The most efficient way to water your yard is by using an automatic system. Hand watering can be problematic because it can lead to inconsistent watering, causing you to overwater, underwater, or forget to water altogether.

If you are ready to invest in a more efficient irrigation system, a Water Sense Smart hose timer is the way to go. It’s an inexpensive way to get your plants on an automatic irrigation system, allowing you to water your yard on a specific day of the week, time of the day, and for a set number of minutes. You can put it together yourself for under $100.

The hose timer can attach to high-quality irrigation Polypipe with drip emitters or connect to a professional landscape dripline. The irrigation dripline can stay in the ground year-round and is easily connected to an automatic in-ground irrigation system.

There are a variety of products you can use, including smart controllers, easy twist and turn controllers, battery controllers, multi-valve controllers, and more. We offer a rebate on ones that adjust to our weather and your plant’s watering needs.

Below is an example of a hose watering system using one of the smart irrigation controllers —in this case, a B-hyve hose faucet controller— included in our rebate program. All the pieces and parts needed for this system are listed below, but if you have any doubts, take this picture to your local irrigation supply store and they’ll help you get everything you need.

Plants thrive on a consistent watering routine that allows the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Setting up an automatic hose bib system is easy, inexpensive, water smart and the best thing you can do to keep your plants healthy.

Learn more by checking out these other useful irrigation articles:

Author: Jill Brown, ASLA, is a Landscape Architect and owner of My Landscape Coach in Albuquerque, NM. Contributor: Greg at Sisco Irrigation, Albuquerque, NM. Have A question about the article? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org