Soil and water PH levels - please help

What do i need to buy to check the PH levels of my soil and my water? and what should the ph levels be at to grow most efficiently? I believe the ph levels are off, killing my plants again and again... please help. Thank you

I bought a digital PH meter to test my water and let it run between 6.0 and 6.5.

I've done some research on some of the digital ph testers and alot of them have bad reviews, could you point in the right direction for a good one? Don't know much about them besides the reviews i've read.

You can get a color test kit. There are many places to get them from. And they're cheap!

the little ph test strips that are used for fish tanks and stuff? with the bottles of ph up /ph down? is that accurate enough to help? i used test strips awhile back and always felt like the reading wasn't accurate enough to matter, unless my Ph level was wayway off... maybe i had shitty strips or something

Oakton Waterproof EcoTestr pH 2 Pocket pH Tester

My Hanna Gro'Chek Wand worked really well. Needs calibration every so often but if you keep it clean then it works for years. I got mine for $40.

It's red, has an LCD display.

You can have a complete ph system for about 50 bucks. I go to my local walmart or petshop and buy water ph test strips. i get 100 tests for 5bucks. test the runoff water from ur pot. you can buy pH up and down at your local pet store, about 15 bucks each a bottle. I also buy a pH balancer (comes in a tablet, dissolves in water) can buy that for 10$ also. it keeps my soil around 6.8-7ph for a while so i dont have to keep adjusting every time i fertilize. so thats 5+30+10 so for about $45 bucks plus tax you can have a complete system that works amazing and lasts a long time for the money you pay.

all this can be found in your aquarium section of pet store. though if you do have the money i suggest buying an actual ph meter as it will give more accurate results and can last you years and years with out replacing it.

Does the PH level in both the soil and the water need to be around 5.9 to 6.0 (or the ideal amount) or do both need to total that amount?

Dont forget to test the PH level of the water before and after watering so you get an accurate measurement. You want your run off water to be (and depending on the strain) to be around 5.8 to 6.4