Just received my Smart garden 9 and I am worried about not having an on off switch for the lights. If we need the room dark for a movie or someone wants to go to bed early the lights will be a problem. Can I unplug and plug back in every day to get the times I need? Seems like a ridiculous way to turn a machine on and off and then there is a chance of forgetting to plug it back in. I can’t believe I can’t manually set the time. I thought the pro was just to have a remote for controls. I never imagines this unit had no controls what so ever. Will turning the machine off at night mess with the water distribution? I haven’t turned it on yet because I’m thinking of returning it. Anyway to upgrade to the 9Pro? Or do I need to return the unit and purchase a Pro? I am just getting too many complaints from family about the lights being a problem at night. Are they really bright?
Welcome @Mjs!
Great to have you.
You’re right about the fact the Smart Garden 3, Smart Garden 9, or Click and Grow 25 don’t have an on/off switch. The main reason is to give the plants a sufficient amount of light availability. With these, the light cycle is automatically set to 16 h on and 8 h off. You can reset the cycle by pulling it off from the socket and replugging it after 10 seconds. So for example the light is on from 8 AM - 12 PM, and at 6 PM you want to watch TV. You can plug the garden off and switch it back on in the morning to resume the cycle. All Click and Grow devices use passive irrigation, there are no pumps whatsoever. So the only thing when switching it off is to remember to switch it back on.
With Pro-lamp you get a Bluetooth connection that gives the freedom to change the lighting cycle. Also, you can turn it on/off temporarily outside the schedule and it will continue normally next time.
Here’s how it looks from the App:
The brightness of the lights is the same for regular lamps and pro-lamps. It depends on the location where it’s put. I wouldn’t say they are really bright or maybe I’m so used to it on my countertop I don’t notice it. You can plug it on in the middle of the night too so it would be on from the early hours to evening, this way the lights will turn off before bedtime.
If you have questions about returning an unused product please contact with Support here.
You can also get a very cheap timer to your power outlet and use that instead of the internal timer if you want to change it. Just be sure to give enough light to the plants.
Thank you! I’m excited to try this option!
My husband bought a “smart plug” on Amazon that works with an app on the iPhone. He set the timer for “on” during sunrise and “off” at sunset. We might need to change it in the winter to give the plants more light, but for now it’s perfect.
I am still using my garden with my HomeKit integration (as I wrote at HomeKit automation for the Garden? ) so yeah that works fine.