Are Simple Watering Timers the Best?

 Raindrip R675CT Analog Hose Timer

I grew up in farming country, so I'm well aware that farmers simply cannot take vacations between spring planting and fall harvest. Ski trips to Vail or Christmas on South Padre Island, maybe, but Yellowstone for Labor Day just ain't gonna happen. I didn't realize that it could be the same for gardeners, not until I tried to get a neighbor kid to water my newly-planted garden for two weeks in May. That didn't work... but what did work was picking up a hose timer like the Raindrip R675CT.

We'd had hose timers before, with – at best – mixed results. They're bitch-kitties to set, leak like sieves, and generally last about one season. With that in mind, I went for the least expensive model I could find with a name I recognized (no CROSFOMI or RESTMO, thanks). Rainbird, Nelson, Orbit, Melnor, Gilmour; yeah. This one's from Raindrip, the same people who make an assortment of drip irrigation parts like the ones spread all over my garden. 

The R675CT is an analog timer, which means it's a little more... basic. You don't set a clock for the time of day and then go through all sorts of button-pushing to set watering times and intervals. Instead, there are three dials; of which two are involved in the "setting" process. You set the interval between watering events – how often to water, in other words – and the other to set the duration – how long to water. The third is an override dial, which allows you to cancel watering for up to 72 hours in case it's been raining or run water for the next three to 90 minutes.

On the "how often to water" dial, you can set it for any of eleven intervals, from every hour to once a week. On the "how long to water" dial, the eleven settings range from 3 minutes to two hours.

Now here's the strange feature of this timer: it doesn't have a clock. Well, it doesn't have a clock where you set the current time. Instead, you perform your settings at the time of day when you want to water. As soon as you set the "frequency" scale, the timer starts. Say you want to water at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM; you simply wait until the next time your clock turns 7:00 and set the frequency dial for every 12 hours. Want it to run once a day at 6:00 AM? Well, you're gonna have to be hanging around your faucet at 6:00 tomorrow morning. 

The timer attaches directly to a hose bibb (the technical term for "outdoor faucet"), and a standard garden hose screws onto the termer's outlet. Mine included an adapter so I could attach directly to a drip system if I wanted. The timer runs on two AA batteries (not included), which should be removed when the timer's stored for winter.

Using this timer saved my flats of bedding plants from death by dehydration when I took an unplanned vacation in spring. It was worth the cost.

copyright © 2022 scmrak

Eat Your Heart Out, Farmall!

Nelson RainTrain Traveling Sprinkler 1865

There's a shelf out in our garage, and on that shelf is a pile of lawn sprinklers, and in that pile is a tractor. Yes, a tractor: bright yellow, with tricycle gear, white lugged wheels and a brass hose connector where the drawbar would be if it weren't just 8" high. Oh, and it looks like it's been crossed with a helicopter: there's a "rotor" sprouting out of the body. But it's not a tractor and it's not a helicopter; it's a lawn sprinkler (I did say it's only eight inches high...).

Save Money with Your Sprinkler System

credit:  Seemann/morguefile.com

Taken a good look at your water bill lately? If your home has a sprinkler system, you might be able to trim your bill considerably in the lawn-watering season. While an in-ground sprinkler system certainly makes watering more convenient, if you're not careful they can waste water. If you look at your bill, you'll quickly learn that water is money. With some common sense, research and maybe a bit of sweat equity, optimizing the sprinkler system can save water and save money, too. Try these techniques:

Evaluate Sprinkler Heads

Inspect each sprinkler head: does it spray evenly across the entire area it's supposed to cover? Do your pop-up heads pop up? Are there puddles at sprinklers, brown patches where they should be watering, or both? If you can answer any of those questions “Yes,” you should replace any improperly functioning sprinkler with a new one of the same design. Through time, sprinkler heads naturally become clogged with grit and minerals, so periodic checkups help keep the landscaping alive without wasting water (and money).

Watch all the sprinkler heads as the system cycles (your timer should have a TEST function). Are you spraying water on sidewalks, driveways, or the street? In case you didn't know, they're not going to grow! You can re-aim sprinkler heads to reduce wasted water. If some heads waste water in two directions or more, replace them with heads that have narrower spray patterns. It's a no-brainer: sprinkler heads don't cost much!


You can find tools specially-designed to make short work of testing and removing worn-out or malfunctioning spray heads.

Learn to Use the Timer Did the sprinklers run today even though it rained two inches yesterday? You’re wasting water! Check the timer manual (find a copy onnline if the previous owner didn't leave one) to learn how to use the RAIN setting to turn off the sprinklers by hand. Research the grasses that are planted in your lawn. Talk to your county extension agent or a good local garden shop to determine out how much water your grass, flower beds, and other landscaping needs. Don't bother asking the "landscaping company" who mows your lawn, many of them know little or nothing about plants.

Know Your Lawn

Almost everyone overwaters the lawn; watering too much, too often or both. Grass should be watered well and rarely so that it grows strong, deep roots. Almost no grass species requires water daily: if your system runs that often, water simply runs off the lawn and into the gutter, or evaporates in the hot sun. It's a good idea to take a look at your soil as well. Most people can shorten the length of time the system runs and schedule it less frequently.

credit: kumaravel / flickr

Morning is the Best Time to Water

If you water in the hottest part of the day you'll lose water to evaporation, especially if the sprinklers put out a fine mist. Bright sunlight can also burn tender plant leaves when water droplets act like magnifying glasses; sort of like mean little kids burn ants. You shouldn't water late in the evening, either, because plants that are constantly wet at night are more prone to rot and disease.

Follow these simple suggestions, and you could save as much as half of the water your sprinkler system dumps on your lawn. Like it said at the top: "Taken a good look at your water bill lately?"

copyright © 2015-2017 scmrak

Orbit Sunmate High-Rise Sprinkler

Got Tall Plants? Get a Tall Sprinkler

The Problem

At our Illinois house, the soils of the Great Corn Desert were so darned fertile people claimed that a railroad spike stuck in the ground would grow into an ironwood tree. Well, not that fertile, but just about everything we did plant got big - fast. As those plants grew, we had to keep raising the sprinkler so the closest plants didn't block the water from reaching the rest. For a while, we jury-rigged an impact sprinkler whose base rested on the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, held in place by some rocks.

The Solution

"There must be a better way," we thought, and we were right: it's the Orbit SunMate High-Rise Sprinkler. It's a regular three-arm spinner sprinkler on a telescoping pole that extends to three feet tall. That's high enough to reach over most nearby plants and water the whole garden.