I would like to see the rockwool cube down in the hydroton instead of sticking up out of it. It is best to have at least one layer of clay pellets on top of cube. 
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Here she is! Yesterday I dug her out and moved her down a few inches so I could put the hydroton on top. I realized I should have put it deeper a couple days after I planted it. She’s still growing strong even after I moved her around… This is day six since she came out of the rockwool!
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So get this… I planted a 2nd gold leaf 3 days after this first one. They don’t look the same. The first one I planted started with 3 leaves, and the second one only has 2 leaves to start. Also it looks like there are more ridges on the leaves of the 2nd one and they are more defined. Is this normal, or is something off? You can see pics of both of them.
They look healthy though, right? (The first one’s not too droopy?)
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They look healthy to me @AngelT
And all plants are a little different just like people are
So as Long as Its healthy I wouldn’t stress over it
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Oh okay- That’s cool, makes sense. Thanks!
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I’m sure the three leaf one is a genetic anomaly
It’s normal for the two round then two single finger leaves to appear the usually three etc
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You guys are awesome and this forum is great! It’s been great reading about other experiences.
After looking at other grow journals for Gold Leaf, I can’t help but think that mine are growing really slow, and one looks kinda sick…
My first plant (14 days from sprouting) isn’t looking too hot now. She has tri-leaves and is more yellow than the other. She has no roots that have made it down through the top bucket yet. She has dry crispy tips on 4 of the leaves, and is looking droopy.
My second (11 days from sprouting) looks greener and healthier, but has 1 leaf tip that is dry. She has a root that is coming out the top bucket-- so it’s 9" tall root.
Strain: Gold Leaf Fem x2, Hydroponic
System type? Drip WaterFarm, Indoor. I have the drip system on a timer so it drips for 15 minutes every few hours when the light is on.
PH 6 ph
What is strength of nutrient mix? EC, or TDS.
I’m not sure I understand TDS 100%… but here is what I measured:
Tap water (well): 613 TDS; 6.9 PH
After mixing General Hydroponics Trio nutes (.5tsp/gallon of each), and adding PH down: 813 TDS; 6 PH
Light system, size? 300w ViparSpectra LED, 18" distance from plants… 18/6
Temps: Typically around 77-80. Sometimes it gets hotter up to 85, a couple times it hit 90. But most of the time it’s 77. When the light is off it’s about 68. I keep my temp/humidity monitor on a shelf. Should I be putting it directly under the light? Maybe it’s hotter than I think? Hmm…
Humidity: 40-50%; however I spray them 3-4 times a day.
Ventilation system: No, but I have a 6" fan pointed on them.
Co2: No
I’ve tried looking at pictures to see what it could be, but I just can’t tell… they look a lot alike. Am I doing okay here, do you see anything glaring? Thanks in advance 
1st GL, 14 days after sprouting:
2nd GL, 11 days after sprouting:
Closet Setup:
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Im still learning here to but i use ec in millisiemens or microsiemens i believe tds is a conversion from ppm total disolved solids ie electro conductivity and different meter manufacturers use different conversion factors to go from ppm tp tds so you.really only have one choice using ec in what ive learned is the way to please correct me guys if im wrong
Btw im not saying using ppm doesnt work im just stating it may not be the best way do to growers using different meters and unless u know exactly what those processors do then good luck with relaying acurate information i know as far as ec goes 0.0 to 0.6 for early growth cycle
0.6 to 1.6 for vegatative growth cycle
1.6 to 3.0 for flowering growth cycle
talking milisiemens here and 1000 us is equal to 1.0 ms mico to.millisiemens
Using reverse osmosis is also key for getting those nasty metals and garbage out of out tap water here is a system i set up for 170$ my tap water was over well over 250 ppm and thats clean for my city lol
Use this chart one of the ilgm guys posted this and i saved it and share anytime i can
thanks donaldj moderator one of them will chime in with more expert advise this chart helped me alot already and im just trying to share this info
Your pH is a tad high. For hydro, the golden number is 5.8 in the reservoir. Also, you want to keep the temps in your reservoir between 68°-70° (don’t let them go above 72°). If the water temp is too high, the water can’t absorb the oxygen and you create an environment which could lead to root rot (Hydroguard can help prevent and treat this).
I would also raise the light up to 24"… and use a clear plastic cup with a few holes in top (or a plastic sandwich baggie / Ziploc) as a humidity dome. Spray the inside of the cup/ baggie a few times a day rather than spraying the seedlings directly.
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@Donaldj this ones right up your alley brother if you have time can you lend a hand
Thanks in advance brother
nutrient burn there are a few factors which are leading to this your (Well water) is a major one and your temps warmer temps plants drink more in turn eating more a plant as small as yours should be in nutrient solution below 300 tds under ideal temps.
You could likely be running just your well water for first 2-3 weeks without any nutrients
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Ok, Wow-- thanks to @Donaldj, @Frosty_Nuggets, & @GrowManFitz! I will take your suggestions. I will use distilled water for now but I see the value of a RO system. And keep my water temp below 72.
So, adding the nutes adds about 200 PPM…which means I need to start with water that is under 100ppm.
There are so many different suggested values for TDS when I search. This is why I have confusion, but I think I’m starting to understand it better now. This link on ILGM recommends Week 1 650, Week 2-3 750, Flower Week 1 850, etc. There is a big difference between a TDS of under 300, and 650. And I’ve seen sites that say that TDS can be even higher than that… so it seemed like an arbitrary measurement (but obviously it’s not).
My TDS today is up to 928ppm, or 1.8 EC. I got some distilled water (ppm 1) and I’m going to dilute my reservoir 1:3 with Ph’d distilled water to get it down to 300ppm. Then next time I start fresh, I’ll mix new water using 1 part tap, 3 part distilled water + nutes… that should keep me right around 300.
Thanks
@AngelT EC is a more accurate measurement than ppm. Your TDS meter uses the EC to calculate ppm using a conversion factor. The conversion factor (CF) is the weight of material you must add to one unit volume of water to give one part per million (ppm). This can vary by location. In the US the CF used is typically .5 while in the UK a CF of .7 is not uncommon. I believe General Hydroponics uses the following formula to convert EC to PPM:
EC x 1000 / 2 = ppm
So an EC of 1 would equal 500 ppm. You can also work that formula backwards to convert ppm to EC.
ppm x 2 / 1000 = EC
So 300 ppm would equal an EC of .6
Anyway if you have a TDS meter gives you the EC reading, I would use that instead of the ppm reading. That way you don’t have to worry about what conversion factor is used.
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The reason you see such varied EC tds ppm suggestions is each plant is different and as you learn you figure out what you can push them to a long veg 2-3 months your plants can reach 1500ppm before flower if they are very hungry but a tiny little lady just starting it’s life needs roots roots are encouraged by the hunt for moisture and nutrition 
A lower ppm 3-400 leaves them wanting more but having enough so to speak this means they actually will grow roots to search even if plant remains healthy
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Yeah man – That makes a lot of sense, and helps to put the pieces together! Also makes sense about the roots needing to stretch to reach the water source. I love learning–I’m always learning something new. My TDS meter gives EC, PPM, and Temp. I decided to dump the reservoirs and start fresh, I did 3 gal distilled to .5 gal tap and it was right around 100ppm. I also noticed that my PH down was a TON more effective. So I was at 277ppm (.59 EC) after I mixed a light amount of nutes- right on— I can not believe how they picked up! The 3 leaf (I named “Trinity” … think The Matrix ) is greener already and they both have grown a lot! I thought they were growing terribly slow before. Here are pics you can compare them to what I posted 2 days ago.
“Trinity” 1st GL, 17 days after sprouting:
“Mia” 2nd GL, 14 days after sprouting:
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Glad to here it worked for you I grow in hydro and soil but work with ppm and have helped more than a few through hydro grows so feel free @Donaldj if you get stuck or just have concerns
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Hey hey! I’m here to check in with an update. Now I’m at 28 days since sprouting. I think they are looking pretty good–I can’t believe how much they have grown since my last post 12 days ago! I feel like they may be a week behind since they got off to such a slow start when my EC was way too high. Since fixing that, I’ve not experienced any droopy or burnt leaves, and they look nice and green.
They seem pretty compact, but are growing lots of leaves. There is not much room between the nodes. I’ve also FIM’d them both about a week ago, and they have recovered and are still growing quite a bit each day. I have been doing some LST to try to keep them wide, flat and bushy instead of tall. They are about 4"-5" high x 10"-11" wide (The buckets are 9.5" square).
I’m going to give them at least another week before giving them 12/12 light to transition them to flowering.
Does all of this sound good? Should I give it another few weeks before transitioning? This is my first grow. I am hoping to get a decent amount when it’s all said and done. I have 5.5ft available height in my space.
(These buckets are 9.5" square):
This girl has two leaves per node:
This special girl has 3 leaves per node:
Low Stress Training:
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I would give them a couple more weeks. If not your yeild will be extremely underwhelming!
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Here is another update! I waited a week since I posted my last picture to transition. I read somewhere that 48 hours of complete darkness will help jumpstart flowering. I tried that, and they looked kind of sickly/weak, and not so green afterwards. I’m not going to try that again. They still growing like crazy and perked right up with some light though.
Overall I think they are looking pretty healthy! I switched to 12/12 8 days ago. I have some pics. I’m about to change the water again tonight to stronger nutrients.
The one on the left (Mia) has two leaves per node. Her roots are about double what the girl on the right has (Trinity who has 3 leaves per node). It seems that tri-leaf has more growth on top, but has less roots and is not quite as green. It may be hard to tell from the pics.
So overall I’m super happy with how my first grow is going. I got a closet-sized carbon filter for $20 on amazon (which seems to do absolutely nothing). But running my dehumidifier and air purifier/ionizer (pulled from storage - win!!) seems to help. I put them on twice a day for about an hour and there is not a very noticeable smell.
My guess that they will be ready early Sept which is 113 days since sprout or 77 days since transition. But I’m a noob so what do I know! 
Enjoy some pics…
Right before switching to 12/12 (36 days from sprout):
They are on 12/12 light now, and I’ve been doing LST to keep them flat and bushy. I spread them out and In the middle left there is a gap-- but I’m sure it will fill in. (43 days from sprout):
Side view, approx 6" high with LST. Who needs a scrog (43 days from sprout):
I also really like these General Hydroponics WaterFarm systems! Super easy to drain (you just tip that blue water depth indicator tube into the sink and it’s that easy to drain).
Thanks for following! Any comments or suggestions are welcome. It’s you guys who helped me diagnose and understand my TDS problem in the beginning-- Couldn’t have done it without you -- I hope I can contribute to others in the future!
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