Using the pH dye bottle with GH pH Up and Down question

[MiguelEnfermo]

Hey everybody, I am having an issue with my not-young-anymore eyes in differentiating between the color changes with the little provided clear plastic bottle in the General Hydroponics pH kit. To the up side is green and the down side is orange. How the heck is everybody using that little plastic bottle to differentiate a yellow that is SLIGHTLY green or SLIGHTLY orange???
I set the bottle on my cell phone flashlight but still struggle to tell the difference between yellow/green and yellow/orange. That 5.5 to 6.5 looks identical to my eyes. I even hold it next to the bag with the color chart and still have color issues. I'm not colorblind, just such a slight difference for me to tell.
Not a newbie, but today I had my first case of pH lockout during flower so I retested and added some more down. Pissed me off because because when I pH'd my water last time, it looked like every time I have tested. Clearly it wasn't.
Anyone have any tips/tricks/hacks for dialing into the right color with the GH pH kit?

Gracias.

[Ckbrew]

Set the vial and color chart next to each other with a white paper behind it and bring it to a strong light something like a grow light. I use paper pH strips, they are easier to read. Same thing, look at them under a strong light.

https://www.amazon.com/Hydrion-Chart-Dispenser-5-5-8-0-Range/dp/B00QLBVP74/ref=sr_1_20?crid=3O5EZ3N4O5UJL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fTmTXsjdoHddIfbDzOtw7N_BnMrT-rmNNtXwn6hP51zGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.iqrJlrEBpz5Oq-nGuBtgLX5ARKRnt0Uf2IpT6S7UCZE&dib_tag=se&keywords=ph+test+strips&qid=1745971805&sprefix=ph+%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-20&xpid=Sy75kXwWeUdM5

[MiguelEnfermo]

Thanks Ckbrew. I can tell there is a helluva difference between the 5.5 and 6.6 on that chart. I am gonna try that! It's just that I have a bottle of this stuff already. Oh well.

[Allenpro]

Buy a meter and save the strips for the pool. The meter will have #'s big enough to read with aged color blind eyes.

[MiguelEnfermo]

I spoke with a guy about that once and he told me that you have to calibrate them frequently and I asked "With what?" and he said the little dropper bottle in the GH pH pack. I said my analog eyes are not that calibrated. He said exactly and stick with the drops. Better to have one batch of miscalibrated water when you can catch it quick.

[dirtymike]

For the most part I use rain water, ain't ph' ed a drop, reckon George does that. I use the comparison chart to match the color of the small container. Outdoor light is the best for comparison. The LED grow light is too much for my eye to adjust. The pens are great but you need to calibrate them. I'm ole school and I still use litmus paper sometimes. It works.

[Allenpro]

Do you grow in soil of hydro

[MiguelEnfermo]

Coco/perlite/SF 2x2x5 full spectrum 2024 kit. Apologies for that. I need to put it in my little signature box.

[Bluey]

Get yourself an Apera PC60 from the Amazon shop and storage fluid and calibration fluid. Thank me later.

[Allenpro]

I think it depends on your grow media, most of the soil grows I have done were in a field in the late 70's eairly 80's in Kentucky and PH never crossed my mind, but I will say there were plenty of hiccups along the way. The soil there is very acidic or so I was told. The few soil grows I have done in recent years I didnt need to adjust becasue the well water is always 7.4 and the nutrient mix I use in flower is pretty well dialed in to have a PH of 6.9 to 7.2. Just my opinion but I dont thing soil grows need as many suppliments as a hydro grow and they change the PH. Most of the time I grow in Hydro indoors and I have that mix pretty well balanced so I know what the PH will be based on the nutrient and suppliment mix. 6.0-6.2 and personally I think that drift is actually benificial. I think problems arise with new growers that are inconsistant in the mix and/or get sucked into the hype that Nutrient/Suppliment manufacturers/Sales put out there and they jump on board.
If your mix of X + Y + Z + water = PH X today then chances are if your mix of mix of the same tomorrow will result in the same PH tomorrow

[Allenpro]

I 2nd that, eventually you will get everything dialed in but it can be long road from here to there. In hydro (water or coco) I think its critical especially for a while

[Bluey]

I saw he was using General Hydroponics liquid nutes so I just assumed he was doing hydro. If in soil strip's would be fine but the bonus of a PC60 is it measures EC as well.