Saving Water with an Irrigation Timer

Saving water is always a good idea. After all, it is a precious, life-giving element. Conserving your water will benefit the planet and everyone and everything that inhabits it. Using water wisely can also save you money by reducing your water bills.

During these dry times, saving water has become even more important. A conservation ethic needs to be our passion not only in our gardens but also around our homes, our towns, and the entire world. These days, more and more restrictions are being placed on water consumption. And the cost of water is going up.

Initially, these rules and regulations may seem onerous. But they provide at least a first step in responding to what is likely the new normal: long-term droughts and water shortages.

And you don't have to sacrifice the health or beauty of your garden or landscape if you follow the simple suggestions in this blog. The result will be lower water bills, lower energy consumption and less time spent maintaining your plantings. That's what we call a win-win-win.

Using a basic water irrigation timer or controller to automate your sprinklers or drip system will save you time, money, and water. You can program your timer to water at the best time of day to feed the plants. Right around sunrise is the best time to set your timer to turn the water on. This is the time when plants soak up moisture and less water is lost due to evaporation.

How long you leave the water on depends on your soil and the weather conditions. Shorter watering cycles are best for clay, which holds water much longer than sandy or loamy soil. Setting you timer for the right duration will help ensure your garden's high productivity too. Recently, Bluetooth battery timers have become available. These are very convenient because you can control them from your iPhone or Android phone. That means you don't even have to be near your plants to manage their watering schedule.

There is even an option to have rain and moisture sensors added to your timer. These will turn the timer off when the ground is moist, when it rains or when it's predicted to rain. Programming can be done up to 90 feet away from the timer. These programs typically offer up to four start times per day with a duration of anywhere from one minute to 12 hours with a flow range up to 5.3 gallons per minute and a pressure range of 15 to 145 psi. The Galcon Bluetooth Flip Open LCD Timer is proof that good things come in small packages. For those who have gravity-fed low-pressure systems, the new Irritec Zero Pressure Battery Timer uses a mechanical ball valve to open and close. Its flow rate is 7.5 gallons per minute at 50 psi. This timer is very easy to program and comes with a two-year warranty. It runs on two AAA batteries.

Are you looking for an off-grid option to free yourself from outlet or battery power? An eco-friendly alternative to battery or electronic timers, the DIG Waterproof Solar Powered Timer is the world's first sustainable irrigation timer with no battery or AC power source. Powered by ambient light with no direct sunlight required, this timer has been field tested for two years and has shown 100% reliability. The 3/4-inch female hose thread inlet and male hose thread outlet make it easy to attach to any faucet or 3/4-inch hose thread fitting. It features a large LCD screen that makes it easy to read and program. It is also rain sensor capable. The Galcon Greenhouse Battery Timer has watering durations down to one-second intervals. Perfect for seed propagation and other greenhouse operations, this weather-resistant timer has independent programming for each valve, offers manual operation and is rain sensor capable. In irrigation mode, it has four start times per day and in misting mode, it offers you a choice of multiple start times. One- to six-station models are available.

Electronic timers are the most reliable timers you can get. In addition, they generally have longer life and greater flexibility than battery timers. The Galcon 6 Station Greenhouse AC Timer is used for gardening, greenhouses, nurseries and large grows. The easy-to-program

LCD screen offers independent programming of each valve with the ability to operate two valves simultaneously. The Hunter Pro C AC Timer is a four-station model that can be expanded up to 16 stations to meet homeowner and commercial needs. There is a programmable delay between stations (zero seconds to four hours) and a programmable rain delay with optional remote control.

With saving water “top of mind” these days, the timers mentioned in this blog are crucial if you hope to keep growing your garden, landscape, or commercial crop successfully this year and in the years to come. If you plan on going on vacation, one of these timers is a must. When extremely hot and dry weather occurs, you need to be prepared. Lower water bills and a beautiful garden are possible with a quality irrigation timer set up on your property. A drip irrigation water timer for garden, landscape or farm use can help us create a better world now and for future generations.