin adding bunches into the enclosure.

Some other tips:

• Add magnolia leaves (or any other good hardwood leaf) to your enclosure. As they decay they feed your isopods/springtails, but I also like them because they look nice in the enclosure and they appear to add enrichment for the ackie. My ackie likes to sniff them, flip them over, rustle them, just generally interact with and explore them. I got a bag of magnolia leaves off amazon.
  
  
• I was advised to get cuttlebone or sepia bone and place tiny bits in my cultures and the places in the enclosure where my isos/springtails hang out most. These items are super calcium rich, and isos/springtails benefit from it.
  
  
• Ensure your substrate is moist. Do not let it be super damp (especially toward the top,) but the substrate should be dark and more cakey down toward the bottom of the enclosure. I invested in a gardener's moisture meter to make sure the soil is moist enough.
  
  
• When misting or adding moisture to your substrate, consider using filtered water rather than plain tap water. If your tap water is well water or something, it may not be necessary, but for a lot of people like me unfiltered municipal water has a lot of chlorine and things in it that can be detrimental to the balance of the soil.
  
  Here are some helpful videos that should give you all the general info you need for establishing a bioactive enclosure:
  
  
• How to make an isopod culture
  
  
• How to culture springtails
  
  
• How to create a bioactive desert terrarium for ackies

I got one of these and use it to help with watering. Its pretty awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cxGtDb2VK2P51

>How deep down do you let it get dry? How are you determining that it's dry? Eyeballing the top, or sticking your finger into it?

I have a combination PH and wetness tester. I usually eyeball it, but I check the moisture with that if I'm not sure.

>Is there a hole in the bottom of the planter?

Yes

>Your soil can't possibly be pH of 1-2. What acidic thing have you been adding that would have dropped the pH that low? Test the tester on ordinary tap water. It should be 7.

I will try this - thanks.

>Stop adding lime, it's for agriculture outdoors, where the vastly larger volume of soil, plus processes of soil chemistry and weather, work to ameliorate and regulate its effects. It's not for planters, where it can quickly and catastrophically raise your pH to Stephen King Dead Zone levels. Is that the white stuff sprinkled on top? Did the pepper that's wilted start wilting after you sprinkled lime all over the soil?

Yes - the white stuff is the lime. I mixed it with water and poured it over both plants twice over a month or two. Like I said in the original post, one of the plants exploded and started doing fantastically when I added the lime, but the other one started looking like this. They're in the exact same planter, so I'm confused why it hurt one and helped the other. I'll cut out the lime though. Any recommendations on how to help the droopy plant at this point?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR52P26

A $210 pH meter strikes me as an extravagance for this level of grow. You can use pH strips or better off, use a small standard soil pH tester.

The 4 inch carbon filter will work, but it's going to need an inline fan and some ducting hose.

Personally, I'd just get a small grow tent that fits the dimensions of your closet, and scrap the mylar and poly film. Then you can duct the fan and filter directly into your tent.

The tent only needs to be about 3 or 4 feet tall. You can place it on a table or stand if you want. Then you can sit in a chair when you tend your plants.

Some sort of adjustable rope system to hang the lamps.

I've grown more than a dozen crops indoors, and I've never worried about adding CO2 to the grow space. I'm aware of the benefits, but this might be more of an advanced consideration. If you're looking to economize, this would be one thing I think you could definitely cut for at least the first few grows.

One thing that could benefit you might be Marijuana Horticulture by Jorge Cervantes. He's been updating and revising this book for 35 years. So it's pretty comprehensive, and it can take you from first grow all the way up to how to grow top shelf bud. It will tell you exactly what soil and nutrients you need, which can save you a lot of money versus overpriced fancy boutique nutrients and designer potting soils. And it can help you troubleshoot the inevitable problems when they occur.

Not using the smart meters for moisture, just light. Using this for moisture

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_wrmMDbYKEC1AJ

Do you have a recommended soil sample kit? I've seen some probes like this ( https://www.amazon.com/Sonkir-Soil-Moisture-Tester-Gardening/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=sr_1_8?crid=YY2LFNJIJM8F&keywords=soil+sample+test+kit&qid=1558203214&s=gateway&sprefix=soil+sample%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-8 ) but I'm highly skeptical of them for some reason.

Here is what I am using.

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Filter w/ fan : https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Inline-Control-Australia-Charcoal/dp/B01MSEVQ3J/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1539056270&sr=1-4&keywords=vivosun+4+inch

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I also bought some MDF board, and built a box for the fan to go into. It was a little louder than I wanted it to be, so now it's really quite. I will add a picture for you to check it out.

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Tent: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JN8REQC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I got one of these things: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR52P26/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I don't know, mine works very well. Maybe yours is broken?

Sorry, on my phone but I have this one: Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture/Light/pH Tester Gardening Tool Kits for Plant Care, Great for Garden, Lawn, Farm, Indoor & Outdoor Use (Green) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KP-wDbHT4Q2K7

Thanks, I picked [this one](Sonkir Soil pH Meter, MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture/Light/pH Tester Gardening Tool Kits for Plant Care, Great for Garden, Lawn, Farm, Indoor & Outdoor Use (Green) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BR52P26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Ep5pDb3T1PGV9) so hopefully that does everything I need it to