The meter should have instructions on how to calibrate it. They typically use 7.0ph, 4.0ph and sometimes a 10.0ph solution for calibration. The ppm is the nutrient strength measurement (parts per million) of the water
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So I’m assuming my numbers are ok?
I keep getting likes without explanations or saying it’s ok 
From what I read it’s 6.0-7.0 for soil (and water?) pH.
Seedling: 100-400 ppm
Vegetative: 500-1000ppm
So… would my soil (at 470ppm minus 35ppm for the water = 435ppm?) even tho it’s over 400, is it still ok for seedlings?
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I gave ya a like for acknowledgement I read your post 
Not a dirt grower so hard for me to comment on your numbers 
The Dirty guys will. be through shortly 
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I’ll try to give you a little info from my memory, which is really shot these days. but I don’t have time to scrub through my notes. So please double check my babble.
You can ignore this. Your water needs to have at least 150 ppm I think it is to give you an accurate pH reading. Your filtered water will “assume” the pH of the medium when inroduced.
I’ve used FF Happy Frog w/ 25% perlite. Your ppm’s seem a little weak for fresh FF but then I don’t think I’ve done a slurry test from the bag before. I just know the nutes present in it last a good 3 to 4 weeks.
Your reading at the top is the measurement of the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). The top one is TDS measured in parts per million (PPM) and the lower pic is the TDS read in EC (electrical conductivity) A lot of grower’s use this as it is the truest measurement (if my memory serves me). Because they’re both measured by electrical conductivity and the pen converts it internally to ppm’s. If your pen gave you a reading in Salts, it too would be converted from EC internally.
Now I’ll throw another curve at you. It appears your pen it set to the 500 scale which is good. Mine is set to the 700 scale. So even though our EC readings will be different, our ppm readings should match because they are figured by the pens on their own scales. So be cautious when you’re gathering data that the EC #s are on the same scale as your #s. Thatt messed with my head for the longest time. Oh, and a pH reading of 6.2 is ok for soil. Between 6.0 and 7.0 with 6.5 being the desired. (Note: Fox Farms soils have been known to sometimes have pH swings.)
Is this calibration fluid you mixed filtered water with? Or the crystals? I use the fluid and I don’t add anything to it. It’s been years since I used the crystals but if memory serves me right, I think it calls for RO or Distilled water, not sure which. Not sure if filtered water is ok or not. From your pH reading, it seems to be right but 
but like @bboyfromwayback said, you’ll need the pen instructions in order to calibrate it. (you might be able to wing your way through it if you’ve ever worked with a pen like that.) You’ll need some EC calib fluid also.
I would say yes, that’s fine for seedlings. But like I said, 400’s seem low for FF soil. I have some Happy Frog on hand. Now I’m going to have to go get a sample and test it. Be right back… 
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Thank you @d-Jawz for the very informative reply.
I added more perlite than you (more like 1/3+) so maybe that’s why it seems low… or if I just used regular tap water then maybe it’d be fine?
I figured filtering it would be beneficial in case my well water wasn’t ideal but maybe that wasn’t something I should’ve done 
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I wasn’t trying to call you out @StonedCold13 
I just wasn’t sure if that meant “yep, looks good” so I wanted to check 
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I didn’t think ya was 
Just seen ya already had a few likes and no answers/suggestions so given ya a heads up on we ain’t ignoring ya
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In my opinion, yes, and yes again, lol. It really depends on what the make up of TDS is in your well water. I haven’t sent a sample off for a breakdown, but without it, one doesn’t know the balance of nutrients already present. So an imbalance could always exist throughout the grow. Filtering it starts near zero and what you put in can be kept better balanced. And with a pH out of the well at 6.2? You’re golden! (Keeping in mind that different additives to the water, ex calmag, liquid nutes, etc., can change pH in different amounts, but you should be good.)
I’m jealous. My well water is coming out of the tap at anywhere from 105 to 140 ppm, and a pH at 4.7 to 4.9. It is an in depth issue I’ve been working with since I started growing. With that in mind, I did a FF Happy Frog slurry test out of the bag and it came out at 561 ppm (with a pH of 4.69). So minus the 105 ppm water out of the tap, my soil dials in same as yours for ppm.
Oh, when I said ignore that first reading of your filtered water, I don’t mean ignore it totally. It gives you an EC reading ok, it’s the pH that may not be accurate until the EC come up a little is what I understand. Nice pH/TDS pen btw. I like how both pH & TDS readings are on the screen at the same time. Mine doesn’t do that. 
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@d-Jawz Thank you SO much for checking that! I just wanted to make sure my medium and water were going to be ok for my initial seedlings. Glad everything seems good!
This cheap meter was recommended somewhere else before I found my family here… so a couple things I bought weren’t ideal but it does seem to be working correctly, for now
I wanted to check it to make sure - in case I needed to get an Apera before planting.
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Apera is nice, its what i have. But as long as something’s working, you’re good.
On the soil, i should have said earlier that I usually start my seeds in about half FF Little Warrior, half Happy Frog or Ocean Forest or lately, my own crazy base soil blend. I guess I’m afraid the soil will be too strong, especially the Ocean Forest, so i use half Little Warrior.
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I used to check ppm but that meter broke a few years ago so now I only check ph.
I’m using cocoa now but before that I used FF’s Ocean Forest, Happy Frog or CocoaLoco and I always gave the plants nutrients every other water from sprout even in those so called ‘hot’ mediums. Just use a low dosage and they’ll be fine. These girls like to eat
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So I goofed up on my last post. I was going to edit and add to it last night but decided not to, but my edit was still in the test box this morning. When I clicked “save edit”, it told me time had expired, I clicked “ok”. But instead of deleting it, it completely replace my post with my edit. Now there’s four Likes on a post those readers didn’t even read. I don’t know what or how I did that, sorry.
@Krista The post that got deleted was just telling you that I should have said earlier that I always start my seeds off in a dixie cup (or dixie cup size center in their forever homes) of a mix of my base soil and Fox Farms Little Warrior for fear my soil is too hot for seedlings. It’s worked well for me so far. But that’s just what I do.
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I have been growing for decades and it’s amazing how the “industry” has changed. The tech is getting quite advanced. Nevertheless, one rule has never changed, make sure all the gadgets you plug into your power bar do not exceed 75 percent of the amperage of that circuit. In a typical grow tent setup you may have a small heater, a light, an exhaust fan, one or two circulation fans, a humidifier and the controller itself all plugged into the same outlet. A ceramic heater can use up to 10 amps by itself! On a 15 amp circuit, that consumes 60 percent of the rated outlet already. Typically, a room is normally wired so that not all plugs are on the same circuit. A way to test this is to plug lights into all of your outlets, go to you breaker and start turning them off. Hopefully, you will find a couple plugs turn off and a couple do not. They will be on a second circuit. Now, while you are looking at the actual breaker switches take note of the breaker size… is it 15 or 20? You can either just add up the devices amperage or you can add up their wattage. The wattage for an outlet is determined by multiplying amps x volts. In the case of a 120v x 10 amp breaker you have a total of 1200 watts. I would never use the total rating. 75 percent is a safe continuous usage. What will happen is the wiring in your house and the receptacles will be warm or even get hot, and over time the wires dry out and the sheathing cracks and basically becomes brittle. Lets just say thus is not ideal. Some growers find it necessary to bring in power from another room with an extension cord. Anyway, please be careful its very easy to max out a 15 amp circuit. I consider this the very first thing a new grower needs to understand.
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Welcome @Krista sorry I’m late to the welcome wagon.
Jumped over from RP thread. I’m following along also. We all have our own ways and tricks to do things.
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Thank you @Cannabian 
One of our closest friends is a master electrician so I’ll have him double check all that for me and add anything necessary. I appreciate you letting me know.
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Nice to meet you @DanB
Very happy to have you here and thank you in advance for the help you’ll most likely give me in the future…
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I may not know much… but if you ever need any help in disciplining some unruly planties, I could probably help a little bit… 
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@kaptain3d
When I switch over to photos - you can help me get my girls in line
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Hi @Krista , I don’t peruse the form that much but this is the first I saw your thread here. From what I read so far it sounds like your gonna do just fine. Welcome.. 
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Awww thanks @madhatter1 !
To be fair - I’d have been lost without you all
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