Buy Luster Leaf Rapitest Mini Soil pH Tester #1815 at Amazon

Buy Luster Leaf Rapitest Dial Compost Thermometer #1635 at Amazon

19" stainless steel thermometer. Easy to read, specifically designed for compost.

Buy/More Info

The Rapitest

- No batteries requires - Custom manufactured in China - Detailed instructions inside. - Easy to follow directions on back - Compact portable meter measures the essentials for vigorous growth: - Soil pH - Soil moisture - Sunlight - Combined soil N-P-K level based on USDA Standards.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Easy to use and just in time
I have used this product often,wish I had it when I started gardening 40 years ago. My daughter -in-law was replanting a front yard of rental property the day I received the testor. We were both using the equipnemt before going to the garden center. It saved time and money,knowing what we needed to buy and limited us to buy only the plants and supplies needed for this job.

Thanks

Bob Gersch

1 Star very disappointed
I received the product in an appropriate time and was very excited about it. I had purchased it well before gardening season so I would have it when I needed it. When I finally tried it.... it didn't work at all. By this time I was past the 30 days to return it to Amazon and the manufacturer wants $5 to even look at it... I am disappointed and disgusted. I would have rated it a zero if I could have.

4 Stars pH works fine if you follow the directions
I bought the rapitest mini 4 way soil analyzer on ebay which is almost identical to this one with three leads. I couldn't help notice how many are complaining that the pH measurements do not work. This is not true. If you follow the directions it measures pH fine.

You need to first clean the right lead with the included pad and wash it. Then you stick the meter all the way into the ground. Then you have to water the ground around the meter leads until it gets muddy almost like water. You will then see the meter start moving away from 7 and if you wait a minute, you'll get an accurate reading. Repeat a few times to make sure you got a good spot that is consistent. If you only insert the very tips of the leads into the soil or do not make the soil into mud, you will get a pH of 7. I've inserted the whole thing into a bottle of vinegar and it measures about 2.5 which is accurate and I've inserted it into a container of peat moss I've watered until muddy and it measures 4 to 5 depending on location. Both are accurate. If I do not follow the instructions and only insert the tip of the leads into the bottle of vinegar or stick it in dry soil or stick it into the soil without waiting a minute I get an inaccurate reading. But if you follow the directions it works fine with an error of about 0.5 pH units in my opinion.

I give it 4 stars out of 5 because the "Fertility Meter" does not appear to really measure N-P-K directly but seems to merely measure the soil's conductivity and assuming most of its ions are N-P-K compounds and therefore has a high false positive rate. When you insert it in liquids that do not have any nitrogen phosphorous or potassium, it reads "high" when it should really read "low". Also the pH meter appears to have a maximum error of 0.5 pH units with repeat measurements in vinegar which is fine for gardeners who don't work in a lab and need perfect results.

4 Stars Good Value - OK Precision
The first meter I ordered from Amazon did not seem to function properly. The pH and moisture seemed OK, but fertilizer always seemed to read at the low-end of ideal and light always seemed to read 2000 fc no matter how bright or indirect the sunlight. I filled out a return online and had a replacement within 3 days and a free return label -- good service.

The replacement unit seems to function OK. Over the range of pH 6-8 the meter seemed accurate. I tested pH on distilled water (it was 7), on baking soda (it was on soil of known slight acidity (it was 6-6.5). However, when tested on very acid soil (verified to be pH 4 with a chemical test kit), the meter read between pH 1-2.

The moisture meter seems to work fine. It read 0 on dry soil, 9 on soaking wet soil, and somewhere in between on moderately damp soil.

The light meter was way too sensistive. I compared it to a professional meter and it was reading 1000 footcandles when there was only 200 fc. I "recalibrated" it by putting black tape over 95% of the sensor on top until the readings matched the professional meter -- it is now more or less correct.

The fertility meter seems pretty accurate. I mixed up a batch of half strength Miracle-Gro fertilizer solution and poured it over some old spent soil and took a reading -- it read "Too little". Using regular strength MG it read "Ideal" and using double strength MG it read "Too much". I've used this weekly to monitor my fertilizer levels and tell me when to reapply my liquid fertilizer to different vegetables and this is the most useful (and difficult to find) function on a meter like this.

Something to note, you MUST insert the probes a full 3.5 inches into the soil for an accurate reading. This makes it difficult to use the meter in very hard clay soils or in shallow house plant pots (like my Bonsai trees).

- Rob Thompson

2 Stars okay otherwise but ph testing feature useless
This unit is very useful for measuring soil moisture and sunlight. While I wasn't in a position to evaluate the fertility feature, I do know that the ph testing is useless.

When I tested the commercial soil in my potted plants, I noticed that they all indicated a ph of 7. To my surprise, my yard and garden soil also indicated 7. Since I have heavy clay soil in my yard I began to suspect that the Rapitest was inaccurate.

I took a couple 1/2 cup soil samples out of the garden and put them in small seed pots, carefully followed the Rapitest instructions for ph testing and still came up with a ph of 7. I added two tablespoons of vinegar to one of the samples and two tablespoons of baking soda to the other. Results? You guessed it--ph of 7.

I found a study on the Journal of Extension ([...]) that evaluated ph testing methods for field testing by extension agents which found the Rapitest to be useless.

I would have given this unit an even lower score, but at least two of the functions worked.

Buy/More Info

Easy to read stainless steel thermometer with 6" probe for seed starting and transplanting. Scaled from 30-90 degrees F.

Buy/More Info

19" stainless steel thermometer. Easy to read, specifically designed for compost.

Buy/More Info

Luster Leaf Soil Test Kit Rapitest Soil Test Kit Water Extraction Process Capsule System Unique Color Comparators 4 Individual Color Comparators For Ph, N, P, K. & Includes Instructions

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Extend the capsule life & get more
1) Yes, the capsule life can be extended by ensuring you re-seal the ziplock-style bag they come in. Moisture in the air will shorten the capsule life. Close each bag as soon as you remove the capsule you plan to use. Do not allow any moisture to get into the bag, such as with wet fingers.

2) The test capsules do have a shelf-life. I replace my capsules every two years. Replacement capsules are available from the manufacturer. Here is a link to the order form:

http://www.lusterleaf.com/pdf%20files/Capsule%20order%20form.pdf

3) If you are a bit shaky, use a small funnel to transfer the capsule material to the test chamber easier.

By following the above points, you should be able to use your test kit for a long time with good results.

Happy Planting! -- Ryan

3 Stars Doesn't store well
As others said, it works fairly well, although the process is a bit involved. A warning, though: the capsules do not store at all well. I followed the storage directions, but over the course of two years they pulled a lot of moisture in from the air. Once they do that, they won't dissolve well any more, making them useless. So don't buy more than you need for one season, and then just throw out leftovers at the end of the year. I'd even be a little nervous about a set remaining active over a single season.

I also wish they sold replacement capsules at prices significantly less than the starter set. It offends my sense of ecology to have to buy a new set of the little containers each year. I'd actually prefer they raised the initial cost a bit and improved the method of getting the capsules into the right part of the container, perhaps by including a funnel.

2 Stars Soil Test Kit
pH worked well. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium tests were not as clear. They took longer to react. I used this in school and my students got impatient waiting for the results.

5 Stars A great soil test kit
My husband had been looking for a test kit that would tell him what our soil was lacking for the garden. This test kit is great! It shows you exactly what your soil is in need of or what it has to much of. I highly recommend this kit for anyone with a garden. We have limited room and have a raised bed garden and this kit helps you prepare your soil to get the best from your plants!

4 Stars It Works
It seems to work Great care must be taken in opening the capsules as they contain a very loose powder and the aim is to put them in a very small hole. I recommend doing it over a plate so spillage can be recovered.

Buy/More Info

1 tester to help provide a healthy growing environment for all plants. It tests for soil alkalinity acidity, soil fertility, soil moisture, and sunlight.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Pretty useful; has its limitations
I've only owned this product a few weeks, but so far, so good. I HAVE noticed that it seems to need to be in SOIL to accurately read (Anecdotally, I have read other reviews for similar products where people complained it wouldn't read for moisture when stuck in water, and so I curiously tried placing this one in a glass of water. It's true. It doesn't always ping to the far end for moisture when you do this, but who cares? It DOES when you place it in heavily saturated soil). I DO recommend pushing the leads deeply in your soil, and to move it around a plant you suspect is not responding well to either its environment or your watering habits. I have noticed, by using this item, that areas around a few of my plants seem to have isolated patches of soil compaction, where they are holding more water. If I'd only done one reading per plant, I would not have gotten a fully accurate reading.

I don't really use the "light" measure, and the fertilizer and pH measure seem to work well. I suspect I will use meter this quite a bit.

***Ammended review***: After having this for some time, I've noticed some issues with it. First, the metal tines are not built for long-term use. In a short period of time, they began to bend every-which-way and now any time I try to insert the device in soil (not even compacted, at that!) they bend in different directions, which makes it quite difficult to get readings!

Also, if you were interested in keeping it inserted in an individual "sick plant" to gauge its progress--or even aid in diagnosis--think again. I've found that, over time, the tines also begin to react to the moisture and minerals in the soil and stop rendering accurate readings. However, I've had other moisture gauges, and as this particular type of gauge goes, this is probably the better one on the market. Hope this helps!

5 Stars This is a good value for what it does
We got this gauge to check the pH of our vegetable garden, but have found that it does so much more. It does check for moisture, it works well for pH, it works good for fertilizer too ... light sensor seems to be the weakest link of this product.

I must also agree about the metal probes bending when inserting it into the ground, so I take some of the soil and mix it up in a tall cup with some water until I get a mud like consistency, that keeps the probes from bending. I realize that is not always possible but it works better for us.

Good value if you are looking to check the basics at a basic price.

5 Stars Great Value
This works great Helps me as I have problems with my water PH levels & this monitors it so I can adjust Also tells me when to water & give ferterlizer

Buy/More Info

Rapitest, Moisture Meter, With Probe On Flexible Cord, Instantly Tells You When To Water Plants, & Prevents Over Underwatering Of Your Plants.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars For the price, this soil moisture meter can not be beat
For the price, this is the best and most practical moisture meter I've used. The detached probe makes readings easy for hanging baskets and larger plants.

5 Stars Soil Moisture mete
The Luster Leaf Moisture Meter is just what I was looking for.

It lets me know when to water (or not water) my inside and outside

plants. Very pleased

4 Stars works better than my finger for sure!
Quit guessing... and you don't even need batteries. It is no more expensive than the last 3 plants you killed by over/under watering!!!

5 Stars Gives confidence
So far so good. My plants look way better than a month ago and most importantly I regained to confidence lost after previously murdering a couple of dracaenas. Over all: well worth the investment.

5 Stars Works perfectly!
Not a whole lot to say here other than it works perfectly and does exactly what it's supposed to. Great value in my opinion. My office plants are happy and healthy because I bought this thing. No more guessing (which I wasn't great at...)

Buy/More Info