Understanding the Light Schedule

Sufficient light is crucial to growing healthy and thriving plants. Your Gardyn’s light has two modes: Schedule Mode and Manual Mode.

In Schedule Mode, your lights automatically turn on, dim, and turn off daily. In Manual Mode, it’s up to you to toggle your lights on and off each day. We recommend staying in Schedule Mode as the easiest way to ensure your plants get enough light.

There are five ratings: Low, Ok, Great, Intense, and Too High. To rate your schedule, we take the average of your daily light hours to find how much light your plants receive in a week. We also rate each day and include our recommendations to add or remove hours of Boost light as needed to optimize your plants’ growth.

Boost means your lights are at 100% intensity. When we say to add or subtract a certain number of Boost hours, it’s important not to substitute those hours for light at a lower (dimmed) intensity.

Aim for 14-16 hours of Boost light daily. This mimics a full summer day of sun and generates the healthiest and fastest growth.

Just like nighttime in nature, your Gardyn plants need periods of darkness, too! Once your schedule reaches 17 or more Boost hours per day, your plants become stressed. Too much light can cause bitter flavors, premature bolting (elongated growth and the natural life cycle end of your leafy greens and herbs), pale spots, and weaker plants.

If you’re in Manual Mode, first switch to Schedule Mode in your light settings. Select a day to edit, add, or delete a light shift, then save. You can copy your schedule from one day to another. For details, check out our guide.

 Questions? Reach us at support@mygardyn.com, or chat with us. We're here to help!