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Do I need to turn my light off at night and on again in the morning?
SonnyLight products have a Sunrise setting and a Sunset setting allowing for the optimum light exposure time. By design, the light takes 15 minutes come on to full power and 15 minutes to turn off…we wanted to simulate how light works in nature. BACK TO TOP
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What do I do if the power goes out?
The LED Kitchen Garden has a non-volatile memory, so when the power goes out and comes back on, the system continues your preset program. BACK TO TOP
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Do I need to water my plants?
Yes. This is particularly critical using the LED grow lights....the plants grow so much faster they will require slightly more attention. BACK TO TOP
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What type of soil should I use to grow my plants?
Use a good starter soil if you are starting your plants from seed, otherwise a good potting soil works well and will allow you to transplant to your outdoor garden. SonnyLight also offers both types of soils custom blended for us here in Colorado. BACK TO TOP
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Can I burn my plants with the LED lights?
No. These LED lights operate at the designed power settings and generate very little heat. In fact it is best to have the lights close to your plants. BACK TO TOP
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How close does the light need to be to the plants?
With the LED lights there is virtually no heat or potential for heat damage. Therefore the lights should be within 2” of the top of the plants, as the plants grow simply raise the hood. If you are starting from seed place the hood assembly within one inch of the soil surface. BACK TO TOP
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Do I have to keep it on my kitchen counter?
Definitely not, how about the family room, your office or even a closet? As long as the room has an electrical outlet then it will work since SonnyLight provides the best light needed by your plants. BACK TO TOP
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Why LED's and not Compact Florescent bulbs?
LED's have a much longer life... 75,000+ hours compared to 5,000 hours for a compact florescent. Unlike the compact fluorescent, LED's contain no lead and no phosphor material making them a truly green product. BACK TO TOP
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What is the difference between hydroponic growing and the SonnyLight system?
Hydroponics systems provide highly enriched and specialized chemical nutrients that feed the root system directly, plants can grow very fast with these systems. However, it is extremely difficult to transplant bare root plants in a soil base garden. If the hydroponics system is a spray type or circulating solution it will also require frequent maintenance. The SonnyLight product philosophy is to provide the optimum light source in a soil base environment. This system means your success to transplant starts to your outdoor garden is very high, you can plant any type of seeds…just set the “Grow Logic”™ features, water your plant as needed and enjoy the results. The only maintenance is to gently wipe dust from the hood from time to time. BACK TO TOP
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How much electrical power is required to operate the SonnyLight?
LEDs by their very nature are extremely efficient. In fact, the SonnyLight LED Kitchen Garden consumes only 15 watts when the LEDs are on and less than 1 watt when the LEDs are off. This is quite significant compared to a single compact fluorescent that will consume 18 to 30 watts depending upon the type. BACK TO TOP
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What type of electrical power is required for the SonnyLight LED Kitchen Garden?
The SonnyLight LED Kitchen Garden uses an AC to DC power supply much like a laptop computer. The LED lights and electronic system operates on 12 volts DC. In fact, SonnyLight has an accessory 12 volt DC cable allowing a customer to operate the system “off grid” using a 12 volt car battery. BACK TO TOP
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Why does SonnyLight use the colored lights?
Plants do not efficiently use the broad spectrum white light to product chlorophyll which is essential to growth. The optimum color for plant chlorophyll production is in the red and blue spectrum. There are two absorption peaks in each of these colors. Sonny utilizes those peak light wavelengths of purple, blue, red/orange and red for best results. Each unit contains 144 8mm LEDs (Violet-10, Blue-23, Green-12, Orange-34, Red-49 and White-16). BACK TO TOP
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Why are my plants such a strange color when the grow lights are on?
The blue and red spectrum light is absorbed by the leaf pigment. Sonny has provided white LEDs by simply switching between colors to see the real condition of your plant. BACK TO TOP
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Why do so many other products use very powerful grow lights?
The high wattage grow lights must be powerful to compensate for efficiency losses. For example, if a 1000 watt grow light is used it consumes about 67% of its 1000 watts to generate heat. The remaining 37% generates broad spectrum white light (this also includes non-visible light such as infrared and ultraviolet light). Green plants absorb approximately 8% of the remaining light to produce chlorophyll. BACK TO TOP
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Is there different light colors for different plants?
Yes. For example, during the germination phase plants use more blues, during the growth phase they like a mix and during the budding phase they need more red. Certain broadleaf plants such as lettuce also like just a little amount of green.
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How does SonnyLight differ from other grow light products on the market?
- It provides the right light for the right season of the plants life, whether it is germinating, growing and/or budding and flowering.
- It provides the proper light for maximum chlorophyll A and B production at the specific wavelength for plants to thrive.
- It has a sunrise/sunset feature to gently awaken plants and put them to sleep.
- It is energy efficient using less than 15 watts. Almost 100% of the light is used by the plants compared to approximately 8% with compact florescent bulbs.
- It is environment friendly, no lead or mercury. It’s materials are all recyclable, even the packaging materials.
- It has a standard 10 x 20 nursery tray and is compatible with other standard tray accessories available at nursery retailers.
- You can start up to 72 plants for later transplanting to your garden using readily available peat pot trays or trays you fill with potting soil.
- It provides the right wavelength of light for the different types of plants, ie. broadleaf, regular leaf, flowering, sprouts.
- It provides the best light color combination during each growing phase of plants.
- The light hood assembly can be raised to 32” high using the standard brushed aluminum extension.
- It doesn't generate a lot of heat so there is no danger of burning delicate plants.
- It has the ability to grow a variety of plants under the same light.
- It can grow plants up to 3 times faster than sunlight.
- It has white lights so you can check on your plants with normal light. BACK TO TOP
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How many hours should I expose my plants to the LEDs?
As a general “rule of thumb” we suggest that you start at 18 hours of light for the germination phase and then adjust the light grow time to about 16 hours per day. To promote budding balance the light time and night cycle 12/12. Light requirements will vary from plant species, enjoy the discovery process for optimum light exposure for your plants.
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- What size is the unit?
Our stainless steel clad base unit measures 14” deep x 23” wide, whereas the hood assembly will extend up to 28” as a standard feature using two extruded aluminum extensions. The hood measures 14” deep x 19 5/8” wide with stainless steel cladding.
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