Planting a garden or laying down sod for your yard is the easy part. Keeping that foliage appropriately hydrated, that’s the real challenge—and it’s one that just keeps going and going, only getting more complicated as the seasons change.
In recent years, interior smart home technology has spilled outside, and you’ll now find dozens of wireless watering systems on the market that can take some of the confusion and complexity out of irrigating your plants. Whether you have a sophisticated in-ground sprinkler or drip irrigation system or you rely on an old-fashioned hose, multiple smart watering solutions are readily available. The good news: We’ve got you covered no matter what type of outdoor environment you have.
Be sure to check out our other guides to backyard tech, including the Best Smart Bird Feeders, Best Grills and Smart Grills, Best Flat-Top Grills and Griddles, Best Coolers, and Best Pool Cleaning Robots.
What Can Smart Irrigation Systems Do?
Across the board, smart watering solutions are fundamentally designed around scheduling. While you can always initiate a manual watering run with one of these systems, their real value is in setting up a recurring schedule so you can basically forget about them. The best systems offer sophisticated scheduling tools that let you water on your chosen days of the week or month, along with the time of watering and the amount of water you want to deliver.
Best of all, the more sophisticated solutions include what’s now commonly known as “weather intelligence,” a fancy way of saying they will check the internet for local weather conditions and adjust watering based on whether it’s going to rain or freeze. Many systems will also work with wireless soil monitors to give you even finer control over ground moisture levels—and help you conserve as much water as possible.
What if I Have an Existing Irrigation System?
If you already have an in-ground watering system with a traditional timer attached, upgrading to a smart irrigation system is pretty simple. You simply remove your old controller and replace it with the smart one, connecting the zone wiring leads to the terminal posts inside the smart controller, just as they were in the old controller, leaving the remaining infrastructure in place. (Make sure the controller you purchase has enough zones to handle your infrastructure; controllers typically support either 8 or 16 zones.)
Photograph: Chris Null
From there, you’ll use an app to configure your zones based on plant type, shade conditions, and soil type. Most apps will recommend watering durations for each zone based on this information, and you can fine-tune these durations as you go, zone by zone. For setups involving a garden hose, configuration is even easier. Smart sprinklers attach to the terminus of any standard hose and can be placed anywhere in your yard. Alternately, smart hose timers attach to the spigot; you then connect your own sprinkler (or, in some cases, drip irrigation) to the timer. Mobile app features will of course vary, but many are just as sophisticated as permanent smart sprinkler systems.
How I Test Smart Irrigation Systems
I’ve been testing smart irrigation products since 2017 in yards as large as 1.3 acres in both California and Texas. My current sprinkler system is a permanently plumbed solution that spans 11 zones and includes both in-ground sprinklers and drip irrigation. For hose-based solutions, I test by connecting to a standard hose spigot, typically in both lawn and flower bed environments.
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Best Smart Controller for In-Ground Sprinkler Systems
Rachio
3 Smart Sprinkler Controller
I’ve tested over a dozen smart sprinkler controllers with my underground irrigation systems, and this Rachio controller is the one I use every day. To be sure, there’s nothing remarkable about the hardware, though it’s easy to connect zone wiring thanks to spring-loaded clips instead of screws, and the onboard controls cover just the basics.
The real magic is in Rachio’s app. Here, you define your zones based on vegetation type, nozzle/drip type, soil type, sun exposure level, and slope. If you want to get really wild, advanced options let you set everything from root depth to the amount of water depletion you wish to allow. Assign each zone a name and a photo, and they’re all presented in an intuitive grid, which you can use as a point-and-click interface for manual watering operations as needed.
Rachio’s scheduling can be fixed based on day or date, or dynamic, with adjustments automatically applied based on rolling weather conditions. The app’s logging system is copious, detailing every run’s timing and duration—for each zone and each day. It’s also easy to share access with my professional irrigation team, so they can periodically test zones for leaks or other problems without needing physical access to my garage, where the controller lives.
Other Solid Smart Controller Picks
Irrigreen 3.0
Photograph: Christopher Null
Irrigreen 3.0 Starting at $2,089: Irrigreen isn’t just a controller. It’s a pricey, complete irrigation solution that requires fresh plumbing and an upgrade of all your sprinkler heads to Irrigreen’s conservationist “water painting” system. I wouldn’t rip out an existing system for it, but if you’re installing sprinklers from scratch, it’s worth a strong look.
