How to install an automatic watering system

The most sustainable irrigation systems are connected to rainwater butts, but you’ll need to fit a pump to achieve a similar pressure to a mains tap. Set it to water at the time intervals required – containers and vegetable crops for 30 minutes every day, borders for a similar time but just once a week. Some irrigation systems come with a sensor that monitors the soil’s moisture content and waters when needed, and some can be controlled remotely by an app on your smartphone. The more sophisticated the system the more expensive, but it’s an investment you’ll appreciate for years.

Follow our step-by-step guide to setting up an automatic watering system, below.

You Will Need

• Automatic watering system

Total time: 30 minutes

Step 1

Connect your outside tap or water butt pump to the timer control box and reconnect the hose to the box. Set the timer to morning or evening watering sessions.

Step 2

Attach the drip systems’ thinner pipes with a junction unit. Design the pipe lengths to suit the position of your plants. Push-fit connectors are easy to use.

Step 3

Fit nozzles to the end of the pipes to regulate the water flow, then position them in your containers or borders so the water is directed over the plants’ root zone.

Step 4

Arrange porous pipes or drip hoses around new plantings and veg plots. These seep water into the soil gradually through pores or drippers at intervals.