NEW PRODUCT
Calculator of sorts lets sun shine in right place
Don't let the wrong light conditions spoil that beautiful garden you've lovingly designed, not to mention the money you've invested.
SunCalc takes the guesswork out of where plants should go.
Many factors come into play when placing plants, including the effects of shade trees and shadows produced by the residence, outbuildings, walls and fences.
Prior to SunCalc, decisions of where to place plants came from an educated guess by a professional or a hope-for-the-best scenario of the novice home gardener.
Here's how to use the SunCalc:
1. Pick a day when you expect a full day of sunlight.
2. Start early in the day (7-9 a.m.) and put the device in the desired location. It is recommended you place it in a pot filled with soil but it can go directly in the ground. Make sure to keep the dial parallel to the ground.
3. Turn it on. When the power is applied, the Full Shade through Full Sun LEDS will illuminate sequentially for about 2 seconds. After that the four LEDS will flash together, indicating sunlight accumulation is in progress.
4. After 12 hours, the SunCalc will stop collecting info and a single LED light will illuminate showing the amount of sunlight received.
Plant tags will tell you what kind of sun they like. SunCalc indicates: full sun (6 or more hours), partial sun (less than 6 and more than 4 hours), partial shade (less than 4 and more than 11/2 hours) and full shade (less than 11/2 hours).
The SunCalc is battery-operated and water-resistant. It retails for around $30.
For more information, visit www.thesuncalc.com.
